Eleven Years On

[desertcat]

1/30

Some purchases and other news:

Committed to the GEM format now. From reading @thombrogan it sounds like Personna is still making the best GEM blade available. Also replaced my alum with another Bloc Osma--the 'zon didn't properly pad the packaging and it lost a corner, but it's much MUCH more intact than my other crumbled bits. Not pictured: a new bottle of The Veg.

Also pictured is my first reknot, using a tuxedo synth I harvested from a ceramic-handled Whipped Dog brush that I dropped and broke a while back. I also added weights to the vintage handle. All the other vintage brushes have had their knots removed, I just need to thoroughly clean the voids and see which knots fit. The drill press and forstner bit made easy work of the main removal. Here's the empty vintage handles:

Meantime, I ran another blade through the Featherweight>MMOC pattern, alternated with the single ring, GC .84, and probably another DE razor I'm forgetting. Fewer weepers in the last week, my routine is starting to feel familiar.

I'm getting back into the lifting routine, I took extra rest days last week due to stress. Back at it now, deciding to track my progress so I can carefully increase instead of plateauing. My gym offers a free app which is only slightly cumbersome. There's going to be a backslide when I take a 16 day "vacation" at the end of February--I use the quotes because I'm attending an artist residency, so I'll be making/working more than relaxing. But I'm excited for a chance to hit the road, and get a break from all my routines--with the exception of shaving, of course.

 

[desertcat]

Writing to you from a hotel room in Medford OR, I’m on the road for a long-awaited stint at an artist residency near Napa, CA. I’ll be spending two weeks with horses, farm cats, fields and hills… and most importantly, with myself and my creative pursuits.

Tomorrow’s drive may be a little challenging, an atmospheric river is poised to deliver rain (and perhaps a few snowflakes at the passes) but temps are forecasted to remain well above freezing. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

The residency is quite civilized, I’ll have a private cabin and I decided to bring some shaving goodies. Repurposed my prewar tech case to carry the embossed-cap ‘66 tech, bringing two synth brushes (Yaqi and PAA) with Canada soap for lather. The plastic bottle holding the Veg is a nice insurance policy against broken glass. I also packed my backup MMOC which I’m sure will make a photo appearance soon.

It’s my third time attending this residency. Prior visits were grueling and ruthlessly productive, and though I’m proud of my prior output, I hope this visit is more balanced—with time spent in relaxation and reflection in equal measure. And when it’s all over, I’ll have some new finished artwork, maybe some inspiration or insights—and perhaps I’ll bring some warm CA weather up to Oregon.

 

[desertcat]

No shave news, but ignore what I said earlier about warm CA weather—here’s what the pass over Mt. Shasta looked like around noon today:

Fortunately the snow abated after descending a few hundred feet in elevation. I feel lucky that I managed to cross before the snow accumulated any further.

The rest of the drive was through bands of rain (quite heavy at times) but that also made for some nice rainbows

And when I was nearing my destination, I got quite a show of sunbreaks and beams through the storm. Dramatic!

Glad to be settling down for an early bedtime—artmaking begins in earnest tomorrow. Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend.

 

[desertcat]

Day 1: beginning (again)

One of the studio assistants posing on the press—

After getting a tour of the facilities (a little redundant for me, given my “frequent flyer” status) I set about unpacking and locating materials for making my work. The first day is always a little distracted, scattered, unproductive—I often have some tests I want to run, setting the press pressure and working out a physical routine/circuit of how I’ll move around in the studio. Got my light table situated functionally (though I may request/require an adjustment, it’s currently at an awkward height between sitting and standing, and addressing the bottom half of the image requires me to kneel) and pulled a few practice prints. Got distracted halfway through the day helping the residency director move a marble/granite statue (weightlifting has some usefulness after all).

Finally got around to making an actual composition in the midafternoon. Here’s the plate on the lightbox.

It printed reasonably well. Got my appetite fired up. Compositionally it’s underdeveloped but we’ll get to our destination eventually.

More tests to run with fewer interruptions tomorrow. Hoping the rain abates so I can sneak out for a jog in the countryside.

Take care.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Day 1: beginning (again)

View attachment 1799656
One of the studio assistants posing on the press—

After getting a tour of the facilities (a little redundant for me, given my “frequent flyer” status) I set about unpacking and locating materials for making my work. The first day is always a little distracted, scattered, unproductive—I often have some tests I want to run, setting the press pressure and working out a physical routine/circuit of how I’ll move around in the studio. Got my light table situated functionally (though I may request/require an adjustment, it’s currently at an awkward height between sitting and standing, and addressing the bottom half of the image requires me to kneel) and pulled a few practice prints. Got distracted halfway through the day helping the residency director move a marble/granite statue (weightlifting has some usefulness after all).

Finally got around to making an actual composition in the midafternoon. Here’s the plate on the lightbox.

View attachment 1799657

It printed reasonably well. Got my appetite fired up. Compositionally it’s underdeveloped but we’ll get to our destination eventually.

More tests to run with fewer interruptions tomorrow. Hoping the rain abates so I can sneak out for a jog in the countryside.

Take care.

I'm reading this thread with great interest. My wife started oil painting when she retired a couple years ago now. She's still learning, of course, but her work is quite a bit more advanced and enjoyable than I expected in such a short time.

This workshop is interesting to me... someone who knows next to nothing about prints and/or art, truth be told. I know I don't have that talent... or the skills needed to put that talent to use.... I admire those who do... Well done, @desertcat . I look forward to watching this part of your journey.... Thx for taking the time to include us.

 

[Balin]

I am following along with interest, as well! My daughter has a BFA and a degree in animation. I have been exposed to this stuff, yet I am still a troglodyte .

Do you mind if I share these pictures with her?

 

[flask28]

What a fantastic opportunity, two weeks to soak in a new environment and do some creative stretching. I hope you'll show us some of the work that comes out of your residency.

Have fun down there!

 

[desertcat]

Thanks for everyone’s kind replies. @Phoenixkh you have the motor skill to shave and hand write the alphabet, you no doubt possess the capacity to draw, paint, sculpt—it’s just training your muscles, eyes, and brain to another kind of physical task. With practice I believe artistic expression is available to everyone.

@Balin I’ll shoot you a direct message with more personal information and the website for the residency (not trying to have my info permanently in public) animation is an impressive skill, I can’t harness the necessary patience or organizational capacity.

@flask28 it’s certainly a privilege to indulge in days with no responsibilities aside from those I make for myself.

Day 2: incremental progress

Kicked off the day with a lovely, efficient shave with my backup MMOC, the slightly-scuffed topcap makes no apparent impact on its ability to remove whiskers. I didn’t bring any alum (silly, I have plenty of little bits kicking around from old blocks) so I can’t flatten skin and reach peak thoroughness—but the shave is still plenty close and I draw no blood, even with a fresh blade.

Headed to the studio and pulled a test print before moving into another full sheet. I’ve basically settled on only printing with black ink—I had some previous aspirations of using color, and in my last body of prints I involved a color layer—this time, I feel like there’s a directness and simplicity I need to maintain without getting dragged into extra experiments.

Printing has some parallels to our method of shaving—lots of variables make troubleshooting difficult, if not nearly impossible. The ink changes properties depending on temperature, thickness of application, time exposed to air, and quantities of modifier added. The press has adjustable pressure, potentially inconsistent across the bed depending on age and wear (and the health of the drum and press bed). Papers have different qualities, changed by soaking or blotting absorption.

This is to say, while running tests and making adjustments is worthwhile, there’s a degree of uncertainty about the outcomes. I try to keep certain variables “mostly” consistent, but there’s always a struggle between what I expect to print, and what actually leaves the press.

You’ll notice a familiar morif from today’s two successful prints.

22”x30” prints on the drying rack, no titles yet

Neither silhouette is quite proportional to actual blades, but you folks will be the only ones to notice (or probably even realize the reference). Anyway, these two both satisfy and encourage me. Time for some rest, and hopefully I’ll have another successful day tomorrow.

Cheers—

 

[Balin]

@Balin I’ll shoot you a direct message with more personal information and the website for the residency (not trying to have my info permanently in public) animation is an impressive skill, I can’t harness the necessary patience or organizational capacity.

I mistyped! Sorry my daughter has a degree in illustration, not animation. I often mix it up, much to my daughter's chagrin.

 

[desertcat]

Day 3: persistence

Forgive me if I forgive me if I ramble tonight friends, I’ve had a couple glasses of wine. Today was productive and tiring.

Finally we see some clear weather, a beautiful sunny afternoon made the fields and/or napping tempting—but I carried on printing. I let the studio assistants nap on my behalf.

More insight into the process—I use a roller/brayer to ink a sheet of plexiglass with an even/full layer of ink, I prefer using inks intended for lithography because of their pigment density. I add a modifier that reduces tack without increasing viscosity—with the caveat that too much modifier can interfere with pigment density.

I have the press set appropriately—enough pressure to produce strong blacks, without crushing detail while still retaining enough midtones (however, some are always lost) and I set about making prints during the afternoon and early evening. Better compositional success, even in a piece I was tempted to abandon—and I’m glad I persisted—with a balance between control, looseness, searching and finding.

You’ll recognize the motifs, inspired by Gillette razor baseplates.

Tried to have a bonfire with the other residency attendees, but the director had to leave for an emergency and the other residents are busy working or sleeping. More wine for me, I suppose.

More later. Keep well.

 

[flask28]

It took me a moment to see the baseplates, then WOW! I saw them.

What a wonderful two weeks, it looks so peaceful and serene. Seems very inspiring.

Cat familiar!

 

[desertcat]

@flask28 it’s a retreat, in every positive sense of the word. Comfortably isolated in the countryside, but not “cut off” from civilization. It’s as removed as you need/choose it to be.

@Balin understandable transposition, the idea of accompanying visual image to narrative is shared by both disciplines. Illustration is no less thoughtful, thought it requires different skill than pairing images with the minute passage of time.

 

[desertcat]

Today was slow, distracted—slept late and hard, I blame the wine. Also was excitedly awaiting the arrival of the neighbor’s horses, who come to “mow” the pasture for the residency director each spring. After doing some chores this afternoon, I returned to the studio and saw the horses in the field—dropped everything, grabbed an apple and headed to greet them.

Still got some prints made. Trying a new strategy of dropping a few newsprint “masks” onto the finished plate to create those negative spaces and shapes—before I was trying to meticulously wipe them, which was cumbersome and time consuming. I get impatient with preparation, but it sometimes has benefits.

Shave was with the MMOC, thorough and satisfying as usual. Canada shave soap makes a lather that just lasts and lasts. Excellent post-shave feel, they have a water softener and while it makes rinsing somewhat time consuming, it just feels—softer.

Be well.

 

[Phoenixkh]

DC, I find artistic outlets through photography and guitar playing. I've never been good at drawing. My wife has that innate ability though she's had to learn the skills, if you will. I'm sure I could learn to paint but I don't possess the natural talents. To me, there is a difference. I used to teach people, informally, how to play guitar... Some of them were quick studies.... others never really got the rhythm, etc., not matter how much they practiced. I could well be wrong, but I think we are each gifted in certain things. If we apply ourselves, we can progress far in those endeavors. If not, we can still learn but we'll never achieve what someone with natural talent and practice will attain. As Clint put it... ok.. his writers: a man has to know his limitations. <eg>

 

[desertcat]

Kim, I agree and disagree with you at the same time—sure, if I ask you (or anybody) to draw a still life, some people are going to naturally have the ability to visually measure, determine and interpret values, textures, etc. but those who struggle are far from lost! Perhaps those who struggle to draw a still life have a great sensitivity and intuition about color, or form, or a visual sense of humor! Like your guitar students, who might have other musical inclination but struggled with the instrument. I certainly felt that way about clarinet.

Day 5: failure is inevitable

Heck, all this talk about skill— I can’t even count on my own ability—like today, the first print I pulled certainly had areas that could be improved, but it was downright the best cloud I’ve ever rendered. Here’s a snippet from that scene:

Then I took a break and never found my groove again. Two complete train-wreck failures back-to-back. I remind myself that the only wasted supplies are those that sit in storage, and I can print again tomorrow—but it’s hard to avoid a feeling of helplessness, self-criticism, and insecurity.

Failure is an inevitable, necessary ingredient in “the process” of artmaking and life in general. And if I pick back up printing tomorrow, do the failures even “count” as failures? I hope not. With grace, I hope tomorrow I can be more open to the unexpected, more in-tune with my body, less cerebral and critical in my decisions in the studio. At the very least, the cloud made today worthwhile.

Thanks for the banter @Phoenixkh pluck a tune for me when you reach for your axe.

 

[Phoenixkh]

DCat, here’s to some fulfilling prints in your immediate future. I wish I had no idea what you mean about self criticism and self doubt. I’m sending some peace your way so you’ll be able to let up on yourself quickly and relax into a flow that provides you pleasure for the rest of your retreat.

 

[desertcat]

Day 6: starting over (ish)

After yesterday’s failures, I needed to do a little reassessment and see if anything could be learned (of course there were many lessons). I did note that some changes to my printing methods were in order, so I started the day with a full reset. Switching my batting from an old offset blanket (basically a sheet of linoleum) to proper printmaking blankets, hoping to mitigate some pressure issues from an imperfect press bed/drum.

This is technical jargon to basically say: I chose to leave my comfort zone in pursuit of better results, and perhaps a more “proper” or “traditional” methodology.

After failures and tests and adjustments, I did manage another handsome cloud. I hesitated to repeat the subject, but I had such fun the first time and I’m supposed to be having fun, right??

Hoping I can squeeze a couple prints into tomorrow’s working hours, before our cohort has a dinner outing.

Not that it matters much, but shave today was with the MMOC/Canada/CeraVe/Veg and very satisfying and close.

 

[Tanuki]

Impressive clouds, indeed!

 

[thombrogan]

Peter, have retreated back from the retreat?

 

[desertcat]

@thombrogan thank you for reaching out! Sorry I left everyone hanging, as time at the residency went forward I needed to retain my focus and energies for the studio.

Let's begin with the final day of the residency, where we all shared our work and I finally had a chance to see all my pieces displayed together:

It was a productive two weeks! In the past I have produced a little more work, but I was much more satisfied with everything I made during this visit. Though I haven't spent much time "practicing" my artmaking, I have grown in my abilities with my chosen methods and feel the quality of the work reflects this improvement.

It felt appropriate to make a "leaping" figure on leap day. I have some in-process photos from the making of that piece:

My studio assistant keeping me company as I developed the image, and here's the plate right before I cleaned up the edges and printed it:

Here's a few other finished pieces:

Eventually the razor-related imagery fell away, as I became more interested in the contrast between naturalistic renderings and the inclusion of figure (self-portraits).

The weather held for most of my time, went for a nice walk in a nearby park before the rain returned:

But even when the rain started again, there was still a lot of spring beauty to be enjoyed:

When I had to hit the road, I was fortunate to travel between the major snowstorms that pummeled the Sierras. Again, in a single day I saw all the seasons from my driver's seat--from springtime in the Northern CA valley, to late winter snowfall in the foothills of Mt Shasta.

I have returned to "ordinary" busyness, making progress on house projects, socializing, and working. I'm hoping to seize the creative momentum I've built, and hopefully find opportunities to show the work I created.

Shaving has been difficult to stray from the MMOC, I can achieve maximum closeness with less risk of nicks than using higher-gapped DE razors. Instead of alternating with DE, I have been running the MMOC during my work week and DE on my weekend. I am still glad to have a nice collection of DE razors, even though they are not seeing the same use. If the hobby has taught me anything, it's to respect the "seasonality" of choices, perhaps I'll have a period where DE becomes a major player again. Though I'm growing skeptical.

No research has gone into other rigid-blade formats, but I'll find the time or inspiration at some point. We're seeing blustery spring weather here, with predictions suggesting spectacular 70° weather by next weekend. Thanks to everyone for reading and joining me on my retreat.