What I’ve been up to, Part 2

 

A Very Old Friend
8” x 10”
Relief Print

I was browsing through old sketchbooks when I came across a drawing I made several years ago. This weathered tree, stood near the beginning of the trail that takes you to the top of Mt. San Jacinto in California (a peak I hiked years later). 

To get to the trailhead, you travel between two different worlds. You must take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway from the desert floor up and over the rugged and deeply cut Chino Canyon to a station at Mt. San Jacinto State Park, which sits at an elevation of more than 8,500 feet.

In just minutes, you move from the heat of the desert to the forest. And it is a stunning forest! Our hike to the top of Mt. San Jacinto (10,800+ elevation) was one of my favorite hikes.

The Process

Finding some success with smaller pieces, I moved to a larger 8” x 10” sized plate for this project. It took several sessions in the studio to cut the image. In fact, I think I had to scrap the first version and had to carve this image twice.

I have to say the anticipation is excruciating—not knowing whether it will turn out until you pull that first test print. And getting a good result requires the perfect amount of ink on the plate, the perfect paper dampness, and then, carefully and thoroughly rubbing the paper against the plate to fully transfer a solid image.

 

Winter Morning
8” x 10”
Multicolor relief print

Early one winter morning after a snow storm, we were traveling on a road that takes you through gently rolling hills of ranches and farms. It was a lovely morning and I admired the golden tufts of grasses determinedly poking through the blanket of white.

The clouds were incredible: billowy and purple, the bottoms heavy with moisture. A band of purple-black clouds drifted in front of them, while the sky above was a persistent blue. When we got home that day, I made color sketches from memory that I later used for this project.

This piece was an experiment in texture and pattern and learning how to manipulate ink opacity and value. The prints I made had a broad range of color intensity and coverage—no two were alike.

 

Diné Country    
10” X 8”
Multicolor Relief Print

This piece is taken from a photo I took on our way back from a trip to California between Shonto and Page, Arizona along Highway 98. This rock feature sits in the middle of an interesting canyon—it’s my favorite section of road. And, it looks different every time we see it. I have countless photos of it!

There’s something about coming back home to Colorado across the Navajo Reservation. I love the big skies, wild washes, and familiar mesas and mountains; we count the landmarks as we make our way home. When we see Sleeping Ute Mountain, it feels as though we’re nearly there.

I hand-colored one of the prints before experimenting with additional color plates. Here I continued to struggle with registration and the right amount of ink. It’s easy to squirt out more ink than you need—and dang!—it’s expensive!