I took a class at Mennonite Life, formerly the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, to create a copy of an historic folk art rabbit in a grain painted frame. Of course adding to Jolene’s rabbit collection was one motivation for taking the class. I was particularly enamored by the grain painting and can’t wait to do some to accompany projects in the print shop like the cover I made from the practice papers we did in the class for the ring notepad below..
The Christmas bat is on the tree. We’re ready!!!
Our bat actually comes from the Brandywine Art Museum when we visited the other month. Looks like the sale is over but it’s an annual event they have each year. I don’t know how we were lucky enough to find them on sale earlier, but here’s the post about the sale.
The first project of the new year was accomplished due to unseasonably warm temperatures allowing not only work in the shop, but even outside on the picnic table. I had this pepper mill, and another for some time to turn a base for, but ran into problems with the blanks that I got for them. They were too small even though I bought them in a set to go with the grinders. Instead, I found this piece from the pine tree Ben planted as a seed in kindergarten a perfect match for the size needed.
This is an old photo project I did some years ago from a picture I took of purslane and manipulated into 24 posterized images in that many colors. It resides on an old photo frame where it fades slowly through the colors. Here it is a gif that cycles more quickly without fading due to limitations on the converter I was using.
Decorated my sketch box and easel each with a wood burned wren this morning.
This is a little sketch I completed while virtually attending the Thoreau Society Annual Gathering early in July. See my other artwork in the Studio / Art Gallery.
I made this great pencil case from a kit. Took a couple of hours to stitch it together by hand. I was impressed by the materials and instructions, a bit more refined than your typical boy scout leather kit that I may have done years ago. Kit is available here.
It’s been awhile since I turned pens, but there are loads of them in various stages of completion on my workbench. I finally found some time to complete a bunch of them. These are all a particular design meant to stand on a desk rather than fit in a pocket or bag. I still have a number of the unmade kits that will are probably next on the list to complete.
Or at least I’ve finished building it. I made this from a kit I bought at the Maine Prison Showroom in Thomaston, Maine on our last visit. All the parts are wooden and already cut and shaped. The two largest sails were already glued. It just took some painting and assembly. The hard part was the rigging. I was influenced to buy it because of the nice wooden box with a sliding lid that the kit came in.
Saturday I made the first print on the Provisional Press that I bought in kit form and assembled last month. I made at least 14 good prints of a linocut of the finial on the Bronstrup iron press at the Conestoga Press using waterbase metallic gold block printing ink. Initially I planned to build one of these great presses from the free plans that can be downloaded. The plans are for cutting with a CNC machine, but I planned to use traditional woodworking methods. After hearing the creator talk about it at a virtual Chesapeake Chapter of the American Printing History Association meeting I decided to just order the kit. They are normally out of stock but you just have to get on the email list to be notified when they will have a limited number available each month. I had no problem ordering one a minute after the appointed time in March.
