What are the 3 big changes for 2017?

First change, more etchings:

My new focus  for 2017 is printmaking, and that means more original etchings for you. Good news, because etchings are quite affordable.

Second change, more discounts:

I have learned in my life that original art provides hope and comfort in hard times. In recognition of our new global feelings of uncertainty, I have discounted most pieces on my website. If there is a work of mine that you have admired, check it out in my online galleries, There’s a good chance the price has come down.

Third change, fewer emails, more artwork:

Rather than sticking to a schedule, I will publish the blog only when there are several new works to show you, however long that takes. This gives me more time in the studio and gives you more work to enjoy in each post.

Now, on to the 4 new etchings.

 

The Green Man

Wait, you say, you have seen this before.

Yes, I blogged about this one last June. I described the etching and aquatint processes I used on the two plates. Since then it has waited patiently for my attention, while other pressing matters intervened.

This month, I altered the plates in various ways and decided on colors. Suddenly, the piece has new life, and at long last I am producing an edition.

I began work on this image during the height of Alaska’s summer forest fire season. It points to our dependence on, and neglect of, our fragile environment. It also suggests that we have protectors, both seen and unseen.

The Green Man is, for me, a mythic figure standing ready to work with us to protect life, when we are willing. You will find more details about The Green Man here.

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In 2007 I travelled to Palo Alto, where the trees grow tall.

Coming from South-Central Alaska, where most trees are short and we have limited species, I felt lucky to see the variety born of a warm climate.

Sketchbook in hand, I spied three towering pines, so close together they looked like one tree. How, I wondered, does anyone fit a tree that size onto a mere piece of paper?  This is how my sketching obsession began.

First I drew the bottoms, then I drew the tops. I kept sketching, using different kinds of line, different drawing tools, trying to see the trees in their totality.

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