Busier Than I thought I'd Be - RHGA Artist in residence Mill Pond Gallery

As a member of the RHGA (Richmond Hill Group of Artists) I have been an artist in residence at the Mill Pond Gallery this past week.

Sharon Kirsch, cold wax artist, hard at work during our shared residency at Mill Pond Gallery this week

My intention was to blog daily on my week's exploits but it's already Wednesday and my residency, with Sharon Kirsch, ends tomorrow. We will be played out by an ABBA cover group as the feature concert in Mill Pond Park tomorrow night. So this is a summary of what I did and what I hope to do tomorrow for the finale.

I wanted to focus on woodcut and woodblock prints for my residency.

5 days in residence, 5 prints. Day 6 tomorrow. Last day for week#1.

One of my goals was to create a print a day. I succeeded, so far, even though I had to fudge it a little on Tuesday night because I didn't have my brayer (what kind of a printmaker forgets their brayer??) and instead settled for a conte crayon rubbing of block.

My other goal was to wrestle the third block of my suburbia series down to the ground finally and print the thing. I started that block in residency at Mill Pond last year. That image has fought me all the way, all year long. Yesterday I had it. I could feel it. Today I hoped to finish the carving and do a proof. I succeeded.

                    Angela's not home. Her car's not there.   woodcut (proof) on japanese paper, handprinted                          

I know what I need to tweak and will get to that tomorrow and it is minor. I am satisfied and ready to begin large block number four in my - surprise - extended residency at Mill Pond Gallery! Dan Marlatt, who begins on Friday (actually Saturday, I'll be there solo on Friday) is moving out of town and the move is happening this week so he asked if I would share the space and time with him. Sharing is good as we can cover each other if we need that. Dan is so generous I was happy to help him out. It's good for me as well because now that I am in a printmaking groove I can keep pushing it.

Primarily I want to do more colour reductions and make some decisions about a large piece of lino I have. And also, continue with my print a day. By the end of my residency next week, I want to have the final versions of these blocks/prints made so I have a bunch of new work as I move forward.

I'm the Featured Artist on the Richmond Hill Studio Tour blog this week

 The Richmond Hill Studio Tour isn't until the fall but with so many great artists on the tour the promotion of ourselves and our work begins early.

To that end here is the blog post related to my work and to what I will showcase on the tour.

http://richmondhillstudiotour.blogspot.ca/2016/05/katie-argyle-its-all-in-black-and-white.html

I am now in the planning stages of what I would like to create for the tour. It's a juggling act that gets tougher as the summer comes on. This is my busy time of year. I have to be super-organized and that isn't an easy thing. I build flexibility into every day just in case I have to shift gears. Overall, I have a good idea of where I need to be by when.

Of course, when I lose my way there are the ever-present hard deadlines and the fear of preesnting sub-par work *shudder* 

The Richmond Hill Studio is the weekend of October 15h and 16th. I will be in the tea room of the Burr House at 528 Carrville Road, Richmond Hill.
Tour info here

News! Pt. 1 (and no, not that I am finally blogging again, though that *is* kind of newsworthy.)

Dear Faithful Reader:

As you know, I have been neglecting my blog. Why? Why did I do that to you, to me, to us? Nevermind faithful, forgiving, reader. Lets put things behind us and more ever forward! I have news and updates and a whole bunch of stuff to report.

I suppose that's the advantage of never updating. You end up with stuff to say.



So, since last year I can tell you I have won two awards! One for painting and one for ceramics!
In November 2015 I won the Inaugural RHGA York Region Open Juried Show Award of Merit for my painting called Still Life-Cold Version.

Still Life-Cold Version, acrylic on canvas, 24" x 48"

And at the 2016 Hill Potters' Guild Spring Sale I shared the Inaugural Mayor's Choice Award with my ceramics collaborative potter friend Minda Davis for our work in the form of a large cone 6 stoneware thrown and Mishima decorated bowl called "Hey! I'm Empty!"

Hey! I'm Empty bowl - cone 6 wheelthrown and Mishima decorated

Richmond Hill's Mayor Barrow with the Mayor's Choice Award Winner.

 

(pssttt... he kept it for himself! Merci Mr. Mayor!)