The Wecheer Carving Tool Kit & the Dawn of Dillo Dangle

Join me on my journey into the future as I purchase an electric chisel! A while back I purchased one to aide in my plans for Participation 2014 at the Maitland Art Center. Okay, so this was a looooong time ago, but it's relevant now because I've made some recent progress on that print. Let's go back to the very beginning….

Designing my table for Participation 2014 finally gave me the impetus to create the triptych I had been planing for the three matching wooden shelves that were discarded from UCF Library's Special Collections & University Archives. I finally decided on a swinging armadillo for the subject matter.

These blocks were rather large, and my design would incorporate a lot of white space. This plus a deadline meant it was finally time to invest in some hardware. I should explain that the power chisel function of the "Wecheer Professional Rotary & Carving Tool Kit" is very different than a rotary tool. I mean, yes there is a rotary tool in there, but that's not why I bought it. I hate carving woodblocks with rotary tools (or "dremel tools" in the common tongue). I feel like I loose all control once the rotary bit hits the wood and inevitably goes skidding off across the surface. Alternatively, the power chisel works much more like a hand carving tool and slices through woodblocks like butter, while still leaving a hand worked texture. (Technically, the block is still handworked, just with more power!)

Photo by Douglas Nelson

After finishing the detail work (and carving out a safety buffer outline) with my hand tools, the power chisel made the rest a dream. No more hours, days even, of carving out white space by hand with my biggest gouge, ensuring the early onset of osteoarthritis!

The triptych is designed to connect to each neighboring panel in the round, meaning if each piece were connected at the edges to make a triangular prism, the ropes in the design would connect across each edge and spiral around the prints. So, that's exactly what I created for my table display, with the addition of luminance. Each panel was printed on thin mulberry paper and backed with a fly pattern cut from Arches Text Weave so the prism could function as a lantern with images displayed both in ink and in light. I was very pleased with how it turned out, and I'm hoping to eventually create a more permanent version of the lantern. However the next step was to combine the panels into one image….. stay tuned for the next installment!

Photo by Douglas Nelson

Photo by Douglas Nelson

Special thanks to Douglas Nelson for the fantastic photos.

Participation 2015: Dinner & Exhibit

Art & History Museums - Maitland's big artist dinner, Participation, came and went again this year, and I had the honor of hosting a table for the third time. I think this year was the best yet- housed in the newly renovated Germaine Marvel Building, food and art to die for, and amazing table guests! It was so much fun to spend the night with many of my favorite artists and friends, Nathalie Chikhi, Danielle DeGuglimo, Marla E, Kevin Haran, Martha Lent, Suzanne Oberholtzer, Dawn Rosendahl, Dawn Schreiner, and Butch Charlan as well as meet some new ones such as Scott Donald and Maxwell Hartley.

My table design was a 3-D version of a woodcut featuring an aquatic creature swinging in a tangle of ropes. I was especially excited for this year's dinner, because I finally succeeded in creating take aways for all of my table quests. I created little "pillow" animals and provided a length of rope for each guest to add them into the tangle framed in the middle of the table. At the end of the night, everyone could untie them and take their animals home.

This year also included an alumni exhibit after the dinner event - Participation: Classes of 2013-2015. This is the first time I've had the privilege of showing at the Maitland Art Center. I had hoped to showcase a brand new print, but unfortunately it was just too small for the space, and the Curator, Rebecca Sexton-Larson, asked if she could substitute one of the prints I donated to the Participation dinner auction. I was a bit bummed that my piece was going to be a repeat appearance, but that did little to dull my enthusiasm for such an exiting opportunity. Besides, the new snake print I started at ARTLANDO 2014 will be making a debut soon- wink, wink, nudge, nudge.


EDIT: I completely forgot to mention that this year's Participation Dinner won Orlando Weekly's Best Dinner With an Artist! As if you needed more proof of what a dynamic and unique evening it really is!

Participation 2015 Artists

Most of the beautiful photos were taken by TipsoPhoto

Star Book Binding Workshop

Last month I had the pleasure of teaching a workshop at Art & History Museums - Maitland on my favorite type of binding: the star book. I've been looking forward to this for so long and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about it. Luckily, I had a fantastic group of students that were full of creativity (as always)! Star books are so versatile so it was a joy to see everyone's ideas blossom and start to push the structure to its full potential.

A star book has multiple layers that almost turns each section into it's own tunnel book. For this reason it can be a little intimidating, but aside from it's unwieldy nature during binding it is actually very simple to make. Unlike my previous workshops, it's not a book that can really be bound blank. Well... I suppose you could make a blank star book, but it kind of defeats the purpose of the structure. So, this is the first time I've incorporated content production into my workshop and I definitely did not divvy out enough time for it! We all stayed about two hours after the workshop ended, but I think everyone had fun and I know everyone got to finish their books. Next time around, this will be an all day event! In the meantime, enjoy all of these star books made by the students:

Classes at Art & History Museums - Maitland

It's finally happening. Not Your Mama's Print Class, that Molly Chism and I envisioned in 2011, is finally running as a bonafide nine week class at Art & History Museums - Maitland. Unfortunately, Molly moved away to bigger and better things in California, so she is not here to see this momentous occasion. But her spirit lives on in our class!

We meet on Sunday's 2pm-4pm starting April 13th for nine weeks (with the exception of Easter). We will delve much further into relief printmaking than previous workshops would allow. I plan on getting into techniques such as registration with multiple colors, Chine-colle, and printing an edition. Students will also be given the freedom to choose the relief material they would like to work in. I can't wait to see what images will be created- and what kind of knarly dumpster wood people find to carve on! If you would like to be one of those students, you can sign up here.

I am also teaching The Book As Art as another nine week course. I can't make up my mind which class I am more excited about. This class will meet every Wednesday 7pm-9pm starting April 9th. We'll be discussing the history of Book Arts and taking a critical eye to the medium as a whole. The end of the nine weeks will culminate in the production of an Artists' Book inspired by the Artist's Book Ideation Cards by Barbara Tetenbaum and Julie Chen. These cards are not only terribly fun, but are also extremely helpful in building parameters for a book project and enabling creativity to spark. You are running out of time to sign up for this class, but you can register on the website here.

I can't wait to meet all my students and start posting more updates about their work!

UPDATE 4/13/14: Sadly, I may have jinxed the Not Your Mama's Print Class with my earlier enthusiasm. Several students had to drop out leaving us with not enough to run the class. However, it will return! By Grabthar's Hammer, you shall be avenged!

Art 31: Steamroller Prints and Upcycled Sculptures

Art 31 kept me busy this weekend to say the least. Friday was our big Steamroller Print event for Culture Pop: Roll Repeat. I had a ton (8 tons to be exact) of fun with fellow printers Cat Snapp and Chris Ware. I was on clean hand duty, so I spent the night laying paper and carpet padding, directing our awesome steamroller driver Rick, and pulling prints to be hung. At the end of the night we managed to print a medley of all our woodblocks in one three foot square, including a woodcut from Curator Rebecca Sexton-Larson. I can't think of a better way to have ended the night!

The next day it was back to Art & History Museums - Maitland to lead the Garden Sculpture activity for Family Days at the Museum. I helped the kids cut used water bottles into flowers (or fireworks as the boys preferred to call them) and spirals for them to paint. I was really impressed with how much some of the kids already knew about color mixing. They made some especially beautiful shades of orange and purple. When they were done, I tied them onto our hanging form with pipe cleaners. By the end of the day, we had a full and colorful sculpture that will live in the garden for the rest of Art 31. Or for as long as it can survive!

Participation at the Maitland Art Center

What a whirlwind experience! Part of it had to do with being swept away in the magic of A&H's Participation, but most of the whirlwind effect was caused by how much I had to do to prepare. I was one of 21 featured artists in charge of designing and hosting an artist table. The result of my table design is a 9 foot long star book titled "Old Friends".

This was the second Participation I've been to, last year I was one of the volunteers, and it was just as spectacular as I've come to expect. I loved where my table was- I was right outside the window to my studio and next to the fantastic Nathalie Chikhi as well as the Macaroni & Cheese food station. I realized when I saw the event layout a few days before that I may have been a little too emotive about Mac & Cheese station at the Participation artists' meeting.

I also ran a "creation-station" during the evening where I helped guests print their own print to take home with them. I've done this set up before (1st Thursdays, art festivals, etc..), but I made a special linocut for this one. I used oil based ink, so hopefully everyone who came by heeded my warnings and no one ended up with a circus tent on something other than Arches.

Preparation was a week of long nights (and sometimes long mornings) and I've still got aches and pains a week later to remember it by. Apparently my self-loathing was at an all time high as I pushed off production until the Monday before the event. This is the largest book I've ever made. The back layer alone is a 12 foot hand printed linocut.

Artists in Action in Orlando Arts Magazine

Artist in Action Studio at the Maitland Art Center

I've finally been able to move into the studio at Maitland! The window that has been repaired is awesome. I now have a growing wishlist for the studio including some storage drawers and a proper workbench.

My first piece of business in the new studio - working on the swinging diptych (seen left). I've been struggling for a while with how to handle the background, and I finally developed a plant motif that I feel walks the line between pattern and object. My current plan is a four color print (black, yellow, brown, blue) and chine collé in the body of the animals (light pink or some other flesh tone). I've got the animal image transferred onto the brown and yellow blocks and I've started carving on the brown blocks. I'm keeping my eye out for some dumpster wood to use for the blue.

My studio hours are Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 9am to 5pm (except holidays). Everyone should stop by! And a big thanks go out to Molly Chism, who helped me move in.

Art & History Museums Maitland - Artist in Action

I am very excited to announce that I've been selected as one of the Artists-in-Action for the 2012-2013 season for Art & History Museums - Maitland. We had our first meeting to go over paper work and get to know each other last Friday (and get a very professional and fancy name badge). It was also the first time I was able to meet A&H's new Director of Art Exhibitions & Education, Rebecca Sexton Larson.

I had a blast getting to know everyone. Trent Tomengo is in Studio 1, Dawn Rosendahl is in Studio 5, and I'll be sharing Studio 8 with Camilo Velasquez. Studio 8 is under going some repairs right now, so Camillo and I haven't been able to move in yet. Dawn is also waiting for Studio 8 to be repaired because she can't move in to Studio 5 until Camilo can move out. Is your brain in a knot yet? In other words, don't expect to catch Dawn or myself on campus until this is all sorted out. I can't wait to move in and get to work!


TheDailyCity.com: Maitland Art and History Museum Shacks Up Four Art...: The Maitland Art & History Museum has announced its 2012-2013 "Artist-in-Action" recipients for 2012/13: Whitney Broadaway, Dawn Rosenda...

Now is the time..

The time is now to sign up for our relief printmaking workshop! Maitland Art Center is offering all summer classes at 10% off if you sign up before May 29th. So while you're out barbecuing this long weekend, don't forget to hop on the computer and sign up here.

Not Your Mama's Print Workshop

We're ba-ack! Molly Chism and I are teaching a new installment of the print class this summer and this time it's in workshop form. There are two sessions to choose from; Sunday, June 24th 1pm - 5pm or Sunday, July 29th 1pm - 5pm. Of course, you can always come to both.

We will be focusing on printing our own greeting cards from linoleum blocks that we will design and carve. If greeting cards aren't your thing, then there's no reason you can't come and make prints for framing instead of prints for mailing.

The tuition is $70 a person for non Maitland Art Center members and $63 for members. There is also a $30 materials fee that covers the ink and paper you'll use during the day plus a speedball carving set, a bench hook (which is a fancy word for something that helps you carve without sending your block flying off the table), and linoleum- all of which you'll be able to take home at the end of the day. It's like a starter printmaking kit for you to continue making prints long after the workshop. All those materials that your fee pays for also means that you don't have to bring any supplies to the workshop. The only thing we ask you bring is your creativity (and an idea for your image won't hurt).

You can sign up for either (or both) workshops on the Maitland Art Center's website HERE. We hope to see you there!

Not Your Mama's Print Class

It's that time again! Molly Chism and I are offering our relief printmaking class at the Maitland Art Center. We have been trying to get this class off the ground for a little while now, but we haven't had enough students sign up yet- we need three in order to teach the class. The Maitland Art Center was founded by a printmaker, Andre Smith, and has a rich printmaking history. Unfortunately it's scary to sign up for something that your unfamiliar with, and not many people know what printmaking is all about. Even if you've never done art before, you can picture yourself in a painting class- brushes, paint, apron, french beret. But printmaking? They could be pulling teeth in that class for all I know! Alas, it is a tough act to sell, even though this class is so awesome.

So stop by the website and sign up! We won't be pulling teeth. We'll be carving, inking, and printing- on my brand new Richeson Baby Etching Press no less! The class starts this Saturday the 28th and meets 1:30 - 4:30 every Saturday for 9 weeks.

Associates Board Meeting

Last night was the September Meeting for the Associates Board for Art & History Museums - Maitland. We have three big events coming up in the next couple of months so I'll be kept very busy with volunteering. Richard Colvin, the curator for A&H, gave a very interesting presentation on the evolution of his own artwork. He explained that he wasn't sure if the way he jumped around between styles, subjects, and mediums made him schizophrenic or just multi-faceted.

Not Your Mama's Print Class - SALE!

The Printmaking Class I am teaching with Molly Chism at the Maitland Art Center is all set and good to go! To top it off, it's on sale right now:

Daily Deal for Wednesday, Sept. 7: BRING A FRIEND! Sign up for a class with a Friend, and you BOTH receive a 15% discount on your class! This Deal runs from 12 PM Wednesday, Sept 7 to 12 PM Thursday, Sept 8. FB code: FRIENDSHIP. To register, phone 407-539-2181

It is a 12 week class starting Sept. 17 through Dec. 10 meeting every Saturday from 1:30pm to 4:30pm (skipping the Thanksgiving weekend). The cost is $220 for non-members and $200 for members.

We will be exploring Relief Printmaking specifically Linocut and Woodcut. You will be carving and printing four different assignments and participating in formal critiques as well as receiving a healthy dose of Printmaking history.

If you don't take advantage of the deal today and tomorrow, you can show up for the first day of class free and see how you like it. However, I strongly suggest taking advantage of the 15% off since another deal will most likely not be offered before classes start.

I am so excited about this class and bringing Printmaking back to the Maitland Art Center. I love to teach and I can't wait to see what the students produce out of this class.

Check out the Facebook Event and don't forget to call 407-539-2181 to register!

Faculty Meeting at the Maitland Art Center

Last night was the faculty meeting at the Maitland Art Center. Molly Chism and I will once again be offering our Not Your Mama's Print Class. It should be a blast! We are very excited about it. The class should start on Sept. 17 and meet on Saturdays from 1pm-4pm for 12 weeks. Stay tuned for sign up information!