Just in time for Canada Day, here is a bit of a cross section of my work from about 2007 onward, on the wall at the Baya Rica. Our local Bridgeland coffee roaster and coffee shop. Nice single origin espresso and traditional cappuccino to be had there – with loads of delicious crema. I will put in the links to the individual pieces I promise!…
The First Letterpress Print!
Here is a picture of the “Steep Turn” letterpress print fresh off the press. Just look at the deep impression left by the copper die. After this, the thick cotton paper needs to stabilize to normal humidity for about a week before I can do the hand colouring to complete the work. This type of work is starting to get rare, I’m sure it will disappear within a generation.…
Major Milestone Ahead
It has been a long journey, but the goal is in sight: After some setbacks the big press, Olivia is back together. She has been turned over by hand to calibrate with regular weight cotton paper. Then a couple of weeks ago I finally got some samples of the really heavy cotton paper I want to use, and re-calibrated the press for the 220 lbs…
Second in the Gyrfalcon Series
Here is the second of the Gyrfalcon print series. It is titled “Reach” as the bird is reaching skyward in this image, grabbing air working to gain height. The reaching up motion seems quite severe here, but when watching the bird the wing motion looked effortless. There is this pendulous movement, up and down – and at the same time a bit side to side,…
First Letterpress Edition Getting Ready
This print is based on a series of sketches I did shortly after observing a gyrfalcon hunting north of Wandering River (a couple of hours drive north of Edmonton). As often happens when I work from my photo references, the first few sketches were way too realistic. It took a few iterations before I worked out how to show the essence of the falcon, how…
Auseinandersetzung, What is It?
It’s a german word that goes to the heart of its people (look at their history, they have had lots of it): Auseinandersetzung is a word describing anything from pointedly thinking about something, to having a debate, to having a fight, right on to having a full-out war. It is a word used by more educated people over there to cloak the brutality of war…
Abstraction Is Not Distortion
Abstraction for me is the necessary engagement, a digging deeper, when encountering a scene or situation. To come to grips with it. Just as music does not have any visual device to show you what a passage is about, yet every one of us conjures up a vision, an interpretation of what it is about. Similarly the artwork I create, when it is entirely abstract,…
There Already Is Too Much Realism
If you need realism, you have come to the wrong address. Not interested. No need. Or should I say “there’s already too much reality”? What I mean is when I look at some photorealistic artwork, no matter if done in acrylic, oil or pencil; my mind simply reels at the effort invested to create it. But that’s about it, I’m usually unmoved, and there’s nothing else…
Why Print?
Well, that is easy to explain – but it will take a while. One easy explanation is that I just could not stand charging the big money for my originals, so a democratic/egalitarian drive made me move to print (but that’s just a good story). Do you really want to know? When I started with this art adventure in the fall of 2000, I started…