LALA dex press

THANKFUL TAYLOR

2009-11-29T15:09:00.008-05:00

For the piece I'm printing on the Franklin press I decided to take on my most ambitions print to date, a text heavy local legend I've been wanting to work on for about 1 1/2 years. I had a laser cutter available to me though the university, but could not coordinate with the guy who would help me with the machinery. With the fall semester ending soon + my printing time reserved for next weekend, I've spent the past three days carving two 8 X 10 lino blocks + I'm almost done.

Friday I carved the image of the girl + the border
(seen in the previous post about making a bench hook).
Saturday was spent on the above portion of the text block.

Sunday was spent on the left side of the text block
(or is that the right side?) + by this time I had to give not
only my right hand + arm a break, but also my neck.

A proof print of the work done so far.

It's cold out + I am going to rest my body, drink tea + watch Penelope.
I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend.

I OFFER YOU THIS TUTORIAL, WHICH MAKES MY DRIVING NEAR A MALL THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING A LITTLE LESS PAINFUL

2009-11-27T10:10:00.012-05:00

I had no intentions of leaving the house on Friday. I have loads of carving to do for the piece I'm printing on the Franklin press, crazy carving! Unfortunately my bench hooks were too small for the 8 X 10 lino blocks so I need to make a larger one...thus a tutorial.

I don't have a saw to cut a large piece of board, requiring a trip to Home Depot, which is near the mall, Wal-Mart, Target, in other words, the part of town I was hoping to avoid from now until after the New Year + especially the day after Thanksgiving.

You'll need a piece of plywood, 1X4 board*, trim* + screws or nails

Measure a piece of lino block length plus width of
2 pieces of trim AND width plus 1 piece of trim.
Add a couple inches to each measurement to get
size of plywood. Mark with T-square + cut
(This is the point where I had to go to the Home Depot lumber dept.)

(L) Measure + cut 3 pieces of trim for top edge + both sides.
Sand rough edges.
(R) Apply wood glue to each piece + place on plywood.
Let glue dry.

Secure with nails or screws

Cut 1X4 the length of plywood for lip.
Apply wood glue + place on plywood.
Let glue dry.
Secure to under side with nails or screws.

It's certainly not going to win any woodworking
awards, but it's functional + for safety reasons
I would never ever carve a lino block without one.

I'm spending the rest of the holiday
weekend bellied up to my new bench hook.

*This is what I had lying around + you don't need exact
same size lumber I listed, but something equivalent.

COMPOST PUMPKIN THANKSGIVING

2009-11-24T21:47:00.007-05:00

A friend had 40 (yes, 40!) volunteer pumpkins grow out of her compost + was eager to give them away. This was the launching point for my Thanksgiving dinner.

We will spend the day with my boy's family + over the past 11 years it's been worked out that I just bring my own food, nothing personal.

I'll scrape out the seeds, fill it with seasonal root veggies, squashes, cumin, paprika + olive oil + bake it. With some goat cheese + couscous...yum, I'm looking forward to my Thanksgiving dinner.

The recipe was suggested by someone who one year made it the centerpiece of his vegetarian Thanksgiving.

Enjoy!

STRUCK ME KINDA FUNNY

2009-11-22T08:59:00.010-05:00

Sometimes I think about what my original intention was for this blog + where it is today, nearly 600 posts + 3 years, 5 months later. So the original intention was to show my work, document my process + talk about craft shows. Where it is today is; every now + then I talk about my work in addition to the myriad of other topics I feel the need to put out into the blog world.

Which leads me to what I have to say today:

We have officially stopped buying paper towels + are using these jersey knit rags in their place. Actually, it's been a couple months, but became official when my boy asked "are you not buying paper towels anymore?" It's great how game he is for all my sudden changes to the household routine + with this one his only stipulation was not wanting to use the same rags we used to clean up dog yuck off the floor, or ink off the press, no matter how many times I washed them in hydrogen peroxide.

STONES RIVER STUDIO TOUR

2009-11-22T08:38:00.006-05:00

Let me start off by saying that it's so amazing how quick
a year passes + here we are again at our local studio tour.

I decided to change my display back to a set-up from about
3 years ago + re-position my spot in Ramsey Hall's home/ studio.
These decisions paid off because I had the best studio
tour sales in my entire studio tour career.
The glass cubes are a bear to set-up, but worth the effort.

I recently had a "duh" moment + unpackaged some
postcards to sell individually. What I've found is that
most people display them, so the introduction of
"loosies" contributed to a great sales weekend.

Here I am with my friend Teresa Hayes, another guest
artist on the tour. We not only had matchy-matchy
outfits, but she also saw Bruce last week.
(I have no clue why we both tilted our heads, another thing in common)

And lastly, in the "will work for Danskos" category:
a neighborhood friend + sometimes blog stalker
brought by a pair of Danskos she was going to take to
the Goodwill. After catching up on my blog she thought
I should have them. There was a trade involved.
(Her husband also saw Bruce last week, so there was lots to talk about)

Thus ends my 2+ weeks of printing madness.
There is still the piece I am printing as the
Printing Project's guest artist (photos to come)
but for now a glass of wine is calling my name.

MORE ADULT-TYPE STUFF

2009-11-20T21:10:00.007-05:00

A really good friend bought her first house right after we did (copycat) + we have a joke that a mortgage does not make us adults, it's things like her buying her first sofa, us getting a real coffee table + having popcorn* + wine for dinner without apology that make us adults.

Of course the fact that a lot of that popcorn will be thrown to Monk, who will catch it mid-air, might negate the whole being an adult thing.

*Organic, non-GMO popcorn of course, c'mon, I saw King Corn.

BRUUUUUUUUCE

2009-11-19T09:58:00.006-05:00

After the teaching trip I was already exhausted + after last night I'm exhausted + I've lost my voice, but it has all been so much fun + I'll recover. With the exception of 6 people from NJ + NY, who had been following the tour, our section was a little quiet + I guess I felt the need to compensate during the sing-along songs + of course Rosalita.

I actually started to cry when he played Santa Clause is Coming to Town because my boy + I have this tradition, which amazingly we had independent of each other prior to meeting. The Christmas season does not really begin until we hear the song on the radio, or in some other unplanned way + last night we got to hear it live, together!

Set list for November 18, 2009
Nashville, Tennessee. Sommet Center

Wrecking Ball
Seeds
Trapped
Something In The Night
Hungry Heart
Working On A Dream

Born To Run
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Night
Backstreets
Born To Run (photo above)
She's The One
Meeting Across The River
Jungleland

Waiting On A Sunny Day
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Two Hearts
You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Badlands

Ring of Fire
No Surrender
Bobby Jean
American Land
Dancing In The Dark
Rosalita
(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher

A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE TRIP

2009-11-18T17:47:00.006-05:00

It was not all teaching for those 3 days, we also killed some time in an antique mall + a couple thrift stores. I do have to tell you that after the great purge I have not returned to my old ways of impulse thrift shopping, I keep a list in mind. I was able to cross 2 things off the list, a vintage starburst clock, found in Knoxville for a mere $24. The other item was a camera bag (not shown) for $1.00.

Someone who had lived in Johnson City insisted we eat at her favorite restaurant + it became a running joke how much EVERYONE loved this place + how much we didn't. The 2nd night we ate at Stir Fry, a totally unassuming Thai restaurant in a strip mall which more than made up for the previous night.

WORKSHOP + CLASSROOM TEACHING

2009-11-18T08:38:00.005-05:00

I spent the last 3 days in N/E Tennessee, with my friend Claudia, teaching. First was the Arts in Education conference in Johnson City where I did 2 workshops I titled Printmaking in Any Classroom Setting. Both workshops filled up + the response was great. I'm hoping they ask me back next year.

As part of a grant program we were asked to spend a day as "guest artists" in an area elementary school. I taught an origami single sheet book form, which we printed (using rubber stamps + ink pads) to 6 classes of 2nd, 3rd + 4th graders. What a blast + the kids were really great. Some who initially though this was "stupid" found out they kind-a liked it + one 3rd grader by-passed the printing + made a flip book!

In the midst of all the teaching I forgot to take pictures. The first photo is work by one of the workshop students. The last pictures were a little stroll down memory lane. I taught in the art room + took pictures during my lunch break.

Today I'm preparing for the Stores River Studio Tour this weekend + tonight we see BRUUUUCE!

LATER: I got an e-mail asking me to present at next year's conference!

.

2009-11-12T08:52:00.013-05:00

As the visiting artist with The Printing Press Project this semester
I was asked to give a talk about my work. I am not a public
speaker + was really anxious all day, but it was a small gathering of
students + faculty in a very casual setting + I think it went really well.

Being an alumni of the college, the focus of my talk was
on making the transition from being in school
with all the support + equipment, to graduating,
assembling a studio + figuring out where to go from there.

After the talk everyone got the opportunity to print on the
Franklin press, which is a reproduction of the press Benjamin Franklin
brought to The US in the 18th century.

Videos about the press can be seen here + here,
how the press came to be is a really wonderful story.
In addition, my talk + the event was taped
+ I'll post when it becomes available.

MORE MOVIES + MORE PREPARING

2009-11-08T09:21:00.017-05:00

Lots to do, but there's still time for movies!

note: not every movie listed in these posts gets my undivided attention

Re-watched Children of Men + Closer: I had forgotten just how intense + great both of these movies were. One hits you in the gut + the other like a slap in the face. Or is it the other way around? I now have the urge to re-watch Carnal Knowledge.
Duplicity: It's odd that two people can have such spark in one move + be so b-o-r-i-n-g in another. I'll blame it on the movie.
P.S. I Love You: 2 songs off the soundtrack have been on heavy rotation on my iPod for years, The Galway Girl by Steve Earl + Fairytale of N.Y. by The Pogues, but I don't know what that says about the movie. Hey! The Beeper King! is in it!
Incendiary: Michelle Williams had me bawling in 3 scenes because of her grief over the loss of her son. (Netflix instant watch)
Boondock Saints: This one should be right up my alley, but I just could not sit through it. (Netflix instant watch)
What Would Jesus Buy?: Watch it. (Netflix instant watch)
Eastbound + Down (season 1): All I can say is we flippin' loved this show. In the same comedy vein as Trailer Park Boys, but sadly there is only 1 season (6 episodes). Enjoy.
Extras (season 2): I have been singing Tea For the Tillerman for days. The Christmas special/ finale is next on the queue.

Before my 2 weeks of printing-related craziness starts (with now
5 birthdays + a Bruce Springsteen concert scattered in there)
I think I need to check myself into hylperlink rehab!

REPLACING PLASTIC

2009-11-08T08:38:00.022-05:00

Any Tupperware in our house originally belonged to either my boy's
grandmother or mine + needless to say, vintage plastic is not really
great for food storage. Last year my boy bought me a set of glass
Pyrex storage containers for my birthday (he got flack from a friend for
buying a practical gift until I reminded this friend that I'm a practical
gal). Slowly but surely I'm replacing the old Tupperware + this weekend
I happened upon a great sale which will speed up the process.

At the request of my boy, this set will remain in the house.

2 good reads: Fake Plastic Fish + Life Less Plastic

Later: My mom makes comments via telephone
+ just called to also suggest Weck canning jars.
And yes, food freezes well in these glass containers,
in addition to French lidded jars.

HEZZA'S 40TH

2009-11-07T23:45:00.006-05:00

(photos by Kristina Krug)

I drove up to the big Nashville city to help my dear friend Hezza celebrate her 40th birthday. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I've been on the go all day + left after dinner, but not before having fun with mustaches in the photo booth!

Although I was not involved,
the photo below is my favorite of the night.

SUCH AN EXCITING COUPLE

2009-11-06T20:36:00.010-05:00

For the most part it looks like The Great Purge of '09 is winding down.
I still have a bag on hand to collect unwanted items destined for charity,
because every household should have one of these bags on hand.

With the $$ made from unused items we not only bought Bruuuuuce
tickets (AKA: my boy's birthday present) but also some household
items, like a programmable thermostat + a new clothes drying rack
(the last one, bought at a yard sale, broke). Eventually we want to
replace all the old windows, but for now I'm making draft snakes.

I also investigated our hot water heater + found out that the previous
owner had it set at 150 degrees- sheesh! It's now set at 125.

So there it is, our latest projects as homeowners have involved
winterizing + conservation efforts in order to reduce our utility bills
+ damn-it of that doesn't make us super exciting!
Actually, it makes us super EXCITED!

I have to thank my friend Hezza for linking The Simplest Dollar on her
blog. It has really helped bring the purging project into greater focus.

TEA BAGS

2009-11-03T16:33:00.009-05:00

I don't like to complain around here, but it seems like more tea
companies are using these nylon tea bags, which are obviously not
compostable. When trying a new tea you don't know about this until
you open the package. Same with wine + cork corks + plastic corks.

We took our trash to the curb today + will attempt our first 3-month
stretch as of right now. So whereas this nylon piece might be tiny,
I'm looking at ALL packaging.

PREPARING

2009-11-01T15:33:00.006-05:00

I have this weekend, next weekend + then it's 2 weeks of non-stop print-related craziness (with 6 birthdays + a Bruce Springsteen concert scattered in there).

I spent part of today preparing materials for the teacher's workshop. I've been pretty nervous about this because I've never been to this conference + I've never done a print workshop without lino blocks + carving tools. But sometimes I need a reminder that things usually have a way of working themselves out + as I've been preparing my materials, the lesson plan has come together.

GROCERY SHOPPING ROUTINE

2009-10-31T08:07:00.011-04:00

My job pays once a month + as a result I do all the month's grocery shopping at once (with a couple additional trips for produce). I have worked out a routine with a really good friend where we go to the big Nashville city together for Trader Joe's + bulk foods shopping (we are 30 mi. outside the city). When fuel is available, we travel in her veggie oil Mercedes.

Among other holistic practices, she does naturopathic work + nutritional consulting + the first time we went on this excursion I admitted to her that I was concerned that she might judge some of my food selections (although we are cutting back on the processed foods, even if they are made with organic + good quality ingredients). She pretty much laughed at me + said that if I wanted her opinion I could ask for it, but otherwise there was no judgment. Funny thing is she asks for my opinion almost as much as I ask for hers.

Later: upon review we realized that we have been going about our shopping trip all wrong. First stop was the highest $ store, last the lowest because we were starting from the farthest store, working our way back home. A simple reversal of stops could save some $ next month. You know, sometimes things are just so obvious that they get overlooked.

BIG NIGHT OUT

2009-10-30T00:16:00.006-04:00

My boy's boss gave him tickets to a Predators' hockey game.
The last time I went to a hockey game was in 1988, right after
Wayne Gretzky was traded to The Kings.
My boy said that staying this out loud makes me old.

Good thing I love him, even after a comment like that,
because while we were there I bought his birthday gift.
AND I found out that if you buy tickets at the venue box office
you don't have to pay Ticket Master fees (makes sense).

Now is the perfect time to thank everyone who contributed to
the Bruce ticket/ birthday gift fund by way of purchasing scarves,
books + various other items from the great purge of '09.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH (end of tour report)

2009-10-25T20:30:00.010-04:00

The great news is that it looks like people are feeling more comfortable
with spending $ because it was a great show!

AND as you can see, the sun came out.

AND I was surprised to see a couple college friends I had
not seen in quite some time. Neither one knew I was on the tour
(I'm listed under Book Babes, but not by name).

AND my friend Claudia found out she won a grant + according to the
grant is now a "master craftsman." Of course this is something we
already knew about her + did not need a grant committee to tell us.

AND it was such a wonderful weekend.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH (10th ann. studio tour)

2009-10-23T20:52:00.004-04:00

Like last year it rained most of the day
+ we brought our knitting in anticipation of a slow Friday

Around Claudia's studio

Inside, fibers galore!

Display of my prints (top)
Claudia's batiked handmade paper lamps (bottom)

~This is where I will be all weekend~

BURRITO

2009-10-21T10:52:00.004-04:00

In cold weather it's hard to get Monk to do much,
he burrows in a pile of blankets + we call him Burrito.

Did I happen to mention that he used to live on the street?
We can't figure out if he is the luckiest dog in the world,
or if we are a couple of suckers.
I think it's a little of both.

LITTLE IMPACT WOMAN

2009-10-19T16:19:00.010-04:00

As No Impact Week gets underway, it seems like a good time
to mention my year-long documentation of trash disposal.
No, I did not monitor how many pounds of what was tossed, more like

a rudimentary notation of when I hauled the city-provided can to the
curb for weekly pick-up. Unfortunately we couldn't seem to get beyond

the 2 month mark. As for July-Aug-Sept, those are the hottest months
+ with 2 animals at the time...well it was getting a bit ripe.

8 nearly-full 96 gallon cans in 52 weeks is not bad,

but this next year we are going to strive towards better

+ achieve my 3 month goal.

I did not take the No Impact challenge, but Angie

(of Babbling + Homesteading) + thousands of others did.

ANOTHER MOVIE LIST

2009-10-17T19:51:00.007-04:00

I have been working on all my studio tour + printing stuff,
but at the moment the weather feels like we by-passed fall
+ went straight into a cold, wet TN winter.
All I reeeeeally want to do is curl up + watch movies.

Waking the Dead: I love this movie.
Definitely, Maybe: better than I expected.
Shoot 'Em Up: not quite The Killer, but it stars Clive Owen + every now + then I love an over-the-top action movie. Dreadful plot, but Wanted is also good for some fun action sequences AND they can curve bullets, neat-o!
Diggers: a good little movie with 2 1/2 people from The State + a soundtrack that includes Big Star!
Away We Go: I saw a comment on a message board that read "wait, Jim + the hooker from Idiocracy are having a baby?" Sweet, funny, heart breaking + an old Volvo.
Season 7 of Trailer Park Boys: we are sad that it's over, having some TPB withdraws, but have added many more Rickyisms to our vocabulary.
Sleepaway Camp III: sooooo bad that it's sooooo good.
Drag Me to Hell: best described as the follow-up to Evil Dead 2 (what you mean you haven't seen it yet?). Great fun + definitely mismarketed, more of a horror-comedy.

I haven't had a lot to show/ say lately,
but the first of two fall studio tours is this weekend,
so there will be posts to come.

THE FALL KITCHEN

2009-10-11T11:31:00.013-04:00

AH! Fall..soup time! I've started making a pot of soup a week again, this year it's lots of vegetable based soups (the garden is still producing zucchini) with cannelloni beans, Tofurkey Italian sausages + grains on hand: quinoa + barley or couscous.

For the first time I'm trying my hand at making a broth. I throw all these veggie odds + ends in the compost pile + after listening to The Splendid Table, I realized that they still have more life in them .

And of course no soup is complete without a chunk of homemade bread. Last year I bought a bread maker at a yard sale for $5.00 + I am still using it on a regular basis (a co-worked commented that I was the only person she knew who would not stick a bread maker in a cabinet + forget I owned it). Over the course of the year I have developed this tried + true vegan recipe*

1 whole med sweet potato (the binder, bake for 1 hr until it is really mushy)
1 cup hot water
2 tbsp honey
(I ran out of honey the other day + substituted 2 tbsp of apple juice, YUM!)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups bread flour (I love this flour)
1 cup spelt or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seed meal
salt
1 yeast packet
Bake on whole wheat setting

*this is a bread maker recipe, which is different that an oven recipe + ingredients are listed in order that you add them to the machine, wet to dry, yeast last.

OMG* I ACTUALLY BOUGHT SOMETHING AT ANTHROPOLOGIE

2009-10-10T18:29:00.009-04:00

It's not that I don't love the store,
it's just that it's more of a source of inspiration
for my thrift store jaunts as opposed to being a place where
I pay the equivalent of a month's worth of groceries for a sweater.

Years ago there was an armoire in the Santa Monica store
that held the reeeeeally discounted items, say 90% off.
But like I said, that was years ago.

For $3.95 I could not resist this find
+ I am currently out of the perfumed oil I normally wear.

By the way, have you been watching Man Shops Globe?

*For the record, I'm generally not prone to typing OMG.
More common would be "like, OH-MI-GAWD,"
as a joke, of course.