Woodblock Printing

Woodblock Print of Sundial Mountain

Years ago in high school, we had several weeks of printmaking and that is when I fell in love with art. I made quite a few woodblock prints over the next few years but then slowly gave it up as adult life began to dominate my time.

In May I saw an exhibition of linoleum prints from the Danish artist Dea Trier Mørch and realized how much of my style is an outcome of the printmakers’ use of two colors, often black and white, to convey an image. When I got home I dug out my old tools and packed them for this trip.

The print above is on an 8 x 20-inch cottonwood scrap from the research ranch where we are staying this week. My paper is not quite long enough (notice the seam is on the right-hand side where I taped two sheets of paper together) and I used acrylic paint for ink, but it is my first print after some 40 years and I feel so happy. This whole process from design, to carving, to printing, feels wonderful, like meeting up with a long lost friend.

And the block is below, waiting for proper ink and paper.

Wood Block of Sundial Mountain

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Deep Canyon

Deep Canyon

Today was my third day painting in Canyonlands National Park and I am beginning to get a sense of this beautiful landscape.

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Shapes and Colors of Canyonlands

Shapes and Colors of Canyonlands

I spent the day thinking about different color and paintbrush combinations for my Canyonlands plein air backpack. After eight very small sketches, I settled in on using mostly flat brushes and purples, reds, and oranges for most of the rock formations, with some tans, blues, and greens for contrast.

I like this small sketch best because it simplifies the colors and shapes, yet still evokes the look of Canyonlands National Park.

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Canyonlands Sky

Canyonlands Sky

We arrived in Canyonlands National Park just as it got dark today. The night sky has no moon so far and the stars and Milky Way are spectacular, especially against the dark red buttes. I tried to capture the night sky in this little sketch.

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Another View of Ajax Peak

Another View of Ajax Peak

I think I painted Ajax Peak 8 times from various locations in my 10 days here in Telluride, and this sketch is my latest from this series. It is interesting how much the lighting on the mountain changes depending on the weather and time of day. It was a mostly sunny morning and the mountains were backlit by the sun at first. Later much of the mountain’s cliffs were in deep shadows as the sun moved across the mountains towards me.

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Stormy Morning in the San Juan Mountains

Stormy Morning in the San Juan Mountains

I began this sketch mid-morning under a cloudy sky. I liked the contrast between the way the greens far away were dulled by by the stormy light while the greens close to me still had spark. The storm soon took hold and I retreated to the shelter of a blue spruce tree to finish this sketch.

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Along the San Miguel River

Along the San Miguel River

I painted quite a few small sketches of places in or near Telluride Colorado in the past day. This is my favorite because it is loose, suggestive, and bright.

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