Printing Day

Yesterday afternoon I spent at the press with the last of my Litho Sketch drawings and solution. Sadly, I discovered recently, that Amaco has discontinued the Litho Sketch line.... I can't even give you a link to it because they aren't making it any more.

I was running low on the plate solution you need to charge the master in order to ink it and heard through some printing pals that the company was going out of business. I looked everywhere online to see if there might be a supply hidden somewhere and failed. Next plan was to call around and find out what the substitute for the plate solution might be, seeing as how I still have 25 master plates in my possession. Again, a deadend, Amaco admitted that even they have tried to find another possibility and couldn't. When speaking with Amaco I was stunned to hear that they had stopped production 6 years ago because it was such a slow mover. It has taken that long to finally run out of product.

What I have loved about this product is the immediacy of getting a print. It's some kind of coated paper that allows you to draw with litho crayons. Once the drawing is complete you charge the plate with the magic solution and roll on litho ink with a brayer. Simple as that. Once through the press and you have something that resembles a stone lithograph without all the solvents and processing involved. It's been grand!

Other products have been suggested to try that may be good alternatives to the Litho Sketch wonder. I'm distraught to have it taken from me just as we were getting to know each other, making beautiful prints, hey, I was falling in love. *sigh*

The new replacement plates are on their way here from Graphic Chemical (the most wonderful printing supply catalog!). I'll post my opinion after the blind date. I'm hoping to be smitten but Litho Sketch is still a fresh wound... it just won't be the same.

roll up table

paper plate

inking station

off the press

print from the paper litho plate

Sketchbooks

Two days at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve. Bliss-filled days of drawing.

New Drawings

Summer Group Show

OFFSHORE @ Susan Street Fine Art
Exhibition Dates: July 17- September 14, 2008

Artists from around the country are brought together in OFFSHORE, a group exhibition characterizing the development of beach and surf-culture over the past seventy-five years.


Surf history is made timeless through the photographs of Tom Blake, Ron Church, Jeff Divine and Don James. These vintage silver gelatin, platinum and color prints preset moments in surf history. Encompassing the visual and conceptual aspects of surfing through photographs that range from the late 1930's to present day.

Joshua Jensen Nagle's captivating beach settings reveal a coastal romanticism. Nagle achieves an intriguing tone in his paintings by combining both photographic and painting mediums. In Nagle's experimental techniques he employs a toy-camera and expired Polaroid film achieving a timeless mood in his works.

Alex Weinstein's atmospheric paintings give the viewer an intimate sense of our powerful oceans. Like Turner, Weinstein abandons form and captures the movement of the waves through outlining light and color, allowing the viewer to swim into the piece.

Hobie- made surfboards bearing original works of fine art by Dianna Cohen, Wayne DeSelle, Salomon Emquies, Kymber Holt, Nicole Strasburg and Jodi Zellen, transform the California icon. These exquisite and unique boards are the ideal example of how fine art and surfing have merged to blossom into a credible art form.

Susan Street Fine Art Gallery
415 South Cedros, Suite 160
Solana Beach, California 92075
Phone: 858.793.4442

California State Fair

Opening Thursday, August 14th is the Fine Art Exhibition at the California State Fair in Sacramento. It was only by luck that I stumbled onto this competition and had no idea it even existed. I thought the state fair focused more on livestock, rodeos, entertainment and craft. Silly me. Dear friends live not far from the city center of Sacramento and I decided to enter something big thinking I would drive it up and stay with them, delivering the big mother of paintings, if by chance it was accepted.

Well, of the three I submitted the five foot square painting was the one accepted into the show. We were told that 1470 works were submitted to the jury pool and of those 191 pieces were selected. Can I tell you I feel honored? It's wonderful.

My husband and I began planning the trip north for delivery and realized the expense of driving it wouldn't be much less than shipping due to the current outrageous gas prices here in California. At the time of receiving my letter of congratulations, one gallon topped $4.75 (it has dropped now to $4.29 Oh boy). We decided it might be best to ship considering we may drive up for the reception or, at the very least, to pick up the painting if it doesn't sell during the show.

I will spare you all the details of figuring out who would take an item considered an "extraordinary object" and ship the crate for us. For me, it was a gut wrenching few days worrying over the piece getting there in time and in one piece.

Bill, the super hero, built an amazing crate for the beloved painting, Sentinel 02.


He spent a morning putting it together and making sure that it was snug and well protected in the box.

We used a 3/8" plywood for the front and back with a 1x4" piece to border the edges. I cut up some egg crate to put in the bottom to hold the painting in place.



I wrapped the painting in heavy plastic and made a sturdy cardboard cover for the front and corners of the painting.

We set the painting in the box and then used a foam pipe insulation tubing to surround the painting and keep it from slipping inside the box. I also put another large piece of egg crate down on top so that when the plywood cover was sealed the foam would add another cushion and prevent sliding.

Here it is being labeled and readied for pick up, all 151 pounds of it, 66"x 66"x 5" finished size. It's a biggun.

It had to be at the exhibition by July 11th for installation and judging. A gal pal, Teresa Zepeda, living in Sacramento, who is also in the show, assured me that it arrived safely (FedEx Express was so kind to deliver it) and looked great. Phew.

I truly am honored to be in the show but I think the relief of it being there safely in the hands of the exhibition committee is the stronger of my two emotions.

California State Fair
August 15th though September 1, 2008

Fan Club

I received this very sweet email this morning from an anonymous admirer:

"I came across your web site by accident, looking for screen print info. Just wanted to say what a joyful, pleasant surprise. Thanks for the info, the links, the site... for just being."

Braxton, whoever you are, thank you. You made my day and it is so very appreciated. Thanks for making the effort to sprinkle your fairydust in my inbox. I will smile often thinking of it.

Sincerely.

How amazing... get out your hankies

Jill Bolte Taylor speaking at the TED conference in Monterey. Incredible and not to be missed. Thank you Molly for the recommendation!