It's Fun to Quote People

I come from a circle of introverts, and sometimes it's just too hard not to break that personal creed...

and expose something...

like this...



That would be something my husband said to me tonight.

And, well, it's true, that sometimes I get a little excited about Etsy.

Please note that the "golf" referred to in this quote is actually the Tiger Woods PGA golf tournament game for the Nintendo Wii. And, yes, sadly, that is a Vegas Hilton notepad.

Sigh.

Are we multi-media nerds, or what?

But ... stay with me here...

I finished a wood block tonight, and I'm wondering if I ruined the whole thing by adding some hand coloring with Caran d'ache water-soluble crayons. I couldn't help myself, they just have the perfect colors .... so yummy and candy-like:

l - l - l - l - letterpress!

Do you live in the Great Pacific Northwest? Do you know about the Independent Publishing Resource Center? It has been a little office room that has meant a lot to me for the past five years or so.

And now you can find me there every other Thursday (starting tomorrow) as I help out with open print shop hours! Meaning if you're there to print tomorrow, you'll see my smiling face, ready to assist with your printing needs. Ready for anything, really. Cupcakes encouraged.

So, here's the deal: the IPRC, in addition to all the awesome outreach programs, workshops, and extensive zine library, they also offer the best letterpress workshop ANYWHERE. It's $45 for a one day, 6 hour class. You do need to be a member, which I believe is about $40 (yikes, I probably need to renew my membership!) And the workshop is in high demand, so chances are you'll be placed on a waiting list. But, as we all know, good things come to those who wait. This is how I learned letterpress. It wasn't in art school, where the letterpress (nicknamed The Mangler!) was kept under lock and key, alluded to like a ghost in the attic.

Here's a picture of one of my block prints, locked down and ready for printing, at the IPRC:



Okay, now go and check out the IPRC!

Summer?

Oh my, has it really been ten days since we last blogged? It has something to do with the sun... a rare sight for us here in Portland. We're overcome with the sudden urgency to stay outside at all costs, far away from computers or desks.

So, there's nothing new to share today, besides the killer bar-b-que we just had and my garden which is blowing up right now. My Etsy shop, perhaps sensing my negligence and carefree ways, is a little *ahem* slow... right... now....

I did come across these old art cards I made a couple of years ago, which are fun and perhaps will inspire. Enjoy! Oh, and if you live in the Portland area, scroll down on the right hand side over there, you'll find a link that leads to info on the Portland artist trading cards meetings.

Today = New Schedule

I have a new schedule.
Thursdays = art days. And business errand days.
Like going to the bank and post office and stuff.

And calling my mom. (Hi mom!)

Here's a new drawing I made today. I don't know what it means, or what it could be.
But it's nice to have the time to draw again.
I call this drawing "Oven Mitts" as in "Get your oven-mitts offa me!" :

She Has Arrived!

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!
I've finally got the newest project up for sale on Etsy.

Silkscreen is something I never considered doing before, being mostly an etching and relief print fan, but I've been temporarily converted! I highly encourage anyone with a spray attachment on their sink to explore the world of screen printing. There was time to throw a print on an old t-shirt:



Shazam! I feel like a magician.