moon

It's still snowing. Half melted and turned to ice and then snowing again.


And I've been doing some more moon prints. I printed the colours on the first print from dark to light and technically this is the wrong way round. The inks I'm using are water based and not opaque so lighter colours fade when printed over darker ones, which isn't great, it can make the colours look really weak. I actually like the way this looks in the moon print, nice and subtle, but decided I wanted to push myself to work it out the correct way too...

I wanted to use the white of the paper for the white in the moon, then print progressively darker shades of grey over the top. Because a darker shades covers the lighter one before it completely it makes it slightly easier to register the layers (or at least it covers up small registration mistakes!) and I think the colours definitely look more vibrant and true.


I'm not sure if I like it though... it looks flatter, the areas of tone look more separated out. Almost cartoony. I know that screen prints are flat; that that's kind of the point of them, but still. I think it's partly my colour choices too though, not subtle enough, the tones need to be closer together...


Better, but now I feel like I want to print about five shades of grey to get the detail right. I wish I had more time for experimentation. Perhaps an aquatint moon?? Oo yes.

27.

College closed at lunch time because of all the snow. What a good birthday present; an afternoon to myself, snow falling past the window whilst I'm cozy inside. Black and white and shades of grey.

new

First day back at work after a peaceful week away. I think I needed that. Time to think and to do all the little things I never seem to have time to do. I still don't find it easy working long days, especially in winter, there's only time to take my shoes off and cook tea before it's bed time it seems. Anyway.

Time away is good isn't it, a fresh start of sorts. And a new year. This year new years eve was the best I've ever had I think, home made pizza and watching far off fire works stood outside in the snow. Back inside to a roaring stove. And it's my birthday tomorrow, I'm 27. I think its the first year I've felt older. Not in a bad way, just in a life won't last forever kind of way, a what should I do with the rest of it kind of way. The first year I've felt I no longer have time to do everything. I should start making some choices.

And I've been working on some screen prints today. A bird one and the moon one again. Printing white onto a darker background is not really technically correct, and although I like the way this one looks, I wanted to see if I could wrap my head round doing it the other way round...

Lots of ideas floating round my head, I hope I can stop procrastinating long enough to see them through. I want to.

art in unusual spaces

I found it's pretty difficult to take photos of an art instalation that's supposed to be viewed by looking through a peephole. The glass is shiny and full of reflections, the light inside is dim (and my camera phone is probably not the best tool for the job) but anyway I had a go...


Perhaps you can get an idea? A glimps. And I quite like the legs walking past in some of the reflections... I wonder how many people stop to peep...


The exhibition is in the Georgian Arcade in the Merrion Center, Leeds (ie. round the back of Morrisions :) ) until the middle of January.

sunday.

Oh I'm sure this poor blog is feeling very neglected. It's not that I haven't been making things, it's just there seems to be no day light for taking pictures, no time to find the cable for unloading, no words in my head.

Most of the christmas making is done; chutneys and shortbread and crudge (like fudge but gone wrong, kind of hard and sugary...) fabric baskets to pack it all in, snowflake cards, needle cases and pencil cases. Christmas decorations consist of 6 tissue paper snowflakes threaded onto cotton and half heartedly tangled at the window. Some clementines on a plate. Perhaps next year when the curtains are up and the pictures are up and the kitchen is done (and we haven't both got colds) perhaps then we'll have a christmas tree. A real one, to plant in the garden afterwards and bring in year after year.


It's snowing and it's beautiful. Crunchy.

house

Still no curtains. But there are curtain poles now, and a carpet too. Getting there...

album

A photo album made for a friend; 50 pages of soft but sturdy paper, sewn concertina spine (to create extra swell so the photos won't force the covers open), grey and black bookcloth covered hard covers, rounded spine.

I wanted to keep it really :)