"Berries" Linocut

"What will come from the briar but the berry."  — Irish Proverb

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Willy Wonka: The strawberries taste like strawberries. The snozzberries taste like snozzberries!

Veruca Salt: Snozzberries? Who ever heard of a snozzberry?

[Wonka grabs Veruca's jaw]

Willy Wonka: We are the music makers... and we are the dreamers of dreams.

— Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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INSPIRATION

I told myself last year I wasn't going to do a Christmas card this year unless I had purchased a press.  Well, I didn't have a press come late November and I had to decide whether or not to do it.  I looked through my designs from years past and the alternate designs that never came to fruition.  The only one that appealed to me was a two-color idea, but I knew with the high quantity it would be too much.  So I decided to let it go a few days and see if any one-color ideas came to me. 

“There’s no earthly way of knowing which direction we are going.” — Willy Wonka

A couple days later I was coming in from the back porch and I spied a vintage tray that I bought a few years ago from my friend Sarah.  It was super faded, but the idea came that I should do a simple, red and white folk floral design.

SKETCH, ILLUSTRATOR, TRANSFER

I began with a quick pencil sketch.  I don't always re-draw my sketches in Illustrator, but I knew this sketch needed a bit more work.  Below you can see how I altered the sketch once I traced it in Illustrator.

In the past if I began with a computer printout, I have simply scribbled the back with pencil and traced the design to transfer to the block.  But I figured there had to be a more precise way.  So I watched several YouTube videos about how to transfer a laser printout using acetone.  In the video I watched, the person used a black printout. However, I had already printed my design in red and I was antsy to try it.

“Stop. Don’t. Come back.” — Willy Wonka

I forged ahead using my red printout and after rubbing the back of my paper with the acetone I was sure the experiment had failed.  The paper was shredding and at first, it didn't seem like the design transferred.

But after a little more rubbing I could still see a faint yellow outline of my design.

“Invention is 93% perspiration 6% inspiration 3% perspiration and 2% butter scotch ripple.”
— Willy Wonka

The whole right side didn't transfer so I re-drew that part on the plate.  As you can see above, I used a ruler to recreate the right border, eye-balling it the best I could.

Once I finished carving, I again used acetone to clean the plate of the remaining ink.

This video shows the entire process set to Jingle Bells (Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay).

TEARING PAPER

My Christmas list has grown quite a bit over the years and I knew I needed at least 136 cards.  I bought my favorite Stonehenge paper and each sheet gave me 18, so I tore 8 sheets.  People always ask why I tear the paper instead of cutting it and it is because printmaking paper gives a beautiful deckled edge when torn.  It took me about 3 1/2 hours to tear the paper down to size (probably would have taken me the same amount of time to cut it).

PRINTING

“When the time comes for you to make a change or to grow,
the universe will make you so uncomfortable you will eventually have no choice.”

— Iyanla Vanzant

I normally would never tear paper the same day of printing because it is simply too much. But I was worried about having time for the prints to dry after my never-drying "Pigsqueak" experience this summer.  So after dinner I went down to pull a test print. (Music by Lesfm from Pixabay)

It makes me laugh watching the video now because it seems so idyllic and cheery.  Nothing could have been further from the truth that night.  That is because I spent a lot of time meticulously measuring 1/4 inch out from the plate and carefully marking it so I would know where to place the paper.  When I put my test paper down, the plate barely fit on my perfectly-torn paper!   How could this happen, you ask, when I did an acetone transfer? Well, remember when I said the right half of the transfer didn't work so I just eye-balled it?  I guess I didn't eye-ball it square and the plate ended up skewed. 

"What is this, a freak out?"

— Violet Beauregarde

Needless to say I wasn't very happy about it.  In fact, I had a mini-meltdown and was ready to throw the towel in.  I tried stretching the plate.  In desperation I grabbed a pair of scissors and frantically cut a jaggedy hole around the plate so I could tape the plate directly to the table to compensate for the skew.

“Well, fortunately, small boys are extremely springy and elastic.
So I think we’ll put him in my special taffy-pulling machine.
That should do the trick.”
— Willy Wonka

This did not work.  Tape is no solution for a skewed plate.  In the end I glumly recognized the only way to proceed was to have perfect registration on every single print. 

“Impossible, my dear lady! That’s absurd! Unthinkable!”
— Willy Wonka

To help me register the paper, I used a piece of wood taped to the table.  Because of the skew, the right side had to be higher than the left.  I quickly realized the blue tape allowed my wood guide to move too much.  Plus, in order to apply enough ink at the bottom of the plate, I had to move the wood away every time.  In the end I left it attached on the right side and flipped it away for inking.  I then flipped it back for placing paper, using the edge of the plate as a guide.  I just had to concentrate really hard every time to place the wood and paper very slightly higher on the right.

“No other factory in the world mixes its chocolate by waterfall…
But it’s the only way if you want it just right.”
— Willy Wonka

It actually worked surprisingly well until about 80 prints in when I started printing off the edge.  The plate, which was double-sided-taped to the table, had slowly moved to the right from all the burnishing.  I adjusted my technique and we were back in business.  I probably only lost a handful to printing off the edge.

“I don’t understand it. The children are disappearing like rabbits.
Well, we still have each other. Shall we press on?”
— Willy Wonka

In addition to my skewed plate woes, the plate kept giving me fuzzy edges.  For two days we had fuzzy-edged prints.  It is really disheartening to put your all into something and not get the results you would like. I finally had the idea to stop using the baren and only use the wooden spoon (instead of both).  It helped.  Sometimes it takes time to figure out the best way to print a plate.

We printed for three hours every day for five days.  I usually like to power through to save on clean-up, but I was physically spent after each printing session.  In the end, it took us 15 hours to print 154 prints (I tore some extra paper).  That's almost 6 minutes per print.  

“A jug fills drop by drop.” – Buddha

Violet Beauregarde: I'm a gum chewer mostly, but when I heard about these ticket things, I laid off the gum; switched to candy bars.

Mrs. Beauregarde: She's just a driven young women. I don't know where she gets it.

DRYING

After a week of drying in the basement I thought the prints were dry because I added a cobalt siccative.  So, if you receive one of these prints, please do not lick them (this is NOT lickable wallpaper); it is bad for you to ingest!

 I stacked the best twenty prints and brought them upstairs to sign and number.  When I unstacked them, I realized the prints weren't quite dry because many of them printed themselves onto the backs of the print above.  It was an extremely stressful moment as I realized I might have ruined twenty prints!  After carefully unstacking them I found the tops were not smudged. I felt extremely lucky that none of them were ruined.  I was hoping not to have to do this, but I brought all the prints up from the basement and placed them around the house on the radiators. It is always a risk to carry wet prints through a house of cats and cat hair.

"Cat hair is my glitter" – Unknown

“Hm… well, I think that furnace is only lit every other day,
so they have a good sporting chance, haven’t they?”
— Willy Wonka

I can tell when a project is pushing me to my limits because I stop taking photos.  I normally would have taken a photo of the touching-up, numbering and signing, but I was starting to feel desperate to finish.  It took me two days to do this part.  

ADDRESSING

Some times I need a break from the printing part of the process, so I procrastinate by designing custom stickers.  This year I made a matching berry return label and berry joy sticker for the back.  Each letter received four stickers: a custom berry return address, an address, a stamp, and a berry joy stamp.

In years past, magical elf (and husband) George helped with the addressing and label-sticking part of the project.  But this year he was only able to help do the return addresses because he went to Costa Rica to visit the jungle gnomes (smart man!).

“Of course they're real people. They're Oompa-Loompas...Imported direct from Loompaland...And oh what a terrible country it is! Nothing but thick jungles infested by the most dangerous beasts in the world - hornswogglers and snozzwangers and those terrible wicked whangdoodles. A whangdoodle would eat ten Oompa-Loompas for breakfast and come galloping back for a second helping.” — Willy Wonka

POEM

The past couple years we have been including a poem with each card. This year's included a sliver of my bedroom "pandemic" sketch (you can read more about that here).  

CONCLUSION

It happens every time, they all become blueberries. —Willy Wonka

In case you missed it in the poem, I decided this was the last year to send hand-printed cards.  It may not have helped to be writing the poem after long, difficult days of printing.  But I had been on the verge of that decision before even starting the cards this year.  

I am not one who easily embraces change.  One time our neighbor came over and re-arranged the furniture (he is very skilled at it!).  I could hardly stand it a day before I had to move it right back.  Sometimes I think we need to be very uncomfortable before we make changes... and this year the universe made printing the cards excruciating.

I know there are a variety of ways I could make it easier.  I could shorten our list and make fewer cards.  I could get a press.  I could make a few prints and then send digital copies of the print (or make digital prints to begin with).  I could also take a break from Christmas cards.  I want to make choices for myself that are filled with more joy and less self-flagellation.  I know that sounds obvious, but my actions speak for themselves.  Somehow all my projects "turn into blueberries."  They become giant and need to be rolled into the juicing room to be squeezed.  (And I've twisted myself into a pretzel shape and turned blue by the end.)   I don't know what will happen next year, but I do know for sure that something needs to change.  Sometimes that is where we have to start... just recognizing the simple desire for change. 

“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” – Buddha

The other thing I know for sure is that I love spreading joy.  I like to envision each person who receives this card smiling when they see the joy sticker on the back, delighting in their handmade print, and chuckling when they read the poem.  It is my hope the future holds joy for you and joy for me.  I wish each and every one of you a holiday filled with snozzberry pie.  And I was going to say, "I hope we can all give up chewing gum for chocolate to find our golden tickets in the New Year."  But perhaps the better analogy would be to say I hope we spend our precious energy on buying one "scrumdiddlyumptious bar" for ourselves and one for Grandpa Jo.  May your New Year be filled with peace and may you live in happiness too... like the Oompa-Loopa doopadee do!

Willy Wonka: [to Oompa Loompa] I want you to roll Miss Beauregarde into the boat and take her along to the Juicing Room at once. Okay?

Mrs. Beauregarde: The Juicing Room? What are they gonna do to her there?

Willy Wonka: Oh, they're gonna squeeze her. Like a little pimple. We've gotta squeeze all that juice out of her immediately.

[Mrs. Beauregarde gasps]

[Mrs. Beauregarde runs up to Blueberry Violet, who is stuck in the door]

Blueberry Violet: Mother, help me. Please!

[Mrs. Beauregarde helps Oompa Loompas push Blueberry Violet through door]

Violet Beauregarde: [after stretching into a pretzel shape] Look mother, I'm much more flexible now.

Mrs. Beauregarde: [disapprovingly] Yes, but you're blue.

— Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Sign

“You’re constantly surrounded by signs, coincidences, and synchronicities ,
all aimed at propelling you in the direction of your destiny.” – Denise Linn

INSPIRATION

In February 2021 a strange synchronicity occurred.  I received a package in the mail from my friend, Courtney, who I hadn't seen for a while (I hadn't seen any of my friends in a while at that point due to the pandemic.)  She sent me a booklet she saw at an antique store called Hexology: the History and The Meaning of the Hex Symbols by Jacob and Jane Zook.  She said she saw it and thought of me.  

I was delighted to have such a wonderful surprise arrive at my doorstep.  Courtney knows that I love folk design and this book was chock-full of really nice examples of Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs. Some view the hex signs as simply decorative while others believe the signs bring good luck, abundance, protection, or good weather for crops.  (For more hex sign meanings read here.)  Below are some examples from the book.

The amazing thing that happened when I turned to the back cover of the book was that I recognized the "Vilkum Distlefink".  A couple years ago I purchased the exact same sign at an antique show and glued it to a round piece of wood.  It now hangs in my entryway.  What are the chances that my friend would send me a book with the exact same sign?  Apparently the "distlefink" is a sign of good luck and happiness.  

DESIGN

I hadn't thought about the book my friend sent until this summer when, out of the blue, my Dad asked me to paint him a "barn emblem."   I had no idea where he got that idea, but I knew where to look for inspiration.  I poured through the book and internet and considered several different routes.  At first I thought he should have a Native American inspired design because of his heritage.  I sent him a few options.  Then he said he had looked at several Pennsylvania Dutch designs and his original idea had leaves going around the edges.  So I decided to try to marry the two inspirations (Native American and Pennsylvania Dutch) by incorporating a "sun" and "quilt" look.  Below you can see how I played around with the design in Illustrator until I honed it down to the final choice (starred in red).  

After the design was finalized, I printed it out to the size of the wood circle we bought which was thirty inches.  Below you can see my assistant checking it out.

PAINTING

Once I had the print out, I had to transfer it to the wood circle.  I bought a really nice, giant compass from Amazon.  I was really impressed with how heavy duty it was and it was very helpful in transferring the design.  I also used carbon paper to help me transfer the triangles.

I wasn't a hundred percent sure that using painter's tape would give me really clean lines.  I bought the green "frog tape" that is supposed to do just that, and it worked wonderfully.  I did paint a white layer first so that if it was going to bleed, it would bleed white onto the white background.  And then I did the color layer after the first white layer dried.  

I was especially impressed that I was also able to cut the tape and it still gave me clean lines! Below you can see I placed the green tape where I wanted my outer circle.  I then scribed a circle with the compass and used an X-acto blade to cut the tape.  It worked incredibly well!

This 60 second video shows the entire process from sketch to painted finish.  Turn your volume on! (Music by lesfm from Pixabay)

OHIO STAR

After I posted the photo below on Instagram, my friend Mark sent me a message asking if I knew the significance of the Ohio star.  I found out what I thought of as the blue "quilt" part of the design, is actually called an "Ohio Star."  This shape has a rich history in the quilting world and has been around since the early 1800's.  The "block" has been called by several names but earned the name "Ohio Star" in honor of the town of Oberlin, Ohio and Mary (quilter) and Lewis Leary, and John Brown's anti-slavery efforts.  (The full history can be found here and here.)   I had no idea when I chose that shape that it was an important historical symbol for Ohio!

SIGNING & COATING

I knew the sign was going to get a lot of sun hanging on the shed and that it should probably be protected from both the weather and the sun.  Before coating it, I signed the back of the hex sign with a red Sharpie pen.  I then sprayed it with exterior water-based Varathane.  I did a TON of research about this.  It came down to the Varathane spray or Minwax Polycrylic water-based polyurethane.  I learned it is important to use water-based polyurethan because oil-based poly will give white paint an orangish hue.  One could also use an epoxy coating, but I didn't look into that option too much because this seemed way easier.  I will report back in a year or so to see how this held up.  I think you are probably supposed to do this every year to provide UV and weather protection.

INSTALLATION

My original idea for hanging the hex sign was to simply put a wire across the back and hang it by a screw on the shed.  But my Dad was worried about the wind picking it up (he recently lived through a bad tornado).  I then came up with what I thought was a genius idea.  I thought we could use two French cleats facing parallel to each other to form a sleeve.  And then George had the even more genius idea to turn the two cleats vertical and put a stopper underneath so the sign would hit the stopper and be held in place by gravity and the cleats.  I bought the cleats and on Thanksgiving day we went out to install them and realized our beautiful plan was foiled by the uneven, wonky walls of the shed.  

In the end we went with the simpler method of attaching 3 stainless steel D-rings to the back. 

We then marked the placement of the D-rings on the paper template, drilled three holes in the shed, strung wire through the rings and pulled it through the three holes.  On the back side we just twisted the wires around each other to hold it tight. 

When my Dad first asked me to make him a "barn emblem" back in September, I didn't know that he was going to have knee replacement surgery at the end of October.  The timing of it worked out perfectly so that I worked on painting the sign when I went up to stay with him after his surgery.  After a difficult day or two, we got into a routine where I would help him come down his stairs and set him up in front of the TV.  We would then eat breakfast together.  Usually around the time the "Price is Right" came on, I would start working on taping and painting the sign.  As I was painting we would both be rooting for the contestants to spin a dollar on the big wheel or exclaiming when someone won a fancy car or vacation.  I loved spending this time with my Dad.  I like to think that love worked its way into the paint and rays of this Ohio star, and will shine brightly for many years to come. 

“We have calcium in our bones, iron in our veins, carbon in our souls, and nitrogen in our brains. Ninety-three percent stardust, with souls made of flames, we are all just stars that have people names.” — Nikita Gill

“What are we but shooting stars, hoping to shine long enough to make at least one soul believe in the magic.” — Sherry Namdeo

A big "THANK YOU" to my incredibly supportive husband George.  You make all my crazy projects possible and tolerate endless discussion about mundane details of French cleats, miniature, stainless steel screw eyes, and weight capacity of D-rings.  You are truly my partner in all projects and I love you.  

Swiss Chalet House Portrait

The architecture of Cincinnati never ceases to amaze me.  In addition to the Tudor and Bungalow style, one of my absolute favorites is the Swiss Chalet.  So when my friend and neighbor, Julie, asked me to do a house portrait for her I was so excited!

The Swiss Chalet style experienced a revival in North America from 1900 to 1925.  Architect Andrew Jackson Downing was credited for the resurgence of the style after publication of his book, The Architecture of Country Houses (1850).  The style was also popularized by the publications of  William S.B. Dana’s, The Swiss Chalet Book (1913), and Henry Saylor’s Architectural Styles for County Houses: The Swiss Chalet Type (1912).  

Here are a few of my favorite images from Dana's, The Swiss Chalet Book.  

The Swiss Chalet style was not widespread in the United States, but we are lucky that Cincinnati was one of the rare locations where it enjoyed popularity.  Cincinnati architect, Lucien Plympton, is credited with bringing the Swiss chalet style to Cincinnati during the Arts & Crafts era of the early twentieth century.

The City of Cincinnati's website offers this diagram to show some of the characteristics of the style:

In my pencil sketch below, you can see my friend Julie's house displays the gabled roof with wide eaves, the decorative wood banding, large carved brackets, and a bay window.  The house had so much intricate detail that I ended up having to enlarge some of the fancy woodwork in my sketch...otherwise it was simply too small to draw.  When I think about whoever built this house and all the attention to detail, it blows my mind! 

Once the pencil sketch was finished I used carbon paper to transfer the drawing to heavy watercolor paper.  I was not very happy with the transfer.  It was super light and left a lot of fuzzy carbon everywhere that didn't erase well.  I wish I had taken a picture of it at that stage.  I ended up basically having to re-draw it entirely in pencil again.  I figure by the time I am done with the portrait I have easily gone over each line about 5-7 times.  Below you can see the inked-in drawing.

Adding the watercolor is my favorite part of the process.  Below you can see the house with just two colors.  I often like how it looks at this stage and want to stop.  But of course, I could never stop here because it is so fun to add the shadows that make it look three dimensional. 

Here is a video of the process of coloring the sketch from start to finish. Turn on your volume! (Music by Lesfm from Pixabay)

My desk is always a complete and utter mess at the end.  

I was watching a video recently about sketchers who are documenting climate change through their drawings.  The moderator asked each participant what they thought about the idea that "Attention equals love." Each artist agreed and described their experience of love and loss.  I have come across this concept before in various ways and every time I hear it, it strikes me deeply as the truth.  The moderator credited it to John Muir Laws and when I googled it I came across this quote:

"Attention is the most basic form of love.
Through it, we bless and are blessed."
— John Tarrant

I whole-heartedly agree and have long felt that where we put our attention is one of our greatest powers.  We don't realize it, but our focused attention is like an ultra powerful beam of love that we can direct onto anything we choose.  When we consciously give our entire attention to some one or some thing and are fully present, it is a tremendously powerful gift.

To bring it back to the topic at hand, when I look at the Swiss chalet style of architecture, I see these houses as love made manifest.  The time and attention that went into crafting all the detail is none other than love in physical form.  That is why it feels so good to create.  And that is also what happens when we draw something.  To drink in all the details and then try to re-create the lines is the deepest form of honoring your subject.  The line of the pencil hugs every curve and nuance.  If I am truly giving it my full attention, for a moment I become my subject and my subject becomes me and time disappears.  To lose oneself in love is one of life's greatest pleasures. 

“Attention is the beginning of devotion.”

― Mary Oliver