Twenty Prints Later...

Exhausted! Not all of these are mine, but a bunch are. Others were taken down to make room for the Bokusho (abstract sumi-e) prints which were purely experimental, quickly trying different papers I brought with me, most left over from serigraphy days. Surprisingly, they worked very well as long as they weren't dampened (the usually process with oil monoprints.)

The process itself is very satisfying... it's the end result that I find lacking, at least in my work. Designing in the reverse is a trick I've yet to master and can't help wondering why it should make any difference (unless lettering is involved) but it obviously does. Then the slightest bit of excess ink will smudge under the press, wiping out delicate lines and enlarging tiny innuendo to blobs... most of the time not enhancing the detail at all. I'll pull them out in a few weeks and they'll look better to me once I get the original mental expectations behind me.

As always, it's a treat to be at Dottie's, soaking up the artful atmosphere. A new acquaintance, Michael Ledet, was not only a fine artist (his prints are far left) but a great cook and each day he brought a new dish for lunch as he and a friend are experimenting for a cookbook they plan to publish... and we were delighted with this unexpected gift. And its always good to spend time with long time good friend Keith Alford, her landscape prints are in the center of the wall pic.

Now to reorient myself to home and begin thinking in terms of 25 days in France in April. I think I'm experiencing jet lag already...