Tuesday, May 25, 2010

New Addiction(s)

Okay, I know, I haven't posted since last August. It wasn't that I was being lazy. Well, maybe a little bit. As I stated on my painting blog, life was a bit hectic but is now calming down. The other thing that hasn't helped my focus, is the fact I got an iPhone in January. I have a whopping 3.2 meg camera with me at all times, not to mention a gazillion photo apps and instant information. There are some apps that are really interesting and mimic darkroom processes.
My favorites are Format 126, Hipstamatic, FilmLab, SwankoLab, TiltShift Gen, and Vint B&W. The photos actually print out surprisingly well but some of the apps that do not take photos in the native resolution of the iPhone are only good for posting to Twitter, Facebook, or sending via email. It doesn't replace film or my Canons but I love the spontaneity. The following photos were taken in a nearby park with various apps.


Clouds

                                        

Teddy Bear Cholla


Bat Tree



                                                 Evening Tree                                                                     


I was fortunate enough to take a fabulous moku hanga workshop with Hiroki Morinoue from Hawaii. It was two day and he brought a lot of carved blocks for students to print from. We printed our backgrounds using plain birch plywood, watercolor, and rice paste, slowly building color. The carved blocks were then used to overprint onto the backgrounds. It inspired me to carve some abstract designs onto wood. I'm almost finished with my first block and will post the process photos as well as the print.

Hiroki preparing to print, he has everything, including paper, within arm's reach.



   Two of Hiroki's recent abstract prints, he uses a lot of symbols that have deep meaning to him.




Student work (making backgrounds then overprinting with carved blocks).
I like the fact he also uses litho inks (lithography inks that don't contain a drier so it has a long tack time) for his larger work. Litho inks have a richness so I will probably experiment with both watercolor and ink.

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