That's Gneiss! #163 ~ A sort of secret art project
Plus: sort of poor decor, and soothing pigment mixing
Greetings on this gray and gloomy day. Kind of perfect for the end of the weekend. I’ve just fixed up a cup of hot cocoa with a dash of coffee, Michael is Sunday puttering, and Rowland is sitting on the couch barking randomly at things real or imagined.
I’ve been doing a lot of artsy stuff this weekend, but am not able to show you much right now. I carved the largest stamp I’ve ever done, 4”x6.” I love the pile of carved bits that develops through the process.
There was a lot of painting involved as well - both with acrylics and watercolors. I’ve built up quite a collection of watercolor paints! These are all excellent paints with different qualities. The latest addition is the Kuretake Gansai Tambi set in the lower middle - they have an unusual creamy texture when wet and the colors are bright and mix well (do not be fooled by those three dark pans). The other sets are Daniel Smith (lower left), Sakura Koi (top two sets), and the first two installments of the Park Color Project palette, which are handmade watercolors from Jamie Gray. Her paints include clove oil, which leaves a wonderful smell for hours after painting.
What am I making you ask? That would be some holiday greetings postcards! If you would like one, you can click “reply” to this email and send me your mailing address. No two will be the same!
The outcome of Michael’s puttering today is this DIY printing jig made from an old shelf and unused pieces of a guitar pedal rack. It will get me started on bigger prints - this project will be good practice! And of course I’m not going to show you what’s on the other side of that stamp…
And on that note - I’m going to wrap this up because I’ve got work to do!
Christmas Decor Report
As Christmas nears, more and more houses are sporting decorations of some sort. There were two additions of note this week.
A few nights ago when we let the dog out for his final pee, we noticed a weird set of lights that were tall enough to be seen over the I-5 wall. Michael said it looked kind of like an umbrella. I had my suspicions which house they were on (correct). I was immediately annoyed by them - I can see the formation from the back of our hallway, though the window on our front door! It must be huge!
Hmmm… that is actually not that huge. It must be some trick of perception that makes it look so big from across the freeway. It’s not any less annoying.
But WHAT is it? WHAT?!!!
Oh.
In the first picture you can see something on the lower roofline to the left. Friends, they have a TINY GENERATOR up there to power the lights.
A TINY GENERATOR.
I guess they don’t have an extension cord handy.
Now I will make up for that one with a display that is very pleasing and clever! Great use of the historic house architecture for their lighting design. I also appreciate minimal use of inflatables (if one feels compelled to use them). Kind of hard to tell, but the creature at the forefront is a unicorn! So far so good.
The nature scene with deer under the tree is tops! I love the use of lights for the grass and water. I’m not sure what’s going on back by the fence though…
Next weekend we’re going to drive around and take a look at the lights further afield from our house. I’m sure we’ll see some that are frightening and some that are spectacular!
Tidbits
Super short today!
Recently eaten: Michael made this delicious Polish Cabbage, Potato, and Bacon Casserole this week. Definitely a winner!
Reading: I’ve become a reading maniac! Currently in the works:
The Stranger Beside Me - finally reading the definitive book about Ted Bundy. For some reason the pandemic makes me want to read horror/true crime, perhaps to remind me it could be worse.
The Long Call by Ann Cleeves (who we will be hosting virtually at the library in February)
Print/Maker from UPPERCASE
I sped through Wobble to Death, a light and silly whodunnit about a 6-day walking race (which were apparently all the rage in the 1870s and ‘80s).
Art Zone
I’ve got printmaking on the mind these days! Even though I’m not fully participating in #carvedecember this year, I’m enjoying the work of others. It’s fun to see everything from folks who are just beginning (that was me not long ago) on up to the work of people who have really mastered the craft. Today I’m going to share the work of Marta Harvey with you.
She does a lot of experimenting with tessellating designs. Here’s one from a few days ago.
Marta’s Instragram is full of short video clips of the printing process, which are fun to watch. I’ve admired her work for a couple of years - the complexity of some of the designs is impressive! Click here to watch the video of this rabbit tessellation.
One more, from last year.
I need to work on my precise shape cutting…
Video of the Week
In my wanderings around the internet drooling over handmade watercolors, I’ve noticed that the process of creating them is quite fascinating - and soothing to watch. Here’s a short video so you can see for yourself!
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i don't know how i missed this post, but i especially loved the little peek into your making space! i like how you store your stamps. i'm excited to see the finished thing you're working on!
The deer scene is clever and pretty. Meanwhile, what's on the other side of that stamp?
I recently read Wobble to Death and I enjoyed it immensely.
Regarding Ann Cleeves, the Vera Stanhope and Shetland series are both excellent. I cannot recommend Raven Black and the rest of the Shetland series highly enough. You MUST read them in order though. Don't even read the blurbs.