inspiration

I just finished a week of printmaking with Akua inks and Susan Rostow the inventor of the non-toxic inks, at ART New England.

1. Take in a museum or gallery on the way, if you can. It gets you inspired to expand your horizons.

I enjoyed Mass MoCA and Sol Lewitt on my way to ART New England.

2. Bring less than you think you need and make it work. As I packed my tools, I gathered what I thought I could use and brought about 1/2 of it. It fit in one bag and a folder for paper.

3. Have a goal and be open to it changing. I wanted to get a better understanding of the Akua Inks and hoped to work them into my practice. And I wanted to play with dimensional monotypes. I definitely have a better understanding of how to ink the intaglio plate and the monotype plates, I will continue to explore the inks.

I had fun making a drypoint sampler plate and then made it into a single sheet book form.

4. Use powder to keep the soft rubber brayers from getting tacky.

5. Notice the tools and studio layout. See if you can bring any new ideas home to your studio.

I liked working on big slabs of glass. I think I could recycle a window and make a smaller and portable version.

6. Ask for help. And be willing to learn from mistakes.

We often had a few hours of demonstrations to start the day. And when it came time to ink the plate or work the press or choose an ink I had forgotten some of the procedures. And Susan and her assistant Christina were always willing to refresh my memory. I did not have to be the perfect student with a perfect memory.

7. Working with a press takes, time, planning and patience. It may not be my style of working.

We were so lucky. We had 3 presses to use and 8 people in the class. There was no line and a press was always available. The beauty of Akua inks is that they stay open and wet for a very long time. They only dry when they are absorbed into the paper.

8. Find time to be alone and recharge.

I found several quiet meditation spots that allowed me to slow down and get still, so I could go back to class refreshed and ready to work.

9. Treat your gloves like your hands.

Susan challenged us to use one pair of gloves for the whole week. Well I did not meet the challenge, but I was able to work much cleaner than I ever have when doing intaglio printing. Susan showed us how to apply the intaglio ink with the brayer, which worked really well for me.

10. Learn from other students and teachers.

I was inspired by the energy and expression of the artist and teacher Julie Leonard. She inspired me to seek out some Sumi ink and play with painting with them.

I found lots of sculptures as I wondered the campus.

I am thinking that I will not wait a whole year for another art intensive. I think it would be great to do something quarterly. Maybe not a week long program, but I am hoping to attend some weekend classes that are closer to home.

I made may way to North Adams and took in the exhibits at Mass MoCA. Here are a few images.

The old mill buildings have amazing rich history.

Enjoy 3 floors of Sol LeWitt

Part of Seffani Jamison – Plant you Now, Dig You Later

I just love the bricks and shadows.

Robert Rauschenberg

Louise Bourgeois

Seating at Mass MoCA

So much to see. Not enough time. Check out the Mass MoCA info here.

Here in New England we are experiencing a rainy Mother’s Day. It is disappointing for some. Does it have to be?

But we could just roll with it and embrace the things that we can not change. Could you?

• Notice how it is turning everything green and lush
• Jump in puddles with your grandkids
• Photograph the reflections in the puddles
• Close your eyes and listen to the rain

Being with the rain creates opportunity to feed your art practice.

I always get ideas for:

1. Patterns
2. Shaped stencils and
3. Layered images

If you would like to give yourself a mother’s day gift and start to let your environment feed your art practice, then join us in the 4 week gelatin printmaking course that starts tomorrow – Make Monotypes. Read the details on the printmaking workshop page.

• I am not good enough.
• I might do it wrong.
• I am not ready.

I must admit that those thought cross my mind quite often. That is hard for me to admit, because I thought I had moved beyond those limiting ideas.

Something good came out of this…

I looked for areas of my my life and art practice where those fears do not stop me. I found the following:

• When making monotypes on the gelatin plate, I do not let fear of failure stop me from trying something new.
• When I am in a workshop, because I figure that I am there to learn and discover and mistakes are part of that process.
• When I am using a 20 minute timer to just get started and moving forward. I don’t have to finish or be perfect I just have to put in the 20 minutes.

This is a useful discovery…

I figure that if I can move beyond fearful thoughts in one area of my life then I must have the ability to move beyond them in other areas of my life. (Try making the list for yourself.)

What do you think?

• Would you like to give yourself the time and space to explore printmaking with the gelatin plate?
• Would you like to give yourself the space to make mistakes as part of the learning process?
• Would benefit from the support and encouragement of an instructor?
• Would you like to share your challenges and successes with a group of artists who are making similar discoveries?

This may be the perfect time to build your skills and explore gelatin printmaking. It is the perfect medium to get beyond fears that stop you in your art making. Gelatin printing by nature is unpredictable and experimental.

Check out the current online classes being offer now.