Current Lithographs

I’ve finished this lithograph drawing on the stone, I’ll just have to process it and print!

I’ve also been working on a small accordion book, a series of small self portraits that fit into an empty make- up compact. The portraits were done on a plastic lithograph plate, a small edition of three.

The book is a response to environmental damage and “throw-away” culture, and out personal responsibilities regarding those concerns.

Current Projects

This is the lithograph I’m currently working on, a rural scene on Miller Road. The stone is one of the largest at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts; the image area is about 18” x 24”. This is the same stone I used for my Josephine Butler poster, which is currently on view at the KIA faculty exhibit.

The quote reads “God and one woman make a majority.” Josephine Butler was a Victorian social reformer whom I admire.

Autumn Projects

       Some photos from the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts wrapping paper workshop this November.

Works in progress... baby shirts for the KIA holiday sale.

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Gifts from Laura

My daughter, Laura, made me these great items with the Gun Plain Press logo! She used a Cricut Maker. Thank you, Laura!

West Michigan Area Show

I was honored to receive the Kalamazoo Art League award for Border Police, my entry to the West Michigan Area Show at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.

The image was inspired by a conversation I had with one of my students over print borders. Printmakers are traditionally very particular about having large, very clean borders around their work. The student asked me if there are any hard and fast rules regarding print borders and I said "No, there aren't any border police," to which she responded "I wish that were true in real life."

It's hard to see in this photo, but the outer border of this print is covered with smudges and fingerprints that are "walking" around the wall, and one set of fingerprints has breached the wall at the lower right side, to the offense of the guards. The entire image is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek comparison between printmaking and "real life."

Thanks again to the Kalamazoo Art League for their recognition.

Printing Fabric

Last summer I bought Jan Hewett's book Print Pattern Sew. These are photos of my first project using her methods. The image is drawn from some sprigs of rosemary from my garden. I printed about 2 1/2 yards on cotton muslin.

I think I'll use this to sew one of the blouse patterns from Hewett's book. It's a great opportunity to combine printmaking with my sewing hobby! It's not the greatest color but I was just trying to mix a quick green tint from the colors available in the Print Studio.

Prints at KIA Holiday Sale

The Kalamazoo Institute of Art Holiday Sale is next weekend and faculty are asked to put work in a "Collector's Gallery." Below are the prints I'm putting in. The first is a new four-color intaglio print based on some photos I took of my friend Laura Pitts' garden last summer. I intend to do a series of these.

The second is about a year old; it is a wood lithograph of  a tree growing up through an abandoned windmill. I saw this on Indiana Route 13, driving down to visit my son at Manchester University.