Printmaking with the six-year-old

Monday, July 15, 2019

Here are some linocut prints carved by my six-year-old, printed by me on a photo and an advertisement from the New York Times. (The one on the left reminds me of Corita Kent. “Save up” vs. “Power up.”)

I like how the prints (made with cheap Speedball blocks and ink) look like laser print-outs low on toner. Raw and spooky. The one on the left had little bits dirt or food stuck to it, so it ended up looking like stars around the tower. (I was thinking while we were making these that there’s no reason to ever participate in an art-making process unless there’s some chance for happy accidents and moments of serendipity.)

Here’s what the kitchen table looked like by 9AM.

I love cutting up the discarded prints and collaging them into something else…

…and extending abstract shapes into new forms.

Another thing I love about block printing is the ability to merge different blocks into a single print. Here I’ve printed out the six-year-old’s tower and added a big bad wolf head copied from a drawing by the four-year-old. (The Big Wolf Energy has not subsided.)

Unfollow

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Here is my beloved Wayne White painting that my wife bought me for my 32nd birthday. I look at it every day and it reminds me, yes, to unfollow: to trim my feeds, to cease hate-following, cut the vampires out of my life. But it also reminds me to unfollow myself. Try to Destroy the ego, abandon my sense of who or what I am, forget the noun and do the verbs.

Here are some process shots of its making, from WW’s Instagram. (If you don’t know his work, watch the documentary Beauty is Embarrassing.)

Know your exits

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Rip Torn died a few days ago. I like this story about him told by actress Conchata Ferrell:

I shouldn’t tell this story, but it was my first or second day, and we were rehearsing, and when we were leaving rehearsal, Rip had a car, and he said, “Do you want me to show you the town?” I said, “Sure!” So, you know, he’s driving around, he’s showing me this and showing me that, and I said, “My God, how long have you been here?” And he said, “Oh, I just got here two days ago.” And I went, “How in the world are you so familiar with everything?” He goes, “I make it a point to know every way out of town in any town I’m in.”

“Know your exits,” as they say.

I’m reminded of Iggy Pop in his John Peel lecture: “Be careful to maintain a spiritual exit.” (Whatever that is.)

Here’s hoping Rip smelled the Glenlivet on God’s breath.

Wrestling with flowers

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

We stumbled onto a motherlode of pansies in the Kerrytown neighborhood in Ann Arbor, Michigan, so I made a dozen more pansy luchadores. (Many of the Lucha Libre covers were courtesy of this post.)

Taking it easy

Thursday, July 4, 2019

It’s my least favorite season in what’s shaping up to be one of my least favorite years. (Is it half empty or half full?) I’m trying to take it easy. Sitting around drinking coffee and reading books and scribbling notes to myself. Not feeling much like blogging. Might be quiet around here for a bit. (I’ll still be sending out the newsletter.)