I am excited, because yesterday, I printed my very first linoleum block prints! I have never done block printing before, and I wasn't really sure if I could produce something I would like. It took me a while to work out the composition. I had to remind myself that I was carving away the white areas and that the parts I left uncarved would be black. That was almost too much confusion for me, but I did finally figure it out. I decided to try a little composition with my favorite funny desert quail. I have had a bunch of them visiting me in the mornings, so I watch them while I eat breakfast. The best thing about these timid birds is the feather on top. It reminds me of a fancy lady with a feathered hat, and when they turn their heads, the feather bobs this way and that. It makes me laugh, every time I see it.
The photo above is a photo of the linoleum block after I printed it. You can see how the image is reversed. I printed ten of this block, and of the ten, I got eight prints that I was pleased with. The first two I printed were blurry, because the paper slipped on the block when I was applying pressure. So I had to figure out how to make the paper stay put. I am pretty happy with the results, and I am excited to try carving another one. It will have to wait, because I really need to focus on getting all this new work ready to show. That means framing, mounting, signing, and coming up with titles. I will admit that this is my least favorite part about doing art, and I am hoping I start to make enough money so that eventually I can pay someone ELSE to do my framing. One can dream.
Yesterday, we finally got some rain! We always welcome rain here in the desert. Everything looks different when it is wet, even the creosote! You can see all kinds of little green things growing at the base of it. My theory is that the seeds get blown all over the place, and they collect where there is something that will catch them. So that is why all the little green plants are usually found underneath a bigger bush or cactus. I could be wrong.
