Today…loose ends…wildflower cards…silkcut award

I have completed the linocut I was working on and spent the day tidying up some loose ends.

I also received an order for some wildflower cards and so arranged their delivery…

I have been starting to get some thoughts together for a design for the bi-annual silkcut award. I must say I am enjoying carving the new (old style) grey lino from silkcut and have a few ideas….

I am fortunate that I can vary what I am working on - if my RSI is niggling I can move to painting/designing or even out taking photos, or if family member needs something done I can usually adjust what I am doing on a particular day. The downside is that it is really hard to make a real living especially with artwork when people have trouble paying for basic daily needs having that artwork for the wall is just a luxury. So although I work nearly everyday and some nights the return is not great…and that makes it hard to maintain.

Waiting for oil based ink to dry … and Handpainting Linocuts

I am still waiting for the commissioned linocut print’s oil based ink I use for printing my linocuts, to dry….I’m sure you all know of waiting on paint to dry…it sometimes, depending on the weather, takes days. Fortunately with printmaking we are using thin even layers (well hopefully - many a print has been discarded due to uneven inking of the block…frustrating at times, and costly) but it still takes time to dry. The weather is quite nice (at least it’s not raining but there is a definite nip in the air which makes even drying the washing on the clotheslines take longer.

The reason for using oil based inks is so that when I handpaint with traditional artist watercolours the oil based ink of the printed area repels the watercolour. If you were to use a waterbased ink (which dries quickly and cleans up with water) then when you come to handpaint it also dissolves the water based ink. Also you get such a lovely lustrous black with the oil based ink which highlights the colour of the transparent watercolour which I also like.

Anyway…in the meantime I have completed the colour proof of the heater dried print - probably not the best for the paper but it is only a working proof (see above for the partial image). It is a working proof which means I record the colours used on the print (just by penciling them in on the border and sometimes painting a little square of colour) and note any changes I would make on the final editioned prints.

Whilst waiting for the ink to dry for the final prints am handcolouring some of the New Zealand Wildflowers prints….

Richmond Birdwing Butterfly - Female

In our garden late yesterday afternoon my son found a female Richmond Birdwing Butterfly on the ground. We attempted to place it on the Aristolochia praevenosa vine but she was very “fluttery” with her wings never stopping even when she landed. She fluttered off in the direction of my other fenceline full of the “Birdwing Butterfly vine”.

It is wonderful to see these large beautiful butterflies in our garden particularly given their endangered status it is a bit like in the movie Field of Dreams and the concept of “if you build it they will come” we simply provided a food/habitat resource and they came!!

Linocut Commission…Linoprint…Printmaking

Finally got to print the linoblock this afternoon. More than 50 hours work to get to this stage so far….

As it is a commissioned piece I am only showing parts of the print at this stage…

The oil based ink takes a couple of days to dry - although I do hurry a not so successful print along a bit with a heater. It is this print that I do the first handcoloured sample…hopefully tomorrow. The others should be dry Thursday/Friday depending on the weather.

Carving…carving…carving…Linocut Commission

Still working on the commission piece - about 30 hours work so far. I am carving the lino block now…

Still working…

Haven’t written anything for a couple of days as I have been working flat out on a commission design piece…

no more hints….

Damien Leith and Caleb Bartolo

What can you say - just beautiful!!

One of my favourite singers singing one of my favourite songs, with a wonderful dancer so full of potential…

Linocuts…in the studio today…

Today I have been working on the fourth of a series of about 12 linocuts.

This is a brown lino - not sure of its name - it carves easily but it can crumble more around the edges which can be frustrating. I had always used the grey silkcut lino but they kept changing the ‘formula’ over past years and I was very unhappy with it.

However, I used the latest ‘back to grey again’ silkcut for the New Zealand Wildflowers over the past month and was very happy with it again. Hopefully they’ll stick with this current formula!

I usually buy the lino in 1 metre lengths as it is certainly the most economical. The only downside is that if left for long periods there is a natural loss linseed oil used within the lino which can cause it to get really hard and for me with my RSI issues uncarvable.

…Speaking of which I am now taking a break from carving and am off to handcolour some New Zealand Wildflowers prints for the edition…

I had finished carving the other 3 in previous weeks…

Rainbow Lorikeets…

Some photos of Rainbow Lorikeets they in our garden this morning as they are most mornings feeding on grevilleas. I think it is part of the daily feeding circuit.

This is a ‘Moonlight’ Grevillea which flowers almost all the year round.

They also feed on the palm tree flowers in a neighbours yard…

In memory……25th April - ANZAC DAY 2008

My grandmother lost her brother in Siam on the Burma railway in WWII - Private George Thomas Vidler.

My great uncle Private Frederick Shawman fought in the army in the trenches in France in WWI - I remember him as a quiet, kind soul and true gentleman…

Another great uncle - Arthur Gray - fought in New Guinea and was never the same.

A second cousin flew in the RAAF in Europe - Don Vidler and received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

My husband lost a great uncle on the western front in WWI - Private Emanuel Weir.

My husband’s father was named after his uncle - Emanuel Stephen Weir - he was in the RAAF in WWII.

He always was interested in the weather - particularly the clouds…he passed away in February 2006.

High Flight (an Airman’s Ecstasy)

…we will remember them…