However, I haven’t been entirely useless. I managed to make my first etching in close to ten years! It felt good to work with copper, and to finally run a plate through my printing press! This etching was done for a charity event for Locks of Love, the organization that collects hair to create wigs for disadvantaged children who have lost their hair for medical reasons. I am in the process of growing out my hair and am hoping that it will be long enough in a couple of months to donate the ten inches they require.

Below are the various states I needed to get the plate to a point that I was happy with. The final print was on Arches paper and approximately 8″ x 10″ with a plate size of 5″ x 3″. The print is an edition size of 16 and is a combination of hard and soft ground techniques. It was a lot of fun!

The first state was a simple hardground line drawing.

State 2 involved a softground texture with cheesecloth. Unfortunately my stop-out was a little thick and hard to control so some texture and open biting occurred on my hardground lines.

State 3 required burnishing away some of the unwanted lines and textures created by state 2, then re-etching the figure with another hardground bite. I also drew more lines for the heart/hair wings of the heart.

State 4 was more burnishing and more etching of lines that I wanted to stand out.

The final state... for now anyway... Not the best print since I sent that out for the charity/show. This print in particular was over-wiped. Oh well, I'm out of practice.

A fun & whimsical doodle:

Tree creature with owl.

These figure sketches were done the day after my dog passed away. I didn’t have much sleep but I knew I needed to draw so I got myself to my figure drawing class. These sketches showed my lack of concentration but hey, I think showing up to the class was half the battle!

Quick figure study - I was trying to focus on the hands. My concentration was off that night!

Anothe quick study ~30 minutes. Again, my lack of concentration felt obvious.

More quick, unfocused studies. But it's the effort that counts right?

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Once upon a time, I made etchings with the Santa Fe Etching Club. This occurred on a weekly basis when I lived in Santa Fe from 1994-2000. And now, I’ve been included in the recently published book, 100 Santa Fe Etchers.

I received my copy this week and as I flipped through the pages, I became distinctly aware that I am in a book with some of the most amazing artists working in Santa Fe. What an HONOR!! Even Jon proclaimed: “You’re in a book with Bill Mauldin!” Yes, that would be the Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist and creator of the characters Willie and Joe, Bill Mauldin.

And as I turned the pages, I began to proclaim, “I’m in a book with –

• Ron Adams, an amazing printmaker and artist;
• Ron Pokrasso, one of my favorite mixed media artists;
• Willard Clark, who is mostly known for his wood engravings;
• Michael Bergt, an artist who I befriended when I lived in Santa Fe;
• Anne Sawyer, one of Star (Liana York)’s very good friends;

And then of course, there are the artists who made my life in Santa Fe a lot of fun because of their friendships with me. I am certainly honored to be in a book with my friends. Artists like:

• Norma Evans, to whom I owe much with my move and transition to the Bay Area; she was my connection;
• William Gonzales, whose work was recently published in a book of this same series;
• Brian Bari Long, who introduced me to the Etching Club;
• Elizabeth Cook, whose framed print is at the center of our living room; I love her work!;
• Jo Basistse/Eli Levin, who is at the heart of the Etching Club;
• and of course, Dr. Bob Bell, who has been supporting the club since 1980, and without whom the book would not exist.

And there are other artists in the book who I never met but whose work makes me want to pick up etching again. Wow! I’m almost embarrassed to be in a book with them, they’re so good!

Needless to say, you need to take a look at this book for yourself. You can purchase your own copy by contacting Argos Gallery in Santa Fe. The book is $30 plus shipping.

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