Halter Class
linoleum block print
6 x 8 in.

I have finished the linoleum block print, and I'm looking forward to doing more of these. This one had five colors that had to match up, and I'm pleased that I was able to register the colors successfully. The neat thing about these block prints is that each one is slightly different in the edition of 15. I started out with an edition of 16, but forgot one print when I was printing the brown, and I had already cleaned up the ink when I realized it.

This weekend is my open studio, and I've spent the day frantically cleaning and organizing the studio. Anyone in the area is welcome to stop by. I have lots of work on view, having just gotten a load of work back from a gallery on Martha's Vineyard. It's kind of fun arranging everything and making labels. There are original paintings, prints, cards, rubber stamps, and posters--something for everyone.

Last weekend was spent on a much needed getaway in Vermont. Woodstock, to be exact. We explored Quechee Gorge and some of the surrounding area, and even though the foliage is gone, it was a beautiful sunny weekend to roam around. There were no tourist crowds, being between the foliage and the ski seasons. We visited Billings Farm, a restored dairy farm with an 1890's farm manager's house and a herd of beautiful Jersey cows. We rode around the farm in a wagon pulled by two dappled grey Percherons.

The Cat and the Mouse




Relaxation
oil on canvas board
8 x 10 in.



Gadget



A little sadness around here--We had to have a little pet funeral last week. Gadget, a fancy mouse that we've had for nearly two years, passed away last weekend after a full and joyful life of running on her wheel and jumping around her cage.
Seriously, she was a neat little pet, quite active and entertaining. She had an overturned plastic flowerpot with a little door cut in the side. She would fill it up with the bedding and make herself a cozy nest inside. She would leap from the top of the flowerpot to the top of the cage, inverting herself and clinging with all four feet to the screen.
She ate mouse food pellets, mostly, with occasional sunflower seeds or almonds, or a bit of banana for a treat. She didn't get handled much, but she would sometimes climb onto your hand, and chomp her sharp little teeth into your finger.
We think she had a dark side, as the first four companion mice she had (Gizmo 1, Gizmo 2, Gizmo 3, and Gizmo 4) mysteriously died in short order. We finally gave up getting her companions--she apparently preferred to live alone.

In the studio this week, I have been working on a multi-color linoleum block print. Something posessed me to attempt a block print recently, and I can't just do a simple one-color print, I had to do a five color print! Three colors are now printed, the registration of the colors seems to be working out, and I just have to deal with my impatience of letting each color dry completely before printing the next color. I'm not used to creating art that is such a multi-step process. I guess I needed a little break from my traditional media.

The other item completed recently is this little oil of Pixel. I couldn't resist the expression on his face, his "Come hither" look.

Now I need to finish up the lino block printing so I can clean up the studio to get ready for my Open Studio on Thanksgiving weekend. Lots of work to do!