Cards and Totes

I was asked to design some new cards and totes to sell in the gift shop at the Fayetteville Museum of Art. I engaged the task with my usual enthusiasm and produced a ton of cool wares. The 6"x8" notecards are a two-color silkscreened floral print. I actually grew the flowers last summer and took some photos while they were in full bloom. It made for a wonderful print. I decided on six colors (pink, blue, orange, yellow, purple, and silver - my personal favorite) and printed them on cream-colored handmade Italian paper, which I'll be selling individually and in sets of six (envelopes included). The canvas totes come in two sizes, three designs and several color combinations. Most are a one-color silkscreen, but I tried out a few with the card design. Of course I burn all my own screens using photo emulsion in a little dark room I have set up in my studio, and I pull all my own prints. These will be available for sale starting March 14th during the Museum's next exhibition opening reception, and until they sell out. Get them while supplies last...

Blast from the Past

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from my high school art teacher, Mr. Smith from Poplar Bluff, MO where I grew up. I guess I haven't seen or talked to him since I graduated in 1994 so needless to say I was very happy to see that he had kept a drawing I gave him so many years ago. He sent the above picture--a finch sketched in pen and ink, and probably done around 1992. I guess my fascination with bird imagery started much earlier than I remembered.

Measuring

I was actually a little surprised to see that these wings measure out to be 100 inches exactly, from tip to tip. They are also much heavier than I expected them to be, but still fun to put on...for about a minute.

Assembly

I'm finally finished with the burning and the varnishing! Yesterday I began assembling all the pieces and realized that I needed to burn and varnish the "back" sides of the floating pieces...which took an entire day to do but was worth it. Now, no matter what angle you view the piece, it looks great. I always say, "Craftsmanship is equal to creativity".