prints

I've wanted to learn to silk screen for a long time, it just seemed to go perfectly with the papercutting process. I don't know why I hesitated so long, I did some experimenting yesterday and now I'm a silkscreening fool - it's so much fun! I love the crisp results, although I can't believe how long the paint is taking to dry. My floors are covered in small test prints, I'll have to rig up some kind of  drying rack.

Happy friday, what are you working on?

simple

Yesterday started with a happy surprise: I won a prize ! Then, my dog caught a chipmunk, my friend celebrated a birthday, and my daughter lost a (baby) tooth - whew, lots of excitement around here :)

Sometimes the simplest things are the most tricky. I'm having fun exploring the possibilities of this idea,  and I thought I'd show you one of the many sketches I'm wrestling with.

I'm also planning for this years christmas parade float/sculpture and all the pre holiday doings at The Arts Center, I've been adding a lot of pins on my virtual boards  - so many great ideas out there!

local

pitcher plant bouquet

Good morning!

 Here is another dangerous plant, if you're a bug (or in some places even a small frog!) We have some smaller Pitcher plants ones here in South Carolina, and they're very beautiful.

Venus

Dionaea muscipula

The Venus Fly Trap looks nice and dangerous, but unless you're a fly or other small insect, you're safe.

I've been having fun with this series of dangerous plants, it makes a good warm up and helps me think carefully about value and color. Last night I saw an enormous opossum slide into the bushes and it made me think of doing nocturnal animals next. 

Fliegenpilz

Amanita muscaria

I've always wondered why so many people are obsessed with this pretty, but toxic, mushroom. It's associated with fairies, and often found in books with gnomes and fairytales. Looking into it, there is a lot of druidic background to the Fly Agaric, and there are a few opinions on how it got it's name. It's more than a little mysterious, and amply deserves a spot in my October gallery.

IF: Mirror

Keeping with the monochromatic pen and ink approach, a creepy approach to this week's Illustration Friday's subject : mirror. It made me think of Snow White, of course, and I discovered a new (to me) version of the fairytale in a poem by Anne Sexton - powerful.

pretty poisonous

In honor of Halloween I've decided to celebrate October with a series of portraits of poisonous plants.

Phytolacca americana

We have a lot of Pokeweed here in South Carolina, and although I knew it was poisonous and grows like, well, a weed, I hadn't given it much thought. It turns out the US constitution was written with ink made from fermented pokeberries. Once you start looking there is a lot of information about the American pokeweed. It 's a "food and medicinal plant",  native americans used to paint arrows, feathers and even horses with juice from the berries, and although every part of the pokeweed is poisonous, it's also a popular food. Surprisingly enough, the berries are the least poisonous part .