Another New Printer

Two weeks ago my Epson Stylus Photo R2400 gave up.  I returned to my studio one afternoon and there was ink leaking out of the printer and on the desk.  To make a long story short it was an end of life problem. Never knew there was such a thing, but if I had a PC that is what the message from the epson utilities would have been.  They say you don't get that error message on a Mac.  Seems the ink pads that collect the ink cannot be replaced on that printer or actually any in that class and when you do a lot of printing it happens sooner then in lightly used printers.  Amazing, but from research with Epson I found out it is expensive to fix, better to get new.  HMMMM and my R2400 was working so well for me.  Traveling to conferences for years, oh well.

That brings me to my new Epson Stylus Photo R3000-once again Epson has seriously improved that size printer since 2007 which is when I purchased my R2400.  I may have gotten along with my Epson 7890 (see my blog post from March 19, 2011) except that I don't want to print beverage cans on it.  The R3000 is really wonderful.  It prints a little thicker paper than the 2400 so printing metal mesh, beverage cans, heavy weight canvas, papers and fabrics are a snap.  The pic here is set up for a 7 can print.  I had to change one of my type of carrier sheets.  The cans print best when using the Epson Presentation Matte paper for a carrier sheet.  They of course have to be really smooth, no creases or anything and taped well on the edges, but I easily printed  30 cans or so and they look great.  It also did a great job on some new brass looking metal mesh I have.

Mesa Contemporary Arts' 32nd Annual Contemporary Crafts Exhibition

My piece Forest Surfaces 15 will be displayed in this Mesa Contemporary Arts show from January 21, 2011 through March 6, 2011 with an opening on January 21st.  The show is curated by Perry Price, Assistant Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts.  The Mesa Contemporary Arts Crafts exhibition will include 47 artworks by 37 artists representing 18 states. 

Forest Surfaces 15 Artist Statement

My visits to forests that are home to the largest trees on the planet, has been inspirational in depicting a response to this incredible environment.  Photographs of trees and their surrounding areas evolved into a series of work.

Forest Surfaces 15 is an expression of the Waipoui Forest in northern New Zealand.  An image is manipulated and printed on an alternative surface with archival ink. Visually stepping into the composition of layers inspired by the forest, hemp is crocheted for a base. The digitally printed surface is melted and torn then layered with beads for the final composition. 

Forest Surfaces 15 is 78" long and 20" wide.  

Art Unraveled Workshop - August 9, 2010

I love creating digital prints and then using them for collage or elements in my art books and journals. On Aug 9, next month, I will be teaching "Eclectic Digital Elements Journal" at Art Unraveled in Phoenix Arizona.

We all have photographs that we love and would like to add to our journals or artwork.  This workshop introduces you to printing your photographs on uncommon surfaces. Eclectic Digital Elements Journal expands the way you think about your photographs.  This concept will even get you thinking about what kind of photographs to take for your work in the future.

One of the great things about this subject is the versatility of the information. This is a great mixed media class; from the fabric embellished cover, to the dyed watercolor pages, concluding with the collage of the pages in the journal itself. There is no end to the ideas once you start using digital elements in your art. This workshop opens a door of expression in a whole new way.

This is a process that takes a path and presents the fundamentals for constructing a custom journal.  Techniques are just a bit edgy.  Each student in the workshop will express their ideas in their own unique voice.

We will be using my Epson PM260 4" x 6" printer to create our digital elements.  This printer is amazing at printing beautiful images on alternative surfaces.  The workshop is 2 fold in that you learn the process for printing on uncommon surfaces ad you will make a clearly custom journal reflecting your personality.

There is a youtube video posted on this workshop, you will be able to see the journal live. Check my blog post from Dec 9 last year for a complete class description.  Then join me in Phoenix for this inspiring workshop.  Now here are tons of pics of collage with digital prints.

Crazy:)

Last weekend I finished all the work for my upcoming show:
Arizona Commission on the Arts Awards: 2009 Prescott Project Grant Recipients -May 21-June 25, 2010, Yavapai College Art Gallery.

Outside my studio is a covered patio, where I assembled my Mariposa Grove 3 to see what it would look like once it was in the gallery.  I had been over the ideas for installation with the powers that be in the gallery.  To make a long story short ( and not to sound like I am complaining) it didn't work out the way it was planned, so today I took the strands apart and right now they are laying on the gallery floor till tomorrow, when I will reassemble it in another way to hang on the wall, flat and not the way it was intended.

Hopefully this will have a happy ending.  The show opens Friday night this week and after 3 months of work it would be great to hang this piece.  Stay tuned and we will see what happens.  Until then here are some pictures of the piece 10 feet long and 42 inches across the circle.

Recycle a Beverage Can to a Digital Print-Video Update

Here is the video update from my previous post. It shows a 2 of my can pieces and how I am assembling the piece based on the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite.