Naked Selfies No. 13-20

 These are the latest "Naked Selfies", numbers 13-20. They are all white line woodcuts printed from blocks that are approximately 3 x 4 inches in size. Read the post that has my artist statement regarding this ongoing series here.

"Naked Selfie No. 10"

Here's the last of 4 new woodcuts in this new series. All of the prints from this series can be viewed in this Pinterest album. Read more about the series in this initial blog post. 

"Naked Selfie No. 9"

Here's the third of 4 new woodcuts in that series. All of the prints from this series can be viewed in this Pinterest album. Read more about the series in this initial blog post. 

"Naked Selfie No. 8"

Here's the second of 4 new woodcuts in that series. All of the prints from this series can be viewed in this Pinterest album. Read more about the series in this initial blog post. 

"Naked Selfie No. 7"

It's a New Year! That means back to work - hooray! Now that the holiday season, with all its obligations and distractions is over, I'm throwing myself back into my studio work with serious energy and enthusiasm. 

I've been wanting to get back to the Naked Selfies series that I started in 2017 for a while, and last month I finally found the motivation. Here's the first of 4 new woodcuts in that series.

All of the prints from this series can be viewed in this Pinterest album. Read more about the series in this initial blog post.

And Happy New Year! 

Malachy Award for 2017 NINH

I won the Malachy Award for originality in this year's Naked In New Hope exhibition at Sidetracks Gallery for this white line woodcut: "Asleep In the Chair." One of the Gallery owners though it was very Matisse. Small cash award and a nice line for the resume.

Naked In New Hope 2017

September 9 through October 28 six of my white line woodcuts of nudes (including three from the Naked Selfies series) will be exhibited at Sidetracks Gallery in the group exhibition Naked in New Hope. This will be the 11th year of an annual special exhibition, and my 4th year as a participating artist. The opening reception is September 9 from 6-9PM, always well-attended, and lots of diverse work from mostly local artists will be featured. I encourage anyone who can to attend!

"Naked Selfie No. 6"

This is the sixth and final new print for a series based on nude selfies I've found while surfing the Web. Read more about the series in this initial post.

"Naked Selfie No. 5"

This is the fifth of six new prints for a series based on nude selfies I've found while surfing the Web. Read more about the series in this initial post.

"Naked Selfie No. 4"

This is the fourth of six new prints for a series based on nude selfies I've found while surfing the Web. Read more about the series in this initial post.

"Naked Selfie No. 3"

This is the third of six new prints for a series based on nude selfies I've found while surfing the Web. Read more about the series in this initial post.

"Naked Selfie No. 2"

This is the second of six new prints for a series based on nude selfies I've found while surfing the Web. Read more about the series in this initial post.

"Naked Selfie No. 1"

This is a new series of Nude Selfies I've been working on, stemming from the small white line woodcut male nudes I did in 2015. I loved describing the figure through the subtle variations in textures and values, but for a long time wasn't sure where to take it in terms of imagery and ideas.

While surfing Google images without filters I inevitably come across naked selfies of complete strangers. Much is discussed and written about how easy access to digital cameras and Internet has blurred lines between the private and public. What we expect to be only shared in intimate settings is instead casually and indiscriminately disseminated around the globe. The completely ordinary naked bodies of specific individuals are now subject to all manner of comment and objectifying scrutiny. Many might say these people have invited scrutiny and crass comments; after all, they are holding the phone, snapping the image. But does that really get everyone else off the hook for any and all of our responses?

With this series I aim to return some of the dignity to these individuals. I don't know who any of them are in real life. I picked out selfies I found particularly interesting or lovely mainly for their compositional lines and shapes. I eliminated background distractions to emphasize what was always intended to be the subject: the figure. My medium of choice is white line woodcuts because the crisp, white lines combined with soft and airy gradations emphasize the shape and volume of the body. I worked on small blocks - no larger than 4" x 4", because I wanted viewers to have an intimate experience akin to perusing family photographs. Also, working at this small size in this medium renders the faces abstract enough to retain anonymity.

"Cloud Dream"

The image is 11" x 8". It is a white line woodcut printed with watercolors on 140 lb watercolor paper. 

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. -John Lubbock

"Bath"

9" x 5.5" (image) 11" x 7.5" (paper)
White line woodcut
Watercolors on 120 lb. watercolor paper

First Proof of "Asleep in the Chair"

Last year I did a series of simple, small eight male nudes in white line woodcut, and this is the first print building off that work. I'd like to eventually have a series of larger nudes where the background is more elaborate and interacting with the figure.

I love the drawing in this print, but the colors in this first proof doesn't work. Sometimes with white line woodcuts I just need to print a couple before I really figure out what colors work.

Even though the image is only 12" x 15" it took over 4 hours just to print once. (My hand is killing me.) So I think I'm going to spent some really contemplating the next set of color choices before I go forward printing a second.

"Stretching"

Woodcut reduction in 4 layers

Oil based ink on Rives BFK

7" x 12" (image) 10" x 15" (paper)

Edition of 17 

Five years ago I made a print titled Self Portrait With Sasquatch. It was also a nude of myself with one of my pet cats. I loved how that print turned out and always wanted to make a similar reduction woodcuts on the same subject of the naked figure in domestic settings. I did some nice ones of my husband (Rubber Duck and New Hat) and daughters (In the Tent With Bunny, Life Preserver and Climbing Into the Crib), but hadn't managed to make another nude of myself that I'm happy with until now. Another title for this could be Self Portrait with Aubrey. Aubrey recently turned 18, so he's been featured in many of my works of art over the years. Not sure how many more he'll make it into before he passes on (Sasquatch is now gone) so I'm happy to immortalize him a few more time in art as he exists today. 

This print was also created for the Baren Forum for Woodblock Printmaker's Print Exchange #69. It is the 8th exchange I've participated in through the Baren Forum. I have collected so many wonderful prints through these exchanges. As a woodcut printmaker I'm so grateful for this professional community of artists. 

Untitled Reclining Male Nude White Line Woodcut - first proof

The image is 11" x 8". It is a white line woodcut printed with watercolors on 140 lb watercolor paper.

This is a first proof. I love the drawing, but I think I still need to work out the colors. Right now it's very circus when I was going more for equatorial. Maybe neither is a good idea. I can't seem to find the landing pad. *sigh* 

"Sunset"

Four color reduction linocut, 4" x 6" (image). the tired sunsets and the tired people - it takes a lifetime to die and no time at all. -Charles Bukowski

"Superposition"

Four color reduction linocut, 4" x 6" (image).

A rock or stone is not a subject that, of itself, may interest a philosopher to study; but, when he comes to see the necessity of those hard bodies, in the constitution of this earth, or for the permanency of the land on which we dwell, and when he finds that there are means wisely provided for the renovation of this necessary decaying part, as well as that of every other, he then, with pleasure, contemplates this manifestation of design, and thus connects the mineral system of this earth with that by which the heavenly bodies are made to move perpetually in their orbits.

-James Hutton, the Father of Modern Geology