Second Place award at the Allentown Outdoor Art Festival 2015.

"Brooklyn Bridge Transposed"  - 14" x 21" 

#Brooklyn Bridge Art #Brooklyn Bridge Print

Second Place Ribbon for Drawing and Graphics. Boy that feels good.

Here is the framed work and ribbon.

My tent set up at the Allentown Art Festival, in Buffalo NY.

First out door show with my new tent.

I've never done one of these shows so I picked a local one that would allow me to have two weekends so that I can practice my tenting skills.

So I purchased a used tent from an oil landscape artist that was giving up doing art shows since her new day job is taking up all her time. It didn't come with display walls so I had to figure out how to do that with out spending a ton of money. So I read on one of the artist forums that you can buy these plastic mesh tarps and use them instead of getting the mesh walls from the other tent manufactures. So I found 6" x 10' white mesh tarps for $32.00 each. So I bought three of them from here:

http://www.canopiesandtarps.com/white-mesh-tarps.html

Then needing something to attach the bottom of the mesh to I went to the electrical section of  Home Depot and being an ex electrician, purchased 3 10 foot 1/2 inch medal conduit and 6 hanging brackets. Self tapping screws and a drill and I got something at the bottom to bungee the tarp too.

So for about $150 I have three nice mesh panels and they are much thicker than the Flourish ones and do not move about at all in the wind. The Flourish ones run about $695.

http://www.amazon.com/Flourish-Mesh-Display-Panel-Set/dp/B005V0TCNK  

My Mesh walls

Theirs

Now how to get the tent to the site without a big SUV or trailer? Why use my trusty Kayak roof racks!!

Then after a bit of mucking about on Friday and Saturday I was ready for the Non-Art crowd.

It was really just a craft and low end art, except for the woman next to me that was doing sculptures and drawings.

Issues printing using an etching press and 1/4 inch woodblock prints. Solved!

I had some problems using the etching press at Genesee Center For the Arts. Printing worked well for small prints but for large not so good. I had some bounce and to much pressure and paper was pushing off the print. So after much investigation and web research from those with the same issues, this is what I have come up.

Basically a "chase" for my plates! I will hold them all together with Blue masking tape so that I can use with all my other plates also.

So here is my idea. I will make a standard "chase" for my woodblocks to go on the bed of the press. I will use filler blocks (furniture) to fill the gap where the block is not filling the "hole".

Well my trial run on Saturday worked out really well. The only issue that I had was that I tried to standardize the "chase" by using a filler piece of MDF between the horizontal rails. Not good. I ended up with paper embossing thats really noticeable. Going to cut some custom pieces to fit two of my whale blocks. Need to noodle that some more.

Chase on the bed of the press ready to get the inked block. Note that the rubber offset mat is under the roll and on top of the Chase. Thus no hopping on and off the plate and it can not push the paper off the plate.

Hey that worked well but the filler piece really embossed the paper with a noticeable line.

So with some experimentation I got it right. So with the custom vertical rails made for each block and the addition of the thinnest felt blanket. Perfect impression... but still got some paper creep and got some marks on the back side of the paper. Hmmm.

So I held the rubber sheet and the felt up in the air as the bed moved under the rollers and bingo! No marks on the last part of the paper to move under the rollers. 

This will make doing an edition of 50 prints MUCH easier and with not much erasing of bad ink marks needed. 

So hanging in my studio drying are the 12 prints that I got done on Monday.

Video of the powered etching press at Genesee Center For the Arts that I'm using here in Rochester, NY.

Here is a not very professional video of me using the etching press at Genesee Center For the Arts.

Mother and Calf - Second Proof

OK! Cleaned up some lines and lightened the waves above the calf and need to do some more work but .. third time will be surly be the charm. Whale and Calf. 13 x 19.25 inches.

Mother and Calf. First proof.

Inked block on the press and then the first proof. Whale and Calf. 13 x 19.25 inches.

More snow and more whales.

Here are some more whale prints that I've been working on the last couple of weeks.

I didn't like the lines on the bigger whale so I used Kwik Wood to fill in the lines and then recarved them. Still not happy but since I have done this whale over 3 times now..... I may just trash it and start it over from scratch

Third and final proof of "Humpback Whale" 12x19 inches. Its a keeper!

Whale and Calf. 13 x 19.25 inches - Raw Block - first state.

And now to do a proof of the above plate to see if I've got it right!

Whale Tail

First proof of "Whale Tail" Woodblock print 19x12 inches.

Humpback Whales

Since I'm freezing my butt off here in Rochester this week I decided to revisit our trip to Hawaii last year at this time.

Here is the second state of "Mother and Child".

Mother and Child - woodblock - 12 x 18 inches

Happy New Year!

From our cabin to yours!

USS Rochester

Final proof of the USS Rochester. Now if I get the OK then its time to print an edition.... :-)

Whats been going on since October?

Well its been a busy Fall and now heading into winter so its time that I update the old BLOG.

Here is what I have been working on since I have gotten back from the cottage.

Woodblocks!

Since I like to whitewater kayak at the cottage I did two Kayaking prints.

Over the Edge  19 x 11.5 inches

Cutting a Line 19 x 11.5 inches

Then of course I had to do another of my favorite Rat Rod.

38 Ford 19 x 11.5 inches

And of course I have a fund raiser for the Rochester Military Society. They want to raise money to pay for a large scale model of the USS Rochester. An armored cruiser from the Spanish American War. First named the USS New York she participated in the Battle of Manila as Admiral Sampson's flagship during the Spanish-American War. Afterwards, steamed to Yokohama and became the US Navy flagship of the Asiatic Fleet.

Later in1911 she was formally renamed USS Saratoga. During World War I she served with the Pacific Patrol Force, and in December, 1917 underwent yet another name change, becoming USS Rochester. Following service with the Atlantic Fleet and in the Caribbean, Rochester returned to Asiatic waters in June 1932 and served off the Yangtze River in China.

During WWII in 1941, as Japanese forces approached Luzon,  the USS Rochester was moved  into Subic Bay and sank to prevent her capture.

To this day the USS Rochester rests on her side with her hull buried in the sand of Subic Bay were recreation divers still visit her.

Third Proof of the USS Rochester

#USSRochester #rochestermilitarysociety 

New Traffic Controller Box Work Part 5 Done!

Well the Traffic Controller Box project is done. I've sealed it with Sherwin-Williams Pro Industrial Anti - Graffiti Coating. Stuff is VERY expensive $165 a gallon. But one coat and its like putting a giant rubber glove over the painting. Let someone try and tag the box now!

So here is the finished box.

Its going to rain today!

Well its supposed to rain today so no painting outside on the Traffic Control Box. Instead I'm in the studio working on a white water set of prints. This one needs some more work yet.

Here is the last proof. This one is done.

New Traffic Controller Box Work Part 4

Well yesterday was a little strange. It always seemed to threaten rain but it never came. So I painted till it really seemed like it was going to rain in about 30 mins and then packed up. Hard to paint with acrylic paint in the rain...

Meanwhile I get visits from strange people that assume that I'm painting outside for their entertainment. Fellow came over while I was working yesterday, he scared the crap out of me by getting right next to me while my back was turned and said loudly "I love this!" My brush almost left my hand I jumped so high.

He sat down on the grass and talked at me for over 30 mins. REALLY? He was bored and I was his new bartender, told me his entire life, wedding, divorce, kid, child support, legal issues, and other to much information stuff. Where do all these lonely people come from? (Beatles)

Others drive by and shout out comments and some beep their horns. Some just are so exited they jump out of their cars and run over to tell me how much the love the work and then run back into their cars and drive away.

Strange days....  

Well here is where we are as of yesterday.  I changed one of the Tulips to a poppy for the wife of the patron who commissioned this great work of art. 

New Traffic Controller Box Work Part 3

The next day I started to do the serious painting bit.

New Traffic Controller Box Work Part 2

The next day the primer was dry, so I sketched out my design to see how it worked. 

Here is the design that I got approved by the customer and Monroe County Traffic Dept.

Then I blocked in some colors to see if the color scheme would work.

New Traffic Controller Box Work Part 1

I have a new traffic controller box job in Penfield, NY. Its on Penfield Rd. Right across from the Hess Station in Panorama Plaza. Shots of the box before any work being done.

So I had to prep the box for primer so with a scrub brush, soap and Arm & Hammer I got to work. Well the new car has a built in AC converter. Extension cord and palm sander and BANG.... box all sanded. Put on the best primer I know of Behr Premium Plus Multi-Surface Primer and Sealer is 100% Acrylic. Nice that the Penfield Home Depot store is just around the corner. 

Now I just have to get painting.