Christmas is Coming part 9

 Weather reports were a little crazy yesterday, and the predictions didn't quite come true, so today turned out to be a relatively nice day, at least for December.  And as the title says, Christmas is coming, so those cards need to get done, especially since I have already told some people I plan to get them out before the holiday for once.  As I have said before, coloring could be done at home, but it is better in the Studio for a bunch of reasons, plus I had a need to go other places today. 

This time I remembered to bring everything with me today, and even started packing the cards last night.  For music I brought with me my rock/pop book of discs, and from that selected the Beatles two record eponymous release from 1968, best known as the White Album, which I wrote about back in January of 2020 if you want to know more about it, though how you would not know about it by now is a mystery to me.  And I put out all by unfinished cards that I consider acceptable, which numbers 9, more than enough for me for this year.  After today's session, I still had none that were completely colored (except the fully colored test/master proof, which was not up to printing standards) but all were at the same level, with all the red to brown stuff done, which is the majority of the image.  I'll probably finish the rest at home over the next few days.  I don't want to show the image here before the big day, so here's a photo I took today of the unprinted parts of the cards, which I suppose matches the color of the album cover of today's music.    

As it turned out, I only listened to sides 1 to 3 today. It's not that I don't also enjoy side 4 of the White Album, but I had 5 stops to make today before lunch, so I decided to move on after that.  I took care of what I planned at all five stops, so I consider it a successful day.

Christmas is Coming part 8

 Cloudy when I got up, but with sun promised, I decided to go up to the Studio today.  I can color at home, but I have a little more space and solitude there, so I did that.  Made sure to get the ones I printed most recently, now dry.  Brought my current watercolors as well.  No sign that Molly had been in there since the last time I was there, meaning my box was still set to CD.  I had brought a disc with me today that I hadn't listened to before, or at least not since I made it many years ago- a Jean Shepherd radio show from 1965.  One of the discs I had made from a tape for my father as a Christmas present back when I could burn discs and I had the ability to record Shepherd shows off the radio.  Again, not particularly a Christmas show or music, but at least it was from around that time of year, a December show, and he did mention shopping for Christmas as part of the show.  My mother had found it recently, with no case, and gave it to my father, who expressed an interest in listening to it.  Of course he then put it in a pile of things he probably won't ever go through, so I put it in my jazz/blues book and it came with me today.  Unfortunately, I could already see some scuffing around the edges of the recording side, and had some reason to doubt what I could hear.  Coupled with the Shepherd show ("The Human Comedy, " from 1965) was an episode of "Richard Diamond, private detective" from 1953, starring Dick Powell and written by Blake Edwards.  The end of each show didn't play, but I will eventually try it on another disc player at home.

However, it was only in taking out the cards to color that I realized that I had not brought with me the earlier cards I had colored, which included my color copy of the original painting.  Which left me to guess at what the colors were.  Some I knew, but some I didn't, so I put down the colors I was relatively sure of, and decided to save the others for a time when I had full color copy with me.  This was still the majority of the image, but I did not finish them today.  I still have time to get them out, and possibly to their destinations before Christmas itself.

As I left the building the place was emptier, but the lights were still on, I heard music playing somewhere in the building, and there were some cars in the lot, so I decided not to lock up, but just closed the outside door and headed home. 

Christmas is Coming part 7

 After looking again at the cards I had printed I came to two conclusions: some that I had liked were really not printed up to standards, and none had a clean margin all the way around the piece.  This latter problem is not really an issue for cards, as those areas right, left, and underneath will all be cut off anyway and above will be part of the back, but it could be an issue for photographing the work for this blog, as the software that would allow me to crop the piece to its edges was eliminated from the computer that had it some years ago.  As for the images themselves, I might have enough usable ones, but then again maybe not, so I decided to print up a few more, just to make sure I have enough.

So up to Ocean Grove this morning.  As I came in the front door and walked through the first floor lobby, I could see Jeanne in one of the classrooms, but she seemed to be leading some kind of tour, so I figured I'd talk to her later.  However I also noticed all the tables, with fancy tablecloths and settings that were also in the lobby, but then another staff person doing another tour explained it to her people, it was for some kind of function happening tonight.  No effect on me. I continued to the basement.

In my space I could see evidence that Molly had been there since my last time in the space- more trash in the can to the point where the lid couldn't close, and not any of it mine, volume way up on my box (I think Molly may have a hearing issue), it was set to radio instead of CD, and the note to her from the office had been moved from the floor to a table.  I couldn't guarantee that she had read it or planned to do anything it asked, but she had seen it.  I adjusted the volume on my box and put on a disc (Giant Songs from Giant Sand, a home burned copy of a compilation, and a Studio favorite- see my write-up in July if 2019 if you want to know more), and got to work.

One thing I wanted to do was a little more cutting- the printing of this block so many times had caused some of the details to fill in on some proofs.  I just recut where I saw indentations on the block, even they were now black from ink. Then I inked and printed it six more times- most in the format for cards, and one just on the same paper for photographing.  All were good prints, and suitable for any need.  Plus, they would be dry well before the holiday.  I cleaned up my ink, 

and even put a fresh trash bag in the can and took the full one out to the dumpster, despite the constant wind I was hearing the whole time  I was there.  

I went over to the office and found Jeanne there.  The extension for the show she had given us previously was through the 15th, which is this weekend, and I wanted to know if they were staying up or if I had to come in early in the week and take them down.  It turned out she wants the art to stay up a little longer- she's not sure how long, but probably at least until February, so for now I don't have to worry about it. And if people want to see the show, it's still on the 1st floor for now. 

Christmas is Coming part 6

 Still have a few weeks to go until the big day, but I think it's time to work on those cards again.  All the ones I printed are now dry, and I wanted to go to the Studio today, so I figured it would be nice to have something to work on.  Last night I got out my watercolors and did a test coloring of the first proof I took of the card block, which happened to be an unusable print (for a card), but was usable to test some colors.  Way back as an undergrad I learned the advantage of having two computers going to work on a problem (late at night, the computer labs at college were fairly empty, so it was often possible to find two vacant terminals side by side, so I could have one to update the program and compile it, and one to run whatever changes I had made), so I did that at home, with one computer playing some appropriate holiday music, and one with the image of the painting that inspired it. I brought that test card with me today, so I would know what colors to use.

This morning I drove up to the Studio, where my table would give me some room to spread out, and put my cards and paints out where I could get to them.  Upon looking at all the printed cards,  I decided that some of them were printed better than others, and maybe I need to do another print run.  Luckily, I still have plenty of time.  Meanwhile, I would color all the ones I had with me, which was 8 cards.   I set it up assembly line style, adding one color at a time to all of them, then moving on to the next color.  As is my custom, I stared with darks and red and brown colors, which in this case also made up most of image.  

Despite having spent two hours on the process, I still didn't finish all the colors on all eight I had brought with me today. What's left are mostly cool colors and a few spots of brights.  Maybe I'll do them at home the next few days, and save my next Studio visit for cutting and printing.  You don't get to see the card today, but here's a view of some to the colors I used to paint today.

For music I had two things from the past and my jazz/blues book of discs- the Mod Jazz that my friend Doug sent me a few years ago, which I associate with Christmas even if none of the songs are particularly about Christmas. (read about it in December of 2021 if you want to know more) and later Kirsty MacColl's tropical brainstorm album, a posthumous release, written about in March of 2020 if you want details.  Information about her death can be found all over the internet if you want that.  

Christmas is Coming part 5

My father asked me today how many cards I make. Simple answer- as many as I need to send one to everyone who sent me a card, plus a few for people I will see in person.  How many is that?  I'm not really sure.  Haven't received any yet, but I know who usually sends them.  Do I have enough printed?  Probably not yet, so I better go make more.  I had some time today.

So I drove up to Ocean Grove this morning, despite the cold weather.  We do have a heater in our Studio, and in time for the recent open studio, I shut down Molly's fan.  (saw nothing she was drying, so I figured it was safe, and we certainly don't need it for temperature adjustment) And even in an unheated basement (as I used to use for printing) one tends to work up a sweat in printing.  I prepared six more pieces of bristol board, a suitable material for card making. Of course the problem with something stiff like bristol board is that it doesn't stick well to ink, so keeping it from shifting on the inked block is tricky.  Don't think that was a problem today, but checking printing progress and printing delicate areas can be a problem, and at least a few from today's print session were not usable.  

What I probably need to do is start coloring (the first batch is dry enough for this) and see how they turn out.  Then see what else I have, and make a list of how many I expect to send out.  If it looks like I won't have enough, I have time to print a third batch, and finally get what I need.  Writing them out doesn't take long since I now send out a letter with the usual news, and that I distribute by email.

Today's print session was so quick I didn't even have time to take a photo of anything.  Didn't even think of it until I was done cleaning up.  You didn't miss much.  Only had time for one disc, which was from my Jazz/Blues book, New Moon Daughter by Cassandra Wilson, written about in detail back in January of 2022.  I chose it mostly because I heard a song she covered on this album done by someone else last night, the theme song for a new show.