It's a New Year

'Girl with Pacific Frog Prince' shadowbox 6x6" graphite,
gouache, paper, wood, glass;  brooches: 'Pacific Frog Prince'
1.5" diameter, sterling silver, paper, gouache, glass lens, 'Orb'
1"diameter, sterling silver, paper, gouache, glass lens

Please join us for 'Bewitched,  Bothered and Bewildered'

This jewelry show at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle is opening February 3, 2016 from 5 to 8pm 

and running through the 23rd. 

Also, Guy Anderson and Skagit Women Print and Friends 

at Schack Art Center in Everett, WA on now and running through

February 27th.

kelp beds

'Kelp Beds' 4x3' STEAMROLLER print on
fabric;  Kathleen Faulkner

I read a lot of science fiction when I was a kid.  It allowed me to consider miracles. 

Here's to the kelp beds, the salmon and bear

and to all species non human.

Here's to the wild!  

May it live on forever!

almost there

in progress 4x3' linocut;  Kathleen Faulkner

I'm almost finished with the linocut.  The fish and some clean up are all that is left.  

Information on this project can be found here, and in this video by Jef Morlan:

STEAMROLLER PRINTMAKING  Jeff Morlan

Anacortes Arts Festival 2011

progress

in process 4x3' lino;  Kathleen Faulkner

The Anacortes Arts Festival is coming up.  A group of us will be printing 3x4' linoleum blocks using a steamroller during the festival.  This year is different in that we will be printing on fabric.  They will look good as banners.

Friday I will be printing mine.  Saturday and Sunday I will be in the print booth helping others make their own smaller version.  Maybe I'll see you there.

STEAMROLLER PRINTMAKING

in process: linocut 4x3'  Kathleen Faulkner

It's almost time for  STEAMROLLER PRINTMAKING!  

Anacortes Arts Festival has, once again, invited a group of artists to participate in this fun event.  This will be our third year.  We will be printing all three days: August 7th through the 9th, 10 to 5pm down by the port dock on Commercial Ave.  It's quite a sight to watch.

As you can see, I have a lot left to do.  I'd better get to work!

more

the whole equals more

'Birds of a Feather'  11x15" linocut;  Kathleen Faulkner

Skagit Women Print
"The purpose of this project is to generate a suite of prints created by these women responding to the experience of living and creating here. In Skagit Valley, it is easy to be seduced by the incredible beauty, and overlook the intrusions of how human habitation has manipulated that beauty to suit our needs. In a part wild, part artificial landscape, the temptation is to put blinders on and only see the blue heron in flight, while ignoring the diked and dammed river. We love Skagit Valley, both the wild and the man made. This suite of prints will explore those contradictions and complex pressures through the eyes of women who live here."   Natalie Niblack

August of last year found Natalie Niblack conspiring with Jules Faye to produce a collaborative suite of prints by women artists living in Skagit Valley.  At that time,  the artists were invited to participate in this project.
Meetings were held at the beautiful Harmony Fields in the midst of the Magic Skagit.  Such a beautiful destination added to the enjoyment and inspiration of it all.
We were instructed to create an edition of 25 prints.  18 of these to be distributed among the participants so, in the end, we'd each head home with our own suite of prints.  Number one of the edition would be framed for shows.  The remaining 6 suites would be for sale.  Since we all worked independently we didn't see the other work until the last meeting.

They say that the whole equals more than the sum of it's parts. This is especially true in that each and every print is strong and can hold it's own.  We worked well as a group and the artwork created shows that.  It's going to be a great show!

The work will be on view at Anchor Art Space in Anacortes, Washington from July 11th through August 10th, 2014 and Shoreline Community College Art Gallery in Shoreline, Washington from January 5th through January 30th, 2015.  

The participants include:  Natalie Niblack, Jules Faye, Kris Molesworth, Heidi Epstein, Kathryn Glowen, Jean Behnke, Twila Tate, Theo Jonnson, Ann Reid,  Eve Deisher,  Jane Alynn, Jessica Gigot, Ellen Michael, Nicolette Harrington, Sue Roberts, Kristin Theiss, Stella Spring and myself. 

Natalie Nyblack and Ann Reid laying their editions;
photo: Kathleen Faulkner

Nicolette Harrington and Kristen Theis
laying their prints.  Natalie, Theo Jonnson
and Eve Deisher observing;
photo: Kathleen Faulkner

from left to right:  Theo, Kristen, Natalie, Nicolette, Eve and Jean
Behnke;   photo: Kathleen Faulkner

Skagit Women Artists
left to right:  Kathryn Glowen, Jane Alynn, Stella Spring, Sue Roberts,
Heidi Epstein, Kris Molesworth, Theo Jonnson, Nicolette Harrington,
Jules Faye, Jean Behnke, Natalie Niblack, Eve Deisher, Anne Reid,
Kristen Theiss, Jessica Gigot,  Ellen Michael and Twila Tate;
photo:  Kathleen Faulkner

Things that go bump in the night

'Bandit' linocut, 4x6"; Kathleen Faulkner

I grew up on science fiction and Twilight Zone. 

The first time I heard a raccoon in the night it scared me and, of all the urban wildlife in this area, raccoon is still my least favorite.  

There's something about their presence in the dark that makes me 

nervous.

I stay inside when I know they're around.
I wish them well, though.

My Excellent Adventure

July was an interesting month.  My computer was dead but I didn't miss it one bit.  Instead I spent 60 hours carving a 3x4' linoleum block (among other things) to be printed by a steamroller during the Anacortes Arts Festival.   

Upon receiving the linoleum, I immediately went into shock: the largeness of it was a bit overwhelming so, I started carving and carving and carving.

Virgin linocut

The bottom half is starting
to look like something.

Here I'm adding Mt Baker to the mix.

Finished and ready to ink..

Then the day came for the printing. We worked in teams.  Jean Behnke and I were the scheduled artists for our two hour time slot and had help from many friends, without whom, it would have been much harder and definitely not as successful.

Here we are inking the lino.. a dirty job,
but somebody's got to do it..

Ready to print

We are placing the linocut  and will then
cover  it with the paper.

Here comes the steamroller!

Artist Proof

A friend generously offered space in
her workshop to hang my prints while they dry.

Looking up at a couple of prints drying.

This project was made possible by a grant from the Anacortes Arts Festival.  Nine artists participated in this two day event.  All materials were provided including, of course, the linoleum,  the best oil based ink (Daniel Smith) and Lenox paper not to mention gloves, aprons, rollers, the steamroller and everything else needed to make this happen including lots of encouragement!  

Two prints from each artist will be auctioned off by the Festival to provide funding for future events such as this.  For anyone interested in viewing all the different artist's prints and possibly bidding on any, I will post the auction details when I receive them.

It was a great experience and I'm so glad to have been a part of it all.  I'm looking forward to  next year!

Wiley

'Rabbit's View' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

If you look up coyote on the internet you'll find that most of the information is about how to kill them.  No one seems to like the coyote especially the smaller urban critters.  

Coyote is one of the most adaptable animals in the world.  Good for them, bad for the critters.

Since we humans are taking up all the habitat we should expect that some cats, rabbits and other small mammals will become food for these guys,  gourmet food,  plump and juicy from easy living.

There is one that hangs out around here now and then but, so far, the cat and the rabbits are alive and well and I still see the squirrels digging around the yard.

I like to think of coyote as the transformer:  in the mythological world, he is heroic with attributes such as transformation, travel, high deeds and power.  His job is to change the ways of rivers, the standing of mountains and create new landscapes.  He is also the one that gets sacred things for people.  

I have the utmost respect for coyote.

Deer Prudence

'Prudence' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

'The sun is out, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you..'

Lucky

'Lucky' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

I'm working on the first project of the year.  Just for fun, I thought I'd make prints of the animals that live on my property.  Since soon it will be the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, I decided to start with this critter. 

A friend said that rabbits are chewers and cause trouble.  Probably so but, the rabbit and I have made a deal. 

In the ether world, rabbits are considered lucky.  

Canada Post greets the Year of the Rabbit with new stamps

Spider Web

"Spider Web" 5x9" Intaglio print, Kathleen Faulkner

thinking about  the webs we weave
  how life progresses
the people we become 

I am in a heady relationship with the environment.  Times are strange, though, and scary.  We're not sure how things will turn out, but we have our thoughts and ideas back there where we don't like to go.  We don't want to think about it too much because, if we do, it might be more than we can bear.

You know the old saying:  "the only sin is having the knowledge but choosing to ignore it."  I don't know who to credit that to but it's run through my mind now and then for most of my adult life and quite a bit, lately.


So, my thought to you is this:  we must bring out our best selves, step up to the plate and take care of each other.  This includes all species not just humans but plants and animals,  too.  We have to be proactive.  Little things count.  We must quickly start to think differently about things but not hate ourselves because it's hard and we don't like it or we mess up and we have to keep trying - Never give up!

As the Dalai Lama says,  " It's all about the love.."