Category: art

2.5×3.5″ acrylic block print

A few years ago, I worked for a year in an oncology-infusion center in Des Moines as a resident artist (very part-time) where I would offer art-making activities to women while they were getting chemotherapy infusions. Many women were worn out from cumulative chemo side-effects, and many women were just not interested in doing it, and many women said, “Oh, I’m not creative!” I didn’t always have many takers, but some really enjoyed having the distraction and the time to do something different (or something they missed doing).

One of the things we would sometimes do is create these Artist-Trading-Card-sized cards (using paint, collage, marker—about anything). I called them Survivor Power Cards. The point was not only to make a card for themselves, but also to make one to leave for others to give them strength or hope or peace. And when I had time (because of no patients or no takers), I would make extra ones and offer patients the opportunity to pick one that most spoke to them.

Although the pictured image is a new print, you may recognize the block from a print I posted last month (a dark, plain print). On this new one, I started with some brayer-rolling on the card first, then printed the block over that, then hand-lettered the word “hope.” I will be giving this soon to a friend of mine who just finished several weeks of chemo. Hope is the essence of the Survivor Power Card (and more)!

digital photo

Today I tried a new thing: I dyed some natural merino yarn with some rooibos tea. This photo was taken while the yarn was still steeping in the pot. Last fall I learned how to dye fiber with Jill Beebout at Blue Gate Farm, but we used her bright, bold commercial (not sure that’s the right term) dyes. Since I don’t have any of those dyes on hand (yet), I searched for easier, natural alternatives (and a reminder on the process, because I failed to take notes while working with Jill!). This one looked the most promising, and I followed the “recipe” for the most part. Perhaps I could have let the yarn sit even longer, but it was in there quite awhile.

Now the dyed yarn is hanging in the basement to dry, so time will tell, but it’s a nice color so far. You never know, it may turn up in another daily jane someday!

ink, acrylic, collage, block print, 6.75×6″

This piece looked a lot different earlier today. It had a white background and no block printing on top. I even took a photo of it that way. But something about it was bugging me. So, I took the plunge and tried some other things.

Going another step on something that could be done—this is a dangerous time. A few minutes will tell whether one more step has “ruined” all that has come before, or whether it is the thing that makes one say, “done.” Dangerous, but compelling and exciting time. Anyway, today, right now, I say it’s done. *whew!*

3.5×2.5″ acrylic

This little image is a scrape-and-roll piece—first a scrape, then a brayer roll of distressed paint. The liquefied nature of some of the scraped part—and the shape of the whole—reminds me of a partially submerged island or iceberg, despite the non-water/non-ice colors going on.

block print with acrylic, watercolor pencil, colored pencil, 3×4″

Happy Valentine’s Day!

10″x8″, acrylic on silkish material

I’ve always like the number 13, so having it be Friday, too, is even better!

This might be the last piece of silk or silk-wannabe material I have on hand. I scraped transparent acrylic paint onto the material, then did some block printing with acrylic on top of that. I cut one small new block that I used in a repeat horizontally across the piece, then used part of an existing block here and there in the magenta color.

I like this new blend of scraping and block-printing, and using paint on silk (even though it can get a little puckery, like this one did). Probably something I wouldn’t have tried right now if not for the daily janes!

And…I just set up an automatic weekly newsletter for subscribers. If you type your email address into the subscription box in the left column (and confirm the subscription by clicking the link in the email you receive), every Friday you’ll get an automatic email recap with links and images of the daily janes for the past week. Sign up! And I will do my best to make something every day that you’ll want to see!

water-soluble ink, acrylic, silk, 2.5×3.5″

I muddled up this little piece of a larger print from last week and thought it was headed for the recycling bin or the collage pile. Turns out I have recycled it in a sense. I added some little pieces of silk material that I collaged on and made it an abstracted spring garden. The vibrancy of the silk colors are muted and darkened due to the color below them as well as the medium that adheres them to the paper.