The Heron

This is the view of the Nantahala Range as seen from Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  I like the Nantahalas because K and I backpacked through them a few years ago while section hiking the AT.  The standing dead trees are now sadly common to the Smokies as the Hemlock Woolly Adelgids have devastated much to the area.

K and I visit the Smokies quite often since my parents live in Wears Valley, just outside of Townsend.  Smoky Mountain images are always floating around in my head so this wasnt too difficult to develop into a linocut design.  But, it didnt come out as well as I would have liked.  For one, my cuts were too deep in many places.  I had hoped they were high enough to show up in the sky but they were not.  Anyway, I’m supercritical of my work and could go on but I wont.  I thought about calling this linocut “Black Jack” because I ran out of ink on the 21st print.  I’ve been hand printing all my prints with a Speedball plastic baren.  I just ordered two new barens the other day to experiment with.  I ordered some larger sheets of linoleum.  I’ll need them for the Artalicious Art Festival in a few weeks.  I also ordered some heavier Rives paper than what I have been using.  I used up the last of my Speedball black ink.  The other day I used some of my friend’s Dick Blick ink and I think I like it a little better.  It was not as thick as the Speedball brand.  I use oil based ink mostly.  I’m a slow worker so I like the fact that it wont dry up on my glass before I even get going.  When I’m really organized and energetic the water based ink seems to work just fine.  I have yet to try and paint over dried water based ink.  I assume it would dissolve but I havent experimented with that yet.        

In the heat of August I often catch myself dreaming of Fall and cooler weather.  Today I was thinking about Yellowstone National Park.  It has been six years since K and I have been to Slough Creek.  I miss the smell of sagebrush and the cool crisp air.  All these thoughts of mountains and flyfishing inspired me start on a Smoky Mountain landscape linocut.  I started cutting it monday night.  Tuesday I made some finer cuts.  Yesterday I had to take advantage of the break in the rain to mow the lawn.  I’m hoping to get started on printing this evening after I run a few errands in town.This photo brings back a lot of memories.  It was taken on the first night of our pack trip along Slough Creek.  I had flown to Kansas City on business on September 10th, 2001.  It was the best flight of my life….too bad everything changed the next day.  I was stranded in Kansas City.  We were supposed to be in West Yellowstone the following week.  So K bless her heart drove my truck to Kansas City and picked me up.  From there we went on to Montana.  Terry Search of Yellowstone Mountain Guides told us that most of his clients who booked the pack trip to Slough Creek had cancelled.  It would only be us and an older couple going into the third meadow to camp.  I couldnt think of a better place to contemplate the meaning of life as in an open meadow looking up into the blackest sky where the heavenly stars shone brighter than anyplace I’ve ever been.        

 This is just another linocut for the annual LCVA Box Show auction coming up in September.  I experimented with my ink on this one.  I started with brown, then slowly added, red, yellow, and orange.  I hand pressed 20 and only the first two are exactly the same.  The others are a mix of rusty colors and that’s exactly what I wanted to do….for once..ha!  I use the pheasant tail nymph a lot when I fly fish.  It’s on my top ten list of flies, especially when I fish at devils lake.  It works great under a dropper for crappie or bluegills.  Anyway, I’ll have this one on display at my booth at the Artalicious Festival in Adrian on September 14th and 15th.  Pi Benio of Adrian College asked if I would be a printmaking demonstrator.  So, I’ll be there with my tools, ink and paper making whatever.  I think I may have a printmaking partner.  I asked Carlos Tobar who is a long time printmaker and painter in Adrian to join me.  He said he would and he’s going to bring one of his portable print presses….YESSSS!   

Last Saturday morning I got up early and headed over to Ramsdell Park before the sun got too high in the sky.  This little fella was poking around as I headed back to my truck.  Talk about fast food.  He didnt spend too much time in one place.  Anyway, I went there to photograph birds but didnt see too many.  I did see this butterfly, a ton of dragon flys, two deer and a thousand mosquitos. 

I cant think of a better place to be than hanging out at Devil’s Lake, drinking my coffee, reading and sketching.  I brought my lino blocks to carve but didnt get around to it.  Saturday morning I spent hiking through Ramsdell Park taking photographs of my favorite subjects.  Sunday afternoon Kayleen and I took the boat out so I could photograph cottages and sailboats.  But my favorite subjects are the folks in the 12′ aluminum boats with the tiller outboards.  They remind me of Hemingway’s story, “The Old Man and the Sea”.  And, they remind me of my first boat that I bought off my grandfather.  

The annual LCVA Gallery fundraiser is coming up in September.  For the past two years I’ve created art with a “fly box” theme.  I may do one more fly besides this one, but I’m not quite sure which fly to do.  This is the first time I’ve ever painted a linocut.  The heavyweight Rives paper took the paint well without warping too much.  I’ll probably do a series of flies and then move to a series of landscapes done in an Arts and Crafts style, similar to the work of Kathleen West. 

One of the few flowers in the backyard that has survived the summer heat..

“Prince Nymph”, 4×5 linocut

If If you happen to be in the thumb area you have to go to Lexington, MI.  The Lexington Music Theatre is beautiful.  The owners bought the whole block and renovated it beautifully.  This week the coffee shop is being converted into a wine tasting room.  The deli next door has great sandwiches.  My cousins from Texas played at the music theatre last weekend.  They are “Del Castillo”.