Today, I found one of my neighbor's small dogs (he has about 7!) wandering lost on my property. So I picked the dog up and walked over there to return it. Well, the other 6 small dogs and the 3 large and vicious German shepherd crosses didn't want me getting anywhere near the fence. So, I put the small dog down and he walked towards the fence, but when this pack started to snap at him thru the fence, he came back to me and begged for me to pick him up. I stood over there for about 10 minutes hoping someone would come out of the house, since I really didn't like the idea of just throwing the little dog over the fence. No one came out so I came home. I would've left a note in the fence but I like my fingers!
So, I now have a whining dog that is driving me and my cats up the wall. I also have to figure out what to feed it and where to put it over night. Oh, yes, I suppose I have to take it out on occassion.
And just when are they returning so I can get rid of this doggie??? Let's hope they show up tonight or tomorrow, because I don't want to rearrange my life for their dog! It gets annoying to do the right thing and then have to suffer for it.
So, it was a bit surprising that I got anything done. And while today's piece is not a painting, let's just not get too literally on the "painting a day" idea.
This is a woodblock of a cone. (Actually, it's a cone from a Pseudotsuga menziesii, or a Douglas fir. I have a thing for the scientific name, because it's so fun to say.) The block itself is about 3x4" and is of soft maple. I had started this woodblock print a while ago, so today, with the dog whining, I figured it was time to finish it. Afterall, the design had been drawn out and the carving started, so all I had to do was cut away waste areas and not stab myself with the gouges. And I did both!
Anyway, the image on the left is the actual woodblock. The wood colored areas are the areas I gouged out (and will print white) and the black areas are at the original surface level of the block and will print black when inked. The image on the right is a computer generated version of the print -- boy does that sound fancy! Basically, I flipped the image as in a mirror and changed the tan wood color to white. If I wasn't so tired tonight, I would go ahead and print the edition, which will be about 10-12 prints.
One of these days I may try some woodblock prints of non-botanical subjects, since the botanical ones only appeal to a few people. In the meantime, I'm happy with my cone. I like doing prints on a limited basis and there are quite a number of potential techniques to try. My big hold-up is that what do I do with all the prints? I do sell a few prints here and there, but they aren't big sellers and even with very small editons (10-25 prints each) they take up a lot of space. Then again, maybe if I did non-plant prints or tried color again, maybe they would sell better. Another something to think about!
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