On the wonder of Google

Thinking of things past: back in the 1980s, I was one of the early users of the PC. It had two discs, one containing the operating system, the other MS-Word Version 1.0, and you swapped the discs in and out of the disc drive to load the operating system into memory, then the word processor, and finally you put in another disc to store what you'd written. And I thought it was fantastic!

Now I'm writing a post on a widget that's installed on my IGoogle Home Page, which will be automatically cross posted to my blog and my Facebook page. The IGoogle page also has widgets that display a feed from other blogs, a live broadcast of NPR, my gmail account, the weather, and so on. I know that there's some fear that Google is doing too much and taking over the world, but it's hard not to be impressed at the things they're making available. And so far, all of this is free. Think about that.

Restoring my Printing Press

I've just finished restoring and assembling my large etching press -- a six week process involving lots of rust removal, scrubbing with steel wool, and repainting. Here is a photo of the same kind of press from the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative: And here is a short YouTube video of me testing the press, making sure the motor still works after nearly seven years of lying in storage:

Click here to read more

Brancusi in Plastic

Artist Mary Ellen Croteau is showing these columns made from recycled plastic cartons and lids in the window of the Columbia College bookstore on Michigan Avenue. They are a playful homage to Brancusi's "Endless Columns", with a serious environmental message for our times: Image copyright Inhabitat.com and Mary Ellen Croteau Mary Ellen also runs a wonderful experimental art gallery in a window space in west Chicago, called Art on Armitage . I will be exhibiting a mixed media piece there during August 2012.

Click here to read more

How to etch a linoleum block

Linoleum as a material for printmaking has been used for nearly a hundred years now. Normally, you cut an image out using special gouges similar to woodcut tools, cutting away the lino around the image you want to print. This is called relief printmaking, because if you look at the block from the side, the material that remains stands up in relief from the backing material. You then roll ink with a brayer over the surface of the block, place paper over it, and either print by hand or run it through a press. You can do complex things this way (for example, reduction linocuts), but the beauty of the process is that it is quick, simple, and direct. Incised lino block, from me.redith.com Etched lino block, from Steve Edwards A few years ago, I saw some prints that were classified as coming from etched linoleum blocks, and I loved the textures I saw in them. In the last few months, I've been trying to use this technique in my own studio, learning about it as one does these d

Click here to read more

Praeterita

Search This Blog