May 29 • 7-9pm
May 30 • 9am-4pm
We are having a studio sale! Oil paintings from @michaelhepher and prints galore! This informal open house style event is a rare opportunity to purchase original oil paintings and hand-pulled block prints at discounted prices. The studio is getting too full, and we need to make room for new work and new ideas!
• Up to 50% off paintings that have not found their homes
• Up to 75% off a huge selection of prints
• Unique mono-prints and one-offs
• $5 and $10 bins
• Freebies & samples
• Try out the printing press
• Fancy door prizes
• Snacks and refreshments
1232 6th Ave. Bring a friend. Hang out and chat. There might even be some music around the Solo Stove on Friday.
#studiosale #letterpress #ferniestoke #artlife
Printed a proof. Got some feedback. Making some changes. I’m grateful to have some more-than-qualified colleagues like @varyinghare and @expeditionpress to bounce ideas off of for this poetry. Second round is much more settled feeling.
As a matter of interest, I think it was @expeditionpress who told me that their friend @thomasgravemaker told them that the Dutch word for tweezers loosely translates to ‘type killers’. If true, that’s A) awesome and B) accurate. Here I am using my type killers very carefully to change my 4em spaces for 6em spaces. No type was harmed in the procedure.
#letterpress #woodengraving #typekillers #tweezers
It took a bit to get back from my residency, and to get organized and ready for the next part of this project. Today I started setting and proofing the first of 26 wood engravings and poems for this abecedary book project. I realized how out of practice I was at setting metal type. I used to be so fast… I’m sure by the end of this I’ll be back to my old pace again.
#woodengraving #poetry #metaltype #letterpress
One last tour around my studio at @similkameenartistresidency before jetting off today. It’s been such a necessary time for this project, and the added bonus of connecting with @weic_studio@marionlandry and Katie Wilson while I’m here. It’s so important for artists to talk about process, and to hear that others have the same passions (and struggles) as you do. We spend the bulk of our lives feeling like we don’t fit well, but these places reassure us that the path we choose is worth walking.
As a bonus I got to add a new sonic element to the installation I built in the sculpture corral in the fall of 2024. Found this hardwood in the firewood bin and figured it was more useful as a wind indicator. It’s not really a wind chime as much as it is a wind tonk.
#Artlife #process #create #artinstallation
Pulling some speedy spoon proofs to see what needs to happen to this block before I have to start packing up my studio @similkameenartistresidency . It’s been a great space to get some momentum on this complicated (for me) project. The paper is some nice Washi-style paper given to me by @weic_studio . Origin unknown (to me).
#anscomb #bcferries #stormy #woodengraving
Starting in on a new block. This one might end up with a bit of a different vibe so I want to tackle it early to see if it’s going to fit with (or influence) what happens to the rest of them.
The Anscomb was a ferry that plied the waters of Kootenay Lake from the 1950s until it was replaced by the Osprey in 2000. Many of my Kootenay memories involve that crossing, including one remarkable time when a storm came quickly up the lake bringing with it 8 foot white caps. The waves would break over the front of the boat and fly up—splashing the wheelhouse. The captain seemed unfazed by the weather.
The Anscomb was eventually retired and purchased by a private company that was going to turn it into a floating casino or something, but one cold winter night, anchored off the rocks near Kaslo, a pipe froze and burst letting water on board. The Anscomb disappeared overnight into the depths of Kootenay lake where she sleeps to this day.
@bcferries #mvanscomb #woodengraving #kootenaylake #kootenaylife
Road trip day from @similkameenartistresidency yesterday with the good and inquisitive company of @weic_studio .
First we headed north to @ubco_specialcollections and spent an hour or two poring over some brilliant handmade books including @barbarianpressbooks and discovered a massive volume of Walter J. Phillips prints including some striking wood engravings.
Then we headed to Vernon, ate a dosa, and visited Jason @greenboathousepress . Jason was generous in letting me proof my current work-in-progress blocks on his Vandercook 21-15. I inundated him with questions which he was kind to answer, and as always it was inspiring to visit his well-appointed shop. We forgot to get a photo of us, but you can see him sitting in the background so there is proof.
Drove home was beautiful and this morning, after inspecting the proofs I’m encouraged. There are some things to adjust still, but this gives me a solid foundation to move forward with.
#letterpress #woodengraving #bookbinding #booklove
More tiny marks on this tiny bird. Started in on his head and torso—cool to see his little personality start to emerge.
#woodengraving #rufushummingbird
I cleared a lot of material yesterday around this little fella, and gratefully didn’t nick any of his feathers. Today I will give him his plumage then go back and work the gradients and contrast of the background and flowers to balance it. I may have a chance to pull some proofs on Monday so I’d love to have this one ready for that.
#hummingbird #rufushummingbird #woodengraving #spitsticker
Next up: my favourite bird of all: the Rufus Hummingbird. These little miracles are as endearing as they are amazing. I love their feistiness and bright plumage and the precision with which they move. I wrote a poem about them, and about us… you can read it on Substack (link in bio).
I’m looking forward to working on this block over the weekend. I’ll keep you posted.
#rufushummingbird #woodengraving #salmonberryflower #hummingbird
Not a proof, exactly… but inking the block gives me a bit more contrast to assess where I’m at with this osprey. #woodengraving #fishhawk #osprey #artlife
Next challenge: Osprey.
Did you know that the osprey is the only raptor you can find on every continent except Antarctica? It’s virtually identical everywhere in the world—anywhere there is water and fish, you can find one. Their diet is 99% fish.
Also, they are the only bird of prey that, when hunting, enters the water face-first with their talons at each side of their head. They have four talons in a 3/1 pattern, but can rotate one around to a 2/2 pattern to get better grip on their slippery dinner.
Their name is believed to be a corruption of the Latin ‘avis praedae’ which means ‘bird of prey’. Osprey, or osprei, first appeared in the 15th century Middle English.
In North America, particularly the Pacific Northwest, they are sometimes called fish hawk or river hawk, but are technically not hawks.
Fascinating birds.
For this piece I wanted to try to capture some real detail in the plumage and the face, set on the contrast of a dark background. I’m loving how this is popping so far.
#osprey #woodengraving #birdofprey #abecedary
