Artist in Residence Pt 1 - Day 6 - Mill Pond Gallery, Richmond Hill

Today was the last full workday of my week long residency.

another day another beginning

Since I am on my own and not sharing the residency with another artist, as most of the resident artists are, it means if I have a drop-in visitor or two I talk with them. 

nice carving day.

And that means the work gets put on hold.

painting sketched out by end of the day today

I'm not someone who can ignore or just say HI and get back to the task at hand. So this kind of gallery show/sitting and working does work, I have created work, but not as much as I could have.

getting bigger

That being said, the past two days have brought people into the space who are looking for prints. Mostly it has been word of mouth recommendation. 

Great!

completed skyline, one house, one car - this block will definitely need several proofs

They have heard that prints were being shown and they have made the effort to drop by and look. Many visitors want to make prints but have no access locally to a press of any size. One person has been specifically looking for a local printmaker for 6 YEARS. Others had no idea how prints were really made and once they see the big block and the carving tools and the finished prints they appreciate the work even more. It's about the most an artist can hope for when showing their work I think.

So.

Once I got home I saw that my PRINT FROG arrived from Texas! Yay! I have to try it tomorrow. I have some small blocks to print and we'll see how it works, but really, this is a tool for printing large blocks by hand without a press.

Print Frog - like a printmaking crystal ball

It has serious weight and the grip is good. Kind of wide and loose. Very excited to see what this may add to my printmaking process. It'll definitely need a post or two of its own.

Bonus! Stickers!!

 Gallery Open/Artist in Residence
July 31-Aug 6
HOURS in attendance:
Fri July 31: 1pm-8pm
Sat Aug 1: 12pm-5pm
Sun Aug 2: 12pm-5pm
Mon Aug 3: 1pm-8pm
Tues Aug 4: Gallery Open 1pm.
NOTE: I'm in attendance: 5:30pm-8pm
Wed Aug 5: 1pm-8pm
Thurs Aug 6: 1pm-10pm

Artist in Residence Pt 1 Wk 1 Day 5 - short day - Mill Pond Gallery, Richmond Hill

heading downtown early

Due to an appointment I could not reschedule,

Toronto

I spent only a few hours at the Gallery today. In my absence fellow RHGA members, Andrea and Michelle gallery sat for me making sure the gallery would be open.

Thanks!

I did make big progress creating a pile of wood shavings as I began carving my woodcut.

I am going to hunker down and see how far I can get tomorrow, my last full working day.

Last because with the Mill Pond Concert across the street on Thursday night, I am told the crowd often finds its way over to the gallery so it just isn't a day to make art but a day to talk about art. So be it.

Residency Info and Hours:

Mill Pond Gallery
314 Mill Street
Richmond Hill, ON

Gallery Open/Artist in Residence
July 31-Aug 6
HOURS in attendance:
Fri July 31: 1pm-8pm
Sat Aug 1: 12pm-5pm
Sun Aug 2: 12pm-5pm
Mon Aug 3: 1pm-8pm
Tues Aug 4: Gallery Open 1pm.
NOTE: I'm in attendance: 5:30pm-8pm
Wed Aug 5: 1pm-8pm
Thurs Aug 6: 1pm-10pm

Artist in Residence Pt 1 Day 4 - Mill Pond Gallery, Richmond Hill

Yesterday I chose my image for my next woodcut.

My panel is Russian Birch meauring 24" x 36". I am carving by hand but I may use the Dremel tool in spots. We'll see if that's what's called for.

Today I spent the day transferring the drawing to the woodblock.

charcoal and compressed charcoal

This first step begins the process that makes this image my own which is slightly different from reality as it passes through my brain and into my carving hand.

FYI:  EZcut lino makes for a good eraser.

As an unexpected bonus I decided on an image to paint for one of my reclaimed canvases but not the big one.

I am going to put most of my energy into the woodcut since it is harder for me to find the space to carve than it is to paint on an easel. I want to use my time in residence in the best way I can for me.

I think my work table's surface is fascinating.

this one too.

Residency Info and Hours:

Mill Pond Gallery
314 Mill Street
Richmond Hill, ON

Gallery Open/Artist in Residence
July 31-Aug 6
HOURS in attendance:
Fri July 31: 1pm-8pm
Sat Aug 1: 12pm-5pm
Sun Aug 2: 12pm-5pm
Mon Aug 3: 1pm-8pm
Tues Aug 4: Gallery Open 1pm.
NOTE: I'm in attendance: 5:30pm-8pm
Wed Aug 5: 1pm-8pm
Thurs Aug 6: 1pm-10pm

Artist in Residence-Pt 1 - Day 3 - Mill Pond Gallery, Richmond Hill

 Quiet Sunday at the Gallery. I met Roya today. She was the perfect person to drop in.  (Hi Roya!) Dan came by and we had a good artist talk and a couple pretty much ran through the whole exhibit without saying a word, though I heard them laughing upstairs, which is good cause my funny things are up there.

I made coffee and have been leaving my keys everywhere. Just like home.

I made big progress today. After viewing image after image on the computer I've chosen my next subject for a large scale woodcut in my suburbs series.  Ironically it came from an image I took this morning, and wasn't even on the hard drive, though what I will paint was, but I took that image a day ago. So, very fresh work. Love that.

garden with deer

I started transferring the image to the block but have another hour or so before I complete it. I placed the grid onto my canvas but left it at that. No idea what will go on my extra large canvas. In every way it is a blank to me. Long workday today. Hope to make great progress!

Residency Info and Hours:

Mill Pond Gallery
314 Mill Street
Richmond Hill, ON

Gallery Open/Artist in Residence
July 31-Aug 6
HOURS in attendance:
Fri July 31: 1pm-8pm
Sat Aug 1: 12pm-5pm
Sun Aug 2: 12pm-5pm
Mon Aug 3: 1pm-8pm
Tues Aug 4: Gallery Open 1pm.
NOTE: I'm in attendance: 5:30pm-8pm
Wed Aug 5: 1pm-8pm
Thurs Aug 6: 1pm-10pm

Are We There Yet? Downtown Markham Perfect City artwork installed

It's all done and the artwork, mine + the other 19, have all been installed. In their environment the giant boards look small. 

This was my first sighting of our work. The corner of Enterprise and Birchmount in Markham is a real live construction zone.

Looking for somewhere to park the car we drove by this on the opposite side of the street

And here we were headed toward the first panels which extend onto Birchmount

First four were here ...

then going this way....

we came to mine around the corner on Enterprise-- here it is in the center

my map legend

a few mascots

a few thoughts on what could make a perfect city

the artist and her work entitled  Are We There Yet?

Voting begins September 24th, 2013 to November 1st, 2013.

More on that to come.

Toronto Island: Day 5 non-plein aire

 Today was a day to pursue other art projects. Gail went off island for the day so I focused on the empty canvases and hunted for a spot to start a painting. Shirley and I had planned to go en plein aire but the wind and the snow kept us indoors looking out.

paints packed up. canvas awaits.

Everyday CJ comes around. He merrows outside under my window and I get up and let him in. He merrows down the hall from me and I get up and feed him. I do the same at home for Looloo and Caesar. He, I am sure, is happy to find a trained human.

CJ came with us as we searched for something to paint.

This is what caught my eye:

and this is what caught his eye just to the left of me:

 After a few hours my vantage point was translated into this painting

Just as I finished Shirley's nephew Ben arrived to visit her and I benefited from his fondness for his aunt as he brought with him 2 kinds of cheese, a hearty bread, a bottle of Greek wine.  Shirley prepared lentil soup. 

off-island bounty: bread, cheese, wine, apples and a diet coke

 Raising the standards EVEN MORE for visitors coming to see us at a residency, Ben did the dishes.

That's the best guest you can hope for.