Decked Out on Day 8.

The first ever "On the Deck" event at TSKW happened tonight. Michael Haykin, the other artist here for February, and the distinguished AIR, as well as the other inaugural guest at the 609 Ashe Street cottage (mine is 607--we're neighbours), said we were making American Art History this evening.

TSKW Director of Programs and Exhibitions Martha Barnes (seated) with her adorable dog,
and volunteer Tyler Clay and her two charming daughters

And this is the kind of thing that sticks with me.

I like history and it feels good to be making history of any kind. It feels great to be out in the world doing the things I love. It's always good to remember where you came from, appreciate where you are, and look ahead to where you might want to go.

But never mind this dear reader, let me just how you what I did today.


Since I have this exhibition coming up I am really getting focused on my work. I decided to see if I could work on the front porch so I took my woodblock (I was doing the first one) outside with my tools. I was carving away and so engrossed that when I looked up 10 cameras were focused on me.


I just laughed and grabbed my camera to take their picture, but a few of them had scampered off so fast, chasing the next good shot but I did catch a few of the crazy shutterbugs in their tracks! I was the subject of a digital camera class and I had my first taste of what being in the eye of paparazzi would be like. Strange.

ready to proof this woodblock-- can already see this it'll need adusting

I got two proofs off of the woodblock I carved on the porch. It's not a good candidate for reduction. Too many "things" in it. Too busy. Looks like I will try a closeup/face for the reduction print. I think that this block is a good start, and I re-worked it twice, but now I have to let it sit for a bit before I get back to it again.

I did complete my painting. So glad it's done and I can move on to a chicken or something. I rarely paint plants/flowers. But this little guy was so interesting. Mr. Haykin called it an alien looking thing and I can't disagree with that.

I discovered an interesting thing today. I am inserting my own ingrained ideas about "the colour things are" into my work. And actually the shape things are too. Like, in my painting, I had to mix, mix, and re-mix the colours as I kept doing "northern" greens-pine tree greens/bushes.

grey, and greyer still, not so green--painting detail.

Everything here has a dusting of grey. Lots of greys around. More than you notice at first. You see it after the dazzle of the sea and sky normalize for you and after the wild vegetation becomes natural-ish.

And my parallel line that I took to be too obvious a horizon line was read as a "northern horizon" by a Key Wester. It was too solid to be the horizon around here as you never see a line of uninterrupted land since you look out and either just see sea/sky or sea-little island-sea/sky --broken and variable horizon lines. I've changed it to reflect these thoughts, but without a discussion I would not have clued into that--I would have happily applied my northern viewpoint to this southern vista. And this is why it's good to get out of your town once in a while. There really is more than one way to see the world.