Last Leaf

This is my finished print for the Four Oceans Press Fall Exchange. I actually finished it a while ago but there are so many things to do - I have neglected to add this to my blog.

Last Leaf is 6" x 8" printed in water-based ink on 8.5 x 11 paper. I used my proof press to print the first few images, but I was not happy with the results I was getting, so I used a baren to print the edition. The image has a spot of green on the leaf which is hand-colored , but the rest of the image is black and white through out.

You can see the whole image on the Four Oceans Press Website Fall Archive page. If you are a printmaker and you need something to do - there are a few exchange projects you can sign up for at Four Oceans Press and on the Baren Forum.

Post Card Show 2007

I am showing my book "Maps" at the Post Card Show at the Lab in San Francisco. The opening is from 6 - 9, Friday, November 30, 2007 - that's tonight. The show runs from, Nov. 30 - Dec. 8, 2007.

This is my third year participating in the Post Card Show. You can see more about my Maps book on my website and you can click to see my work from previous Post Card Shows 2006 and 2005

Maps

This is the front cover of Maps.

‘Maps’ is a hand made artist book. It is the story of how maps shape up and how maps affect our daily lives. I wrote 'Maps' while driving home from work one day and it was inspired by many road trips ‘Maps’ has 18 pages and is full of illustrations. The center page folds out into a large map. This book is hand-made in a limited edition of 200 and is currently displayed in the Post Card Show at The Lab in San Francisco.

You can see more images from my book and get directions to the lab here.

I also posted a few things on the Four Oceans Press store on E-Bay including Maps. Mark wrote a E-Bay guide called 'How to draw a naked Guy.' - It is really about how to get started drawing and how to work with a model - but it is a catchy title.

We are still looking for artist for our two exchanges. The Winter Exchange has 13 artists so far and the Food Alphabet has 11 artists. Q, X & Z - some of the hardest letters are taken.

First Proof.

This is the first Proof I pulled last night. I want to make a few more cuts before I print the edition. It will be mostly black and white with a touch of color on the leaf on the left side of the print.

We are getting in new prints for our fall exchange all of the time and it is really exciting (and exhausting) to coordinate. We knew it would be a lot of work, but it is well worth the effort we are putting out to facilitate such a wonderful thing.

We have a lot of work to do to get our next two exchanges filled with participants.

Ready for Proofing...I think!

This Linoleum is finally ready to proof. Heather and I have been so busy coordinating and doing other web work for our Four Oceans Press Fall and Winter Print Exchanges we have held off on completing our own. Heather's four color print is half way done and I have just finished cutting mine.

I think it is really interesting the way a linoleum looks before it is printed and a lot of artists don't really show the process they go through to make their art. I really like to see the work in before it is finished and I think others might feel the same. I have a few more images of this lino on my website and I will post the proofs and finished image as soon as it is complete.

Our Four Oceans Press Exchange is going strong. We have 16 artists prints on our Fall Archive and we are taking sign-ups for the Winter Exchange and the Food Alphabet Exchange. Also Heather and I both signed up for the BarenForum Year of the Rat New Year's Card Exchange.

Michael Smith at Bucci's

This photo is by Michael Smith.



We went to the opening for Marie Ali and Michael Smith show at Bucci's in Emeryville. The two photographers had very different images which complimented each other quite nicely.

Michael Smith's work is most large sweeping panoramic shots that show the dynamic beauty of naure.You can almost feel the early morning mist as you watch the sunlight rise through.

Marie Ali photographs show a differentkind of intimacy with nature. All of her images are close shots of large turtles swimming and playing in the water. It is rare to get that close to wild nature and beautiful that shehas done it to share with all of us.

The Show runs October 27 - November 30, 2007 at Bucci's in Emeryville.

Winter Print Exchange

Four Oceans Press is nearing the end of our first print exchange and we are quite excited about the turn out. So far we have 13 of 25 prints in and currently on display on our permanent archive page.

We are happy to announce sign-ups for our second Hand-pulled Print exchange.


This is a simple print exchange. You print an edition of 26 hand-pulled prints in any traditional print media – Woodblock, Linoleum, Serigraph, Lithograph or Intaglio. You will have about two months to do the work and send it to us. Send the prints as soon as they are finished and dry. We will coordinate and collate the prints and return to you a pile of 25 prints from 25 different artists.

All of the details can be found on our website.

Our exchange is open to anyone who works in traditional printing media.

Take a look, Read, Consider and then sign up. If you can not get involved this time, check our website regularly for our next exchange and other projects.

Opening night was fun!

I had three pieces hung on the walls of the gallery and 13 prints in sleeves in a display rack.


I won the Best of Show Sponsor's Award for my Linoleum print Sally Bird. My print The Enchanted Tree and my pen & ink drawing Holiday got a lot of really good response form the crowds. Holiday is the second in my calendar series to be shown at the Frank Bette Canter for the Arts. There are twelve calendar in the series of which three are finished. When they are all complete I plan to show them together.

Heather Piazza had four pieces hung on the walls and 15 glass pendants on display. Graham Bird had one of his photograph in the show - a painted nude female figure holding a gold pear and a dove.

Alameda Literati

I will be presenting my half-way completed picture book 'The Last Monkey" at Alameda Literati, (tomorrow) Saturday, Nov. 3, at 12:00.

'The Last Monkey" is a story about my fear of falling off of the bed. The drawings are Pen & Ink. I will be showing several drawings from the book as well as reading selections and answering questions about my story making process. Several more images can be seen on my website.

Another Drawing, 'Holiday' is currently on display at the Frank Bette Center for that Arts with a few of my woodblock and Linoleum prints. 'Holiday' is part of series of twelve Calendars each with its own theme. The first Calendar - 'Month' was shown at Frank Bette in September.