Supermarket Smoke part 1

 I bought wood the other day, so today, being probably the nicest day this week, was a day to go to the Studio and work on a new print.  The good news is that my clamped pieces of lauan looked a little straighter than before, so maybe my clamp system is working.  However, I'm not quite ready to start another boardwalk print yet, so maybe this is the time for a supermarket print.

I haven't done a supermarket print in a while, not since the supermarket panic print (Covid story line) of a few years ago, and not exhibited one in even longer.  But I got an idea the other day.  I was at the local ACME, a place I used to work, and saw a huge plume of smoke on the far side of the parking lot.  Filled a large area of the sky.  My guess was that it came from a vehicle, but I never got close enough to find out for sure.  In any case, it seemed like an unusual situation, and it took place on the grounds of a supermarket, so I decided it counted for one of that series, and the first new idea I had in a while.

So today I brought my saw from the car to the Studio, and used some of the older supermarket blocks (on that same 1/2" birch plywood) to measure a new block from my brand new piece of wood. I cut it out, put on the lines that represent the border, and began sketching out the basic composition.  Yesterday I had stopped by that same parking lot and took some reference photos of the space and building, and used those this morning to figure out a few things that will be in that space.  This was only the beginning, and much was redrawn later by me for the basic composition.  What work I did on cars all came from me, and that smoke was all from memory of what I saw that day.  What I got done today can be seen below:

I brought the block home with me to keep working on it.  We are expecting another snow storm this weekend, and it's not a bad idea to have something to work on at home in case I can't drive there.  The cars definitely need more work, and after I fix those, I'll look at the rest of it to see what is needed.  Likely the building as well, but I don't know yet.  I believe this one is #27 in the series, based on looking at past blog posts and other computer based sources.  

Of course I had music from my storage collection with me today.  I brought two discs home burned by my friend Doug, two albums from Superdrag (a Tennessee band), In The Valley Of Dying Stars and Last Call For Vitriol, both on a smaller label after their major label dropped them.   The former album was a favorite of mine, so I am glad to get it back.  I'm not sure if I have ever heard another album where every song has some kind of hook in it.  When the first album ended, I put on the second one.  I don't like this second one as much, but it was still good music to draw to, and that's what I was doing today.

Studio Work

Time to start something new, but I need wood first, so today I got some wood.  Drove to my local home improvement center and got a piece of 1/2" birch plywood, which is what I have been using lately for my woodcuts.  Also got a tube of wood filler.  (used to only come in tubs, so this may be an improvement- I'll let you know) Carried them back to my car, loaded up, and headed for the Studio.  I know every road in between to the two, so picking a route was not a problem.

I decided not to start any new pieces today, but used some time to reorganize my table, and clamp the slightly curved lauan boards that I have again.  I'm hoping this will get them to straighten out a little, which will make it easier to draw on them, cut them, and make the print.  Thanks to my experiment of a few weeks ago, I know that the back side is smoother, but I know the back side of one of them won't work at all (top layer of wood is missing in some spots), thus the wood filler I bought today.  Seeing if it will work with the metal ink knives instead of the plastic putty knife I used to have remains to be seen.  Either way, it says it still washes with water, and I do have some sandpaper to smooth it down.  

So today I did a few sketches, but only on paper.  Ideas for some future prints,  but I think I will take some photos, and maybe look up some old photos first, to see what I have.  Once I have reviewed that information, it may be time to start a new print.  I also listened to some music today, once again from my recovered box of discs.  This one was a commercially made disc, soundtrack to the film Heavy, which I have never seen, but I heard the director promoting the movie on Vin Scelsa's radio show and playing songs from the soundtrack, which is why I knew it was good and bought it many years ago.  (the store I bought it from, Silver Tunes in Belmar, was torn down long ago to make a restaurant)  Problem was that my favorite song was not playing at home, stopping after about 30 seconds every time I tried it.   However, in my disc player in the Studio, it worked fine.  That's a relief, I guess.

I'm A Steady Rollin' Man part 12

 The last print for me to pull a frame worthy proof of was my 8th Robert Johnson print, I'm a Steady Rollin' Man.  I just finished this one not long ago, but I didn't really have a good proof of the textless version, and it's too hard to frame the ones with the lyrics.  So today I went to the Studio this morning with a plan.  Found the block in my rack, removed the patches of blue tape, and used a cutting tool to remove some of the stray marks I didn't want in the new version.  Then inked it.  Printed it on a freshly torn piece of paper.  Plan complete.  Results can be seen below:

After documenting the piece, I stuck it in my rack to dry.  No idea when I might need these recent proofs.  On my way out I stopped by the office to see whoever was there.   Gave Jeanne the list of items not in the basement men's room, and asked about the next tenants show there in our studio building.  She's not sure.  Maybe in April, along with another open studio event, and maybe not.  Well, in any case, I'm ready.

For music today I went back to my box from storage and selected Mike Watt's 1995 solo album. Ball-Hog or Tugboat?  This extra long album (almost 70 minutes) includes a very long list of guests, such as members of Nirvana, Sonic Youth, J Mascis, Dave Pirner and Evan Dando (both of whom I've seen live), Henry Rollins, Eddie Vedder, Frank Black, and too many others to list here.  For that matter, I've seen Mike Watt live as well, as then he was playing bass for the briefly reformed Stooges.  Watt has major credibility in the punk world, having played bass for two important bands plus work with so many others, which is probably how he got dozens of people to help out on this album.  Once again, good music to listen to while making art.

Kind Hearted Woman Blues part 6

 Having done the most recent print last week, my plan for now is to print the proofs of the two previous Robert Johnson prints, so that I will have the last 3 available for a future exhibition.  And I see on this blog a copy of Kind Hearted Woman Blues, minus the lyrics, which is what I need for framing.   Unfortunately, I couldn't find any sign of it when I got up to the Studio, so I had to make another one, and I decided that was the one I would do today.  I started by removing the blue tape and cutting away a few unwanted marks.  Then I re-inked the block and taped up the mistakes, needing much less tape than I had taken off.  Printing it took more time than I liked, but the results were solid.  Like the last time, it's not perfect, but good enough to slap it into a frame and put it up on the wall, whenever I need it.  Results from today are below:

While printing this proof up, I was listening to more recently recovered music from my storage space.  I started with Straight Ahead, the first solo album by Greg Sage, from 1985.  I've written about Sage and the Wipers (his band, made of anyone he found to play with in those years) before, but never about Sage as a solo artist.  In a way, this is the first thing I ever heard from him, played on a friend's show after she heard it on another show.  I probably borrowed that record from the DJ archives at Montclair State, putting it on tape, and later burning it to the disc I found recently.  I don't have a list of songs, though I think I am familiar with a few from a 1990 compilation album called The Best of the Wipers and Greg Sage, which mixed music from his band and (at the time) one solo record.  Not surprisingly, some of the songs on this album sound like they could have been at home on a Wipers album, while some, especially on what would have been side 2 of the record, are a bit more atmospheric.  Like the Wipers, good music to listen to while working on art.  When that disc ended, I put on another recently retrieved from storage, much of the 1989 album So Far So What from the Pheromones, another thing I found at Montclair State's radio station.  I wrote about it extensively on this blog back in 2021 if you want to know more.  (someone posted the whole album to YouTube so I have listened to it from time to time, including the songs I didn't tape and put on this disc)  However, I didn't have the disc, so I couldn't listen to it in the Studio, until this came home from storage.  The disc also includes some live in the station (WNEW-FM) recordings from Matthew Sweet and Del Amitri, stuff I had taped and threw on the disc, which the radio station was playing a lot of as it was winding down.  However, I finished my cleaning and left without hearing it today.  

Me And The Devil Blues part 7

 Although I have declared this piece done, I was not satisfied with the proof I had taken, not enough to exhibit it anyway, so I decided I needed to pull another proof.  I decided this a few days ago, but last time I was in the Studio, I wasn't ready to do it.   Had the paper, had the ink, but the block needed work I couldn't do.  Had the tools with me this time, so I devoted some time to cleaning up some of the stray marks I noticed last time, which were concentrated around the text (lyrics).  Probably something like a half hour, but it needed it. Hardly any tape was needed after inking this time.  Results can be seen below:

I wouldn't say that this is perfect, but it is something I am willing to exhibit.  While still there, I looked at some of the old prints I had, including the others in this third set of Johnson prints, and decided that I will probably need to print those as well.  At least I won't need to do the text for these other ones.

For music I pulled out my newly recovered Dexter Gordon disc.  This one is labeled a little more than the Charlie Parker disc, with the words "Blue Note 1963-1965" on it.  If memory serves, this disc is a compilation I made, favorite songs from three Blue Note albums of the early to mid-60's, Our Man in Paris, One Flight Up, and Clubhouse.  That last one was recorded in 1965, but for some reason was not released until the late 70's.  Not sure why, as it's a pretty good album.  Again, 78 minutes of fine jazz to listen to as I worked.  I like all the bebops, but of all of them Dexter Gordon is my favorite, so I was definitely pleased to be able to listen to him again.  I don't know the names of the songs (though the 18 minutes of 'Tanya' couldn't be anything else), but it doesn't matter.

Wood Test

 My plan for today was to ink up the experiments I did over the weekend.  That is the two small woodcuts I did on both sides of a piece of scrap wood, with a goal of seeing if I need wood filler and whether one side is better than the other.   My other plan was to pull a better proof of my most recent print, so that I will be ready for a show if one comes up.  

Then I arrived at the building and saw that all the walls were empty.  It looked like a new show was about to happen.  Could this mean I had to get something done sooner?  Knowing nothing yet, I decided I would definitely want to pull a new proof of the last block.  I tore some paper to the right size, one piece just a little bigger than the other, to account for the inclusion of the text.  Prepared some ink as well.  Started removing blue tape from the block, in preparation for cutting away some unwanted areas of black ink.  And that's when I realized that I didn't have my cutting tools with me.  Left them on the table at home.  There was no point in trying to print that block today- too much has to be removed before the next printing.

However, the day was not a total loss.   I had ink out and wanted to see the results of my little experiment. Over the weekend I had cut out two small pieces on scrap wood, images of someone playing a guitar, something I may need for an upcoming boardwalk block.  One on the light side of the wood, one on the darker side, the one I was used to using, with the addition of wood filler.  I inked both about the same way and printed them.

Although they looked alike on the blocks, the difference between the prints was more obvious.  The version on the left, on the darker wood, was more grainy- you can see the texture of the wood.  This could be a problem if I need to print any very dark areas.  The lighter (and smoother) wood side (on the right) gave a more consistent black for the background.  Results- it looks like the lighter side works better if I do nothing else.  I still haven't decided yet what I will do, but this information helps.

On my way out of the building I stopped by the office.  My original plan was to let them know that the men's room in the basement was out of soap, but the maintenance guy seemed deeply involved in another conversation, so that didn't happen.  But Jeanne was available, so I asked her about the blank walls on the first floor.  Turns out a new show is coming in, some kids art or something like that.  So what will go up may not be very good, but I don't have to worry about having something to show for at least a few weeks.   I still want to pull a new proof of my most recent block, but I don't have to hurry to get it done.

The fact that I brought a box of discs home from storage last week, a small piece of my overall collection, leads me to thinking I should resume letting you know what I am listening to as I work.  Today I had on a disc of Charlie Parker.  I don't know much about it.  That I just had his name on the disc and no album title makes me think it's a compilation from a multi-disc set, not just a copy of a particular album.  I do know that it is 78 minutes of fine saxophone jazz that I hadn't heard in years and am happy to have access to again.  Also, it has my last name written on it, when tells me I made this disc for my Texas trip a long time ago, part of a series of discs I made in case there was something to play them on there in our studio space.  As it turned out, there wasn't, and the discs stayed in my bags.  Some ended up in the Studio, and some, like this one, did not.  

Art Continues in 2026

 A new year has come, and with it, new projects.  For the first time in a few years, I won't be working on any Robert Johnson prints- did the last one on my original list of possible prints last month, and there's no particular reason to keep doing them now.  Last time I was in the Studio I cut boards for two boardwalk prints and a hospital print.  With no deadlines coming up, those appear to be the likely possibilities for the next print.

Also with a new year comes renewal on the Studio.  That's up to Molly, who is the leaseholder.  My hope is that the annual increase is not too large and she decided to renew, and to keep me on as a contributor to the rent.  If I haven't heard from her by the next time I am there, I will pay the January rent based on last year's rate, and make up any difference to her later.

Whatever happens, I do plan to keep making art is the coming year.  I don't see any other possibility right now. As far as exhibitions, I have no idea of any right now, but these things tend to pop up without warning, and I would not be surprised if some opportunities come my way.  Nothing has happened at JSAC so far this season, but we typically have one, so maybe that will happen.  I would probably like to make some new proofs first, but the blocks are ready.

The Year That Was 2025

Today was an unusual day in that I went to my storage space and brought a few things home, including some art stuff and a little of my music collection.  So tonight, as I type this, I am listening to something I haven't heard in years.  It's not New Year's Eve oriented (that was not in this box) but it's enjoyable.  I also had my usual Chinese food, with something saved for my midnight hors-doerves.  As for the Twilight Zone marathon, my parents are home and in control of the television, and are not predisposed to enjoying that, so I won't be watching any of those until they go to bed.   Meanwhile, here is what you came here for:

Prints- This year I finished my first boardwalk woodcut in years, and completed three more Robert Johnson prints, probably the last ones in that series, as the last one I did was the last from my original list of ideas.  That brings the total in that series to 9 finished prints, which is not bad for an output in general, especially when one considers that the show that was supposed to result isn't going to happen.  Besides these prints,  I also completed a Christmas card and got the ones that go in the mail out before Christmas.   I don't know if they got there before Christmas, but that's not my problem.

Exhibitions- Not so many this year.  I had one at the JSAC that started last year and continued into this year.  And I was told that two of my prints were included in a print fair in Brooklyn, courtesy of Tom Huck, who was the original organizer of the Robert Johnson show, kind of a make-up for that show not happening.  

Firsts- The television show finally aired that I was shot for last year.  It was a big deal at the JSAC, who catered and had a watch party for the occasion. I was not interviewed for the show, but scenes of my carving a block (Boardwalk Days) and a close-up of one of my Robert Johnson prints (in an earlier gallery show at JSAC) were included in the broadcast, which aired on NJ public television.  

Teaching- Another year without any.

The Studio- Still a great place to be and get work done in.  Had a visit from some people who came to an open studio last year, and expressed some interest.  This time it was to pick up a work and pay me for it.

Tomorrow I'll write something about my plans for 2026.  This was a weird year in that I contained a lengthy hospital stay (and a near death experience I guess) in addition to all my usual doctor visits.  Hope next year is better.

Studio Business

 I went up to the Studio today with a mission- to cut up some wood for future prints.  Doing my last Robert Johnson block used the last of the the birch plywood I had in stock, but I knew I had an old piece of lauan stashed behind the tall cabinet and brooms.  A little bit warped, but so was the last boardwalk woodcut I had done, and I got through that all right.  More importantly, it dated to the last time the lauan was made without all staples that started showing up in newer pieces.   If nothing else, I might be able to use it to make more boardwalk blocks.  Maybe something else as well.

The piece of lauan I had was partly behind a tall cabinet, a mirror, my tripod easel, some brooms and dustpans, and other junk.  I moved the mirror, and the wood slid out easily after that.  I could see some curvature in it, but I hope it's not so much to be a problem.  I assembled my saw, used the previously finished boardwalk block as a measuring device, and marked to size two blocks.  Borrowing Molly's extension cord, I sawed the two boardwalk blocks from the large piece of lauan I had.  What was left was almost as large as a boardwalk block, so I cut off that as well.  Perhaps it can be the next hospital print I have plans for.  I used a broom and dustpan from that corner to clean up all the sawdust this generated.

One thing I realized even before I left the Studio was that back when I used to use lauan, I used to coat it first (and then sand it down) with some wood filler, advice from one of my college professors who also used to use the stuff for large woodcuts.  I don't know if I have any wood filler these days.  I think the last time I bought any was at a store that no longer exists.  Before I cut off the blocks I may need, I cut off a piece of scrap wood.  I brought that scrap home, figuring I can test my pencils and tools on that, and see if I can cut this stuff without the filler.  It does make for a smoother surface, good for drawing for sure, and perhaps printing as well.  If I can get by without it, perhaps I will.  If I find that I need it, I may have to get another tub of the stuff, and maybe a new putty knife as well.

Merry Christmas from Studio Arrabbiata

 

Here is the latest card, from me and this year's studio assistant, Marcel Duchamp.  He called his version "Nude Descending a Staircase no. 2".  I call my version "St Nick Descending a Staircase".  You get the idea.  I'm taking the day off for the holiday, but I'll be back in the Studio soon and working on something new.

Me And The Devil Blues- Finished

 Tomorrow may be a bad weather day, so I decided to go out today and get some things done.  Made five stops, the third of which was the Studio.  The plan was to pull a better proof of the most recent Robert Johnson print, which meant that first I had to clean the block of various unwanted ink from the first proofing.  Luckily I had my tools with me.  That done, I inked the block and pulled a proof it.  While I was able to remove some of the unwanted ink from that first proof, some new ones formed, and I hadn't done the text at all, so I found some new errors there.  Plus, the piece of paper was slightly small, so this one isn't really suitable for framing.  But it is good enough to show here, so here it is:

As I wrote, this one isn't suitable for framing, so I will have to print it again eventually.  But it is suitable to look at and determine if it is finished, and to me it seems finished.  As mentioned before, there currently is no plan for exhibition, so I have some time to get this done.  Since a holiday is coming soon, this may wait until next year.  

Christmas 2025 is Coming part 2

 We had a bit of a snow storm this past weekend.  Not a huge amount, maybe 7 inches, but it quickly turned to ice and there was no getting out for a few days.   Weather has been warmer the past few days, so I finally got my car uncovered and was able to get it out of the driveway, so this is the first time since last week that I was able to get to the Studio.  

My goal for today was to print some more Christmas cards, which I was able to do.  Brought 4 pre-cut pieces of the bristol board with me, and got 3 usable prints for cards, which should be enough for the ones I plan to send.  Packed them for the trip home and eventually headed there.  Work on the latest Robert Johnson print can wait until next week.  

On my way home I had 3 stops to make, all involving buying things for other people- that Christmas season again.  First stop was in Belmar, and I decided to park at the Belmar Arts Council, which I know has lots of free spaces, mostly occupied by vans and buses belonging to outside companies.  Not my problem any more.  But the first thing I noticed upon pulling into their lot was that the side of the building where our mural was has been painted a bright yellow.

For years there had been a mural here, the first one done by the Belmar Arts Council back in 2007 to help decorate the town.  Unfortunately, most of them are now gone.  This one that I had devoted much time to is now a horrible yellow color.  Another one I worked on, next to the gas station on the corner of Main and 16th, was painted over by the new occupant of the building it was on.  The one on the back of Freedman's Bakery was destroyed when that building was torn down.  And the one on the side of the Acropolis Diner was replaced by the new owners who took over that building. A result is that there are few murals left in town.  I didn't check to see is the other mural was still on the other side of the Boatworks.  

I don't know the reasons why our undersea adventure was replaced by this bright yellow color.  It's possible that the paint had started to flake off (only latex after all) and this was necessary to preserve the building.  (I don't think that any of the original muralists are still active in the BAC)  I hope that's the case.  Because if this was done for aesthetic reasons, they really did a horrible thing.  

Me And The Devil Blues part 6

 It's unusual for me to go to the Studio three times in one week, but I will likely miss a day next week with a doctor's appointment, and besides, I want to see what this print looks like.  Plus, on the news yesterday we were reminded that Christmas is only two weeks away, and I've got to get going on this year's cards.  So up there I went this morning.

I started with the new Robert Johnson block, doing a textless one.  First time printings are always the most difficult, and it didn't help that there is a lot of black in this one.  Nevertheless, I started with that today.  Results were not great.  I saw evidence of a slight shift of the print on the block, and knew that continuing was pointless.  I did get the whole thing printed, if not fully black in all the areas, and the good news is that I think the image is fine.  I'll clean up a few spots that took unwanted ink, but essentially, the image area is done.  Below is a look at what I started doing:

After that, I decided to go right to the Christmas card.  I had brought some pre-sized bristol board with me, the paper I use for my cards.  I inked up the block, taping the side where I knew the back started.  The first paper shifted on the block, but I realized this was due to the awkward way I was trying to hold it.  I changed the position of the block for the next proof and it worked out fine.  When I was done, I had 5 good proofs I can use.  Carefully packed them for transport and took them home, where I will play with color until I get it right.  If all goes well, I'll still have 5 good ones to work with, but I'll need at least 7 to distribute, so it looks like I need to print a few more next week.  However, it looks like I will be on time to have one to post here on Christmas Day, and to give out locally.  If I get more done next week, I'll have enough for everyone who is expecting one, ideally before Christmas.

Me And The Devil Blues part 5

 I was excited to get up to the Studio this morning and finish this block.  I knew all I had left was the last line of text, and that was shorter than the line I did last time.  And as expected, it didn't take very long to do that, and the accreditation at the other end.  The remainder of the block, below the text, also went quicker than expected.   Results can be seen below:

Next time I print it and see what I have.  If all goes well, the image and lyrics are fine and all I need to do is work on getting a good proof to hang in a show.

Since the above didn't take much time, I decided to continue working on my Christmas card block.  Cutting out all the shapes took a little longer than I expected for such a small block, but I managed to finish it today.  Now all that needs is to be printed and colored.  Near as I can tell, it looks about right, but it is a somewhat abstract image, so it is hard to tell until I try coloring it.  Got my first card in the mail the other day, so I guess I better get going on this.