2014: Looking back

I decided to look back at my output for the last year. Artistically, it was a mixed bag. While I produced a few interesting pieces, my general productivity was very low--I produced just a handful of prints in 2014.
Horse/White Knight, my 9 block year of the horse print.
Steel Metaphor (arrow road sign) For the Sketchbook project exchange.
Right of Way (driving school)-- a larger print.
Cardinal Creeper; my first-ever wood engraving on boxwood.
November Cypresses, a long-format landscape...carved and proofed in 2014 but I still need to print the edition.
 I also continued in my exploration of sizing Japanese papers and printing with the technique of moku hanga on western cotton papers and in preparation for teaching,  I made three new barens with the twisted-cord base trying out different kinds of twine and cord to see what might approximate a functional baren for students.

I also painted about a dozen quick etagami sketches--as part of the Florence/Japan Etagami exchange. My small drawings were sent along with those of the other Italian participants to our respective penpals in Japan.

And I entered the world of Art Education;
I demonstrated at the local Japanese Cultural Fair for 3 days in November 2014 and I taught a three day class teaching moku hanga printing to artists.

I also cleaned out a garage and house; supervised the new roof and painting of our Santa Cruz house and found a wonderful new family to stay in our home while we're in Italy. This took the better part of the Summer--the time I would have spent printing had I been more energetic/efficient with my time.

So goodbye 2014. We're well into 2015 and I'm going to try to get through my backlog of "prints waiting to be made" while jumping into a few exciting new projects that will move me in some new directions. Which way? Follow the arrows.

Spring Etagami

"Aluminum Afternoon Companion"

I sent off and received back my second installment in the Italian/Japanese Etagami exchange.
My latest attempt reads, in Japanese, "Aluminum Afternoon Companion".

In return I got from my Japanese penpal/Etagami-pal this little postcard drawing with the phrase:
"It's already Spring!"

As I wrote last month, there is a very active Japanese association of Etagami enthusiasts that create and exchange small sumi and watercolor drawings....Etagami are small, brush-painted images of daily life married to a short, written comment or poem and they are meant to be sent, or shared with others. This year (and for the first time) they've opened up to an Etagami exchange here in Florence through LAILAC, the local Japanese Cultural association that is acting locally to collect and then send off our cards and distribute them when the returns arrive from Japan. I signed up as of January and will try to draw and exchange a monthly Etagami with this group.

As I mentioned in my earlier post the somewhat childlike drawing quality is due to the technique. A calligraphy brush is used, but held vertically from the very end so just the tip of the brush touches the paper and the brush is hard to strictly control.
They are drawn on washi and the slight bleed of the uncontrolled ink and paint add to the magic and spontaneity.

Regular readers will know of my fondness for coffee and espresso (see my moka genie post: http://rospobio.blogspot.it/2009/11/moka-genie.html...) and I've two coffee-themed prints in the not-quite-past the initial stages. But this was fun to draw and I'm already looking forward to my next try. It's also a treat to be getting a new one in the mail every month as it feels like I'm receiving a little gift. Which I guess is exactly the idea.?