What kept me going
What kept me spending long hours last summer turning this old shed into a great studio was the thought that we could be inside working on those icy cold, snowy winter days.
I had to go out in the icy cold, snowy winter night to take these pics of my partner at work.
These hay pulleys ran along a track near the peak of the barn roof. The bottom pulley clipped onto a large fork that dropped down and stuck into loose hay on the wagon just in from the field. The rope was attached to a team of horses that would pull the hay up to where it could be dropped into the loft. Hot, dusty, sweaty work.
This is a four colour print with an image area 28 x 34 cm (11×14.5 inches)
A brief respite from a slow going, very detailed engraving. A small, 2 colour engraving of a nude. It’s a closeup because I do a terrible job of faces, and hands, and feet…and other parts as well. 
My first concept for a Chinese ‘Year of the Pig’ card was this Hoggytonk piano player singing “Have a swill year, my sweet (and sour) mama’…..but I have a better idea :- )
The Studio is ready for the winter! It’s insulated, the heater is installed and working, the pressroom set up and ready.
This is the first colour print, one that I knew I could adjust the press to. It’s from an old sketch, one titled ‘Landscape with Moon’. There’s actually a coyote baying at the moon but you can’t see it from this angle.
Dynamite Show at the Arts and Letters Club in Toronto, the same place this pic of the group of severn was taken. The wall were covered with paintings and portraits of/by Canada’s best (and lesser) known artists or, as a female exhibitor pointed out, a lot of old white guys.
Even as an old white guy, it was good to have that pointed out.
The art there was great. The bookbinders in attendance have taken bookbinding to a whole new, almost sculptural, level. Papermakers whose paper was superb, wood engravers, lingo engravers….the list went on. Damn! Almost forgot the display of typewriters from the1800’s, incredible.
We’re working like crazy getting the new studio in shape for the tour so, if you can, plan on coming around the weekend after Thanksgiving.
If you’re around, be sure to check out all the amazing Art and Artists this Saturday, June 23. I’ll be in Booth 62.
At last night’s show I tried to explain how the plates were printed and used. I didn’t have any sample bits there to make it easy to explain so I’m posting these pics which, hopefully, explain it all.
The bulk of my engraving is done with ‘V’ shaped knives like the one shown but on these plates I used a drimmel in order to get more organic looking shapes. The inset pic shows how everything BUT the image is cut away.
The progressive sheet shows how a three colour print comes together.
Great to have my print ‘Snug’ picked for the juried show ‘Insights‘ and great to have it chosen for the ‘Richard Pilon Works on Paper’ award. If you’re near the Wellington County Museum be sure to visit the show.
Always a great show! Tough competition, 61 Pieces selected from 288 very good entries, my engraving, ‘SNUG’, being one of the chosen.
The opening is this Wednesday, June 13 from 7:00 til 9:00.
This is a great show if you’re interested in letterpress printing and the related arts. If you make it, be sure to drop by our booth.
This was my entry into the Tarot Lovers show, a (somewhat cynical :- ) three colour engraving.
If you’re in da ‘hood, make sure you visit this great exhibition to see how over fifty artists of all media treat the common theme of the tarot card ‘The Lovers.’
The show runs until May 27th.
One of the greatest places to be in a really heavy down pour is inside a (dry) tent! The sound of the rain on the tent is wonderful and helps to heighten the overall feeling of ‘snugness.’ A good book and one’s closest friend complete the picture :- )
clive lewis, printmaker 