Wednesday 23 December 2009

Wellworths again

I did some more carving and this is the final version, tho' it is still too messy somehow. Will move on I think.

Wednesday 25 November 2009

Wellworths











Have been having a lot of difficulty with the latest print. Imagined as a Dorset Beauty in the tradition of the Japanese beauty series, the print has fallen sadly short of my aspirations. Here are the blocks and 2 of many attempts using different paper. One effort used the lino 'background' block in blue and the other not using that block. I ended up adding hand touching to add more to the girls' features and to the range of colours in the sweets.
This has all taken far too long with not very satisfactory results. I have decided to walk away from it for a while, go into another project and maybe come back to it.

Wellworths is a shop which grew out out the ashes of the closed Woolworths in our town. Managed by a brave lass who has worked her way up in the original store from a Saturday girl. A shining beacon of get up and go in these difficult times.




















Wednesday 21 October 2009

Valencia











Wonderful week catching the last sun of summer in Spain in Valencia. They have grown the city very quickly and created an interesting mix of architecture. Catch up with more news later

Thursday 1 October 2009

Keeping busy

It seems many of us have been too busy to update these blogs, I am sorry it has been so long. I had a great week in Amsterdam especially looking again at how much Vincent Van Gogh learned from Japanese prints. Have just returned from a few days in London, mainly to see the Turner exhibition, and how much he too learned from other artists.

I also caught the Bankside print exhibition and found that both Sue and Andy from BarenForum had great work on display. I hope sales are good, and it was exciting to feel part of the printing family. Louise from Toronto visited for the day, and it was all too short but great to actually meet a Baren member.

I am in the throes of creating a web site (on Louise's advice). Only got to page one but it will grow. http://www.jenniferscabin.co.uk I was proud of myself, until I saw the stunning e-book that Dave had created. That man is a paragon and an example to us all.

I am still carving away at my modern Dorset beauty, but find it hard to keep the separations in my head with so many interupts.

Happy printing everyone

All the best to everyone and happy printing.

Tuesday 18 August 2009

Exhibiting




Going through my finished work looking for pictures to display at the local Art Club show, I wondered about this question of personal style. We are told to find one but can we see if it is there, and does it matter?
First print is in Bristol 'The North - Slowly Waking from Deep Sleep' Chinese artist Yu Chengyou. woodblock print using oil based inks 66.7 x 80.1 cm
The second is one of mine going on show locally.

Anyone near Bristol (UK) should see the Royal West of England International Print Exhibition, it is great and no queues, unlike the Banksy show just down the hill!




Monday 6 July 2009

Pictures in the Park







Sunday was spent with the local Art Club displaying paintings and prints on the railings along the Borough Gardens. There was a Leukemia fund raising event going on, which included a full day's programme of live Swingtime music. A great day out. This was my little stand.
Am trying to drum up interest in using empty shops for short term displays by artists in the town. Useful advice is sought!



Monday 8 June 2009

Mallorca








Family and the house etc have eaten my time, and a swollen leg slowed me down. The leg is on the mend finally and energy levels are returning. (If you are taking statins and feel tired and aching.. then STOP the pills!). We had a three generation family holiday on the north west coast of Mallorca in glorious weather. Picture of busy artists (the grandchildren) attached together with my effort.












Friday 8 May 2009

Studio















Here is my contribution to the images of printmaking studios, my carving station and printing station, all tidied up for the photo. I took these to show at a talk I recently gave to the Blandford Art Society.
The strop, I bought from a barber supplies company.



I have just come back from a few days in London. The Kuniyoshi exhibition in the Royal Academy www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/kuniyoshi is just stunning. It includes one carved block, and some hanshitas, as well as a large selection of his work.

Here are a couple of images as a taster.






Friday 10 April 2009

Florence





Have just returned from a thoroughly enjoyable week in Firenze and a day in Pisa. Am having difficulty walking at present as a knee is playing up, but managed to see and experience many of the wonderful sights, and there was always a good church to sit and rest in.

The art making has gone on hold for a short while while I prepare some boards for a presentation on Japanese style printmaking for a local art club.

Wednesday 11 February 2009

London British Museum

Have just spent three days in London, catching up on art shows and museums. However well we plan, the highlights were accidental discoveries. There is a lesson there somewhere!


Trying to find a small exhibition on tribal people of the Himalayas, we were directed on a detour through the Japan Gallery. This proved to include an exhibition of Japanese prints selected by the artist Julian Opie.








The show has had no publicity that I found, but here are some of my favourites










































Julian Opie also contributed one of his own work, which was inspired by the collection. This was a computer generated illuminated panel on which the branches moved up and down as if in a breeze, and there was a sparkle on the water. The still shot below loses the effect.



The other lucky happening was walking past the theatre with Mama Mia playing, and getting a last minute ticket. A full house and what great atmosphere. A real feel-good pick up on a cold winter evening.












Lastly I will let the snowman in the garden say goodbye.












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Tuesday 20 January 2009

Winter fun




















Although the blog has been quiet, I am still busy in the studio. The Buddha in the tree is an image of a real tree in Thailand, which I first saw some 35 years ago. I have created this print for the Barenforum exchange which had self portrait combined with tree as the topic. I intend that this is a portrait of the inner self demonstrating the ability to root wherever I find myself, making the best of what is available, and the development of the Buddha within.


The second print, called Winter Offering, the Barenform members will recognise as having been heavily inspired by Annie Bissett's wonderful Stars print. It was done to assist the local Museum http://www.dorsetcountymuseum.org/ to raise funds by selling cards. The object is to purchase a stunning hoard of over 400 bronze age axes found at Langton Matravers (in Dorset UK). They were buried brand new at the time and may possibly have been the gift to the gods. I have given them a December sky as it seemed to me to be logical that it might be the winter equinox, that people would plead with the sun to come back.

There has been discussion on the barenforum about protecting hands from seizing up using carving tools, so I am showing the hand protection I use, bought in a sports store and designed I assume, for tennis players. I have also strapped my hangi-to with tennis raquet strapping to make it easier to grasp.