Zentangle #2

Here's the next one - this time using sepia ink.

Artistic Community

I have been pretty isolated artistically for the last few months, save for whom I connect with over the internet (and a huge thank you to all my artistic friends and community members online - you're all so inspiring!). This week, I connected in real life with two fantastic artists.

Jill Elhert, whom we met through the Bamfield retreat last year (see Day 1, Day 2, and Days 3 & 4, plus our exhibition). Jill's work is very expressive and beautiful, very abstracted. She's currently working on some personal discovery projects, as well as looking forward to an intensive workshop this May with Steven Amoine. We had a lovely visit (with tea and fab home-made chocolate chip cookies, yum!!) and studio tour, thanks Jill.

Nikkie Wilson, a printmaker in Victoria, contacted me via email (through discovering my work on the Federation of Canadian Artist's website, as she's a recent member to the Victoria chapter thereof). She's very keen to connect with printmakers, especially locally. We happened to be down at her neck of the woods today, so she graciously invited us for a studio visit. It was very inspiring to see her colourful, vivacious work, lately woodcuts, utilizing great tool marks in her printmaking. It was wonderful to meet with such an enthusiastic printmaker, I look forward to continuing our creative dialogue in future, thanks Nikkie.

So, my isolation broken for the meantime, I'm feeling somewhat energized again, and reminded that I am part of a greater whole, which is always a good thing to be reminded of.

Featured on Tumblr

Not sure to whom I can direct my thanks, but my little wood engraving, Hibou, has been featured with a number of famous and wonderful wood engravings at Blessed Relief: A Collection of Wood Engravings. I am flattered at the company my little print is keeping.

Getting Invigorated

I have been introduced, thanks to Jill Elhert of StoneyGround Studio, to the process of Zentangle. If you've not heard of it, it's a great doodling technique; quite meditative and a really good way to engage the right-hemisphere, and to just get some marks made on paper, without feeling committed to the final result (and hence without getting stuck on the starting point).

I've been in quite a creative slump for months. Mostly I've been stuck because while I enjoy doing realistic work, I wanted to somehow incorporate more abstraction to my realism.

Thanks to the Zentangle, I think I've figured out a way to do so.

It's been percolating in my mind actually for at least a year: I somehow wanted to print and collage and get something out as a result.

The plan (and please bear with me, because it's going to take an awful lot of work to get to the point where I have a finished product):

1. Create multiple, uniform sized blocks that are each carved with a unique pattern (based in nature to start, but also I'd like to use man-made and geometric patterns).
2. Print off those blocks, either a full sheet of one block prints repeated, or combining blocks to fill up a full sheet.
3. Cut the prints into shapes and collage in a somewhat random, spontaneous manner, onto a canvas support.

Now, I can either leave it at that, just as interesting monochromatic print collages, presented either individually or in an array or mosaic, like tiles. Or, I can continue:

4. Add acrylic washes and brush work, maybe some texture work, still keeping it abstract, using colour themes for example, or playing somewhat with colour theory.

5. Or when I'm composing the collage, be deliberate and follow a specific composition (realistic or not), using the darker prints for the darker values, and lighter prints for lighter values, etc. Then add colour to build a painting on top of the collage, using the values created by the print collage to dictate the values of the final piece.

As you can see, there's a lot of opportunity for play and spontaneity. I'm hoping this will help give me something to work on, yet not get frustrated that I'm not "finishing" anything very fast.

I find patterns, either in nature or man-made, extremely compelling. I love the rhythm produced by repetition, and I love trying to make shapes more graphic in my work. I am quite looking forward to working on this project. Stay tuned; I'll continue to post my Zentangles as I work on them, just so you can see some of the process of thoughts and creativity behind the project, since it's going to take quite a lot to get a finished piece!

Some Sketches

Wow, have I ever been slack! Nope, practically no time spent in the studio for months. I do have a reason... more on that in a few months :) But I'm also shockingly lazy.

I did get a couple of semi-blind contour / colour sketches done a few weeks ago that I posted on Flickr but forgot to share here.

"Jars - Apple Slices"
(c) 2010 Amie Roman
Pen & ink with watercolour & pencil crayon

"Jars - Carrots"

(c) 2010 Amie Roman
Pen & ink with brush-tip felt pens

The brush-tip felt pens were really fun to use; I'd never really used them other than just "colouring book" sort of colour blocking. This sketch was done treating them more like watercolours - blending the colours while still wet. It was a lot of fun. I will have to do more like that (one of these days!).

2009 Year In Review

I thought I'd do another pat on the back year in review this January, rather than a "to do" list of resolutions. So to start with here's what I sold in 2009 - thanks to my lovely purchasers for their support!

SOLD!
1. Copy Cat, 2. Hibou, 3. California Quail,
4. Kermode Bear, 5. Orca Whale, 6. Stretchy (second state)7. Pulleys II (a), 8. Industrial Perch, 9. Lounging, 10. Soueee!

I have my art available for sale at two new (to me!) locations: The Upstart Crow in Delta, BC, and Studio Todorovic in Calgary, Alberta.

Here are all the prints that I completed in 2009:

PRINTED!
1. Oyama, 2. Sitting, 3. Lounging,
4. Goofy, 5. Flow VII, 6. Flow VI,
7. Flow V, 8. Flow IV, 9. Flow III,
10. Flow II, 11. Flow I, 12. Exposed,
13. Soueee!, 14. Vantage Point, 15. "Queen Of..."

I also did a lot of field sketches and Murri sketches, as well as purchased and started to learn how to use my new graphics tablet & GIMP program.

I taught a wonderful printmaking workshop in Williams Lake:

I attended a windy and cold "summer" outdoor art show and got to demo printmaking while I was there:


I was also invited to participate in a wonderful artists' retreat in Bamfield on the west coast of Vancouver Island, check out what fun we had (day 1, day 2 and days 3 & 4) and some of the art I created.

I carved and printed the largest relief print I've yet done, donated one of the edition to a great cause, and was accepted into the Federation of Canadian Artists' 2009 Spilsbury Medal Show with another one of the edition.

I had many pieces accepted into various local exhibitions:

EXHIBITED!
1. Exposed, 2. Vantage Point, 3. Being Shod,
4. Soueee!, 5. Pays d'Hiver (Winter Country), 6. Kinsol

I participated in a couple of print exchanges:

EXCHANGED!

1. Oyama, 2. "Queen Of..."

I added heaps of links to my various Squidoo lenses on Printmaking, and spent a lot of time adding many fabulous interviews and "Who's Printsy" posts to our Printsy blog. If you're a printmaker on Etsy, check it out!

So, all in all, despite the fact that I didn't feel very productive this year, I actually accomplished more than I realized. And now on to more art in 2010 - wishing everyone a healthy, happy, creative & productive upcoming year; thanks for sharing my journey!

Congratulations!

Beverley Peden is the winner! I assigned a number to each entry, and picked Bev's number through Random.Org's random integer generator. Congratulations, Bev, you shall receive your Goose Gallery, hopefully by Christmas.

Out of 34 votes (there were a few people who voted for two!), Bare Branches II was the winner, but only by one vote over Goose Gallery. Kinsol was next, Flow IV had a few votes, and no one faved Sitting (poor Murri!): I guess it is too abstract. Funny, it's actually my favourite!

Interestingly, most people who commented are printmakers, so thanks fellow printmakers for your support and kind words! This was a lot of fun, I shall have to do it again.

Free Art Giveaway!!

Well, 'tis the season, after all, for generosity and thoughtfulness. Thanks to Jeanette's recent giveaway on her blog, which I just won (!), I have been inspired to give something back. I really appreciate all of the people who take time out of their day to read my blog and to visit my website and Etsy shop, and I'd like to demonstrate that appreciation in a concrete manner.

So, until December 15, 2009, please pick one of the following prints as a favourite, post a comment indicating your favourite and a link to your Etsy shop, website, blog, Twitter or Facebook page (or whatever!) so I can get a hold of you if you win, and I'll randomly select a winner from the list to receive their favourite. These are all original block prints, hand-pulled by myself.

Goose Gallery

Flow IV

Bare Branches II

Kinsol

Sitting

Thanks everyone, and good luck!