Pigsqueak Linocut: Tiger Lily Press Calendar

 

INSPIRATION

When we moved into our house almost twenty years ago we inherited a GIANT garden full of plants that had been carefully tended by the previous owners, both full-time gardeners.  To give you an idea of the attention to detail, we received a map of the garden and almost all of the hostas had little metal labels pushed into the ground next to them with their names handwritten on tiny placards.  I have to admit we neglected the yard for a couple years and when I finally turned my attention towards it, it was quite a jungle.  Many of the plants, to their credit, managed to survive behind and under the weeds.

One plant, in particular, always caught my attention. Even though I never tended to it, a beautiful sprig of pink blossoms would push its way out of lettuce-like foliage each spring.  I always thought the leaves left a little to be desired with their thick, vegetable-type appearance, but the plant slowly made its way into my heart.  And each spring I became more and more enamored with the flowers.  After maybe fifteen years I finally asked my friend from Finland if she knew what it was and she said it was "Bergenia."  When I looked it up, I found it's scientific name is Bergenia cordifolia...cordifolia meaning heart-shaped leaves.   The plant is commonly called "Pigsqueak" because the leaves "squeak" when rubbed between thumb and finger.  It has also been described as "tough as nails."  

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change.”
– Buddha

So when Tiger Lily Press asked if I would make a linocut print for their annual calendar, the hardy plant with the funny name and beautiful pink blossoms called out to me.  

SKETCH AND TRANSFER

I always begin each print by making a pencil sketch of my subject.  I also planned to make a circular "chop" signature which I lightly drew in the bottom right-hand corner of the sketch.  Below you can see my sketch and the sketch transferred to the block.

I almost always use Safety-Kut for my carving material, but this time I used "real" linoleum because I was going to be printing at Tiger Lily with one of the presses (Safety-Kut mushes on a press).  I normally transfer my sketch onto Safety-Kut by flipping the pencil sketch over and rubbing.  However, I wasn't sure it would transfer as well onto real linoleum so I ended up using carbon paper (shown below).  This detail will become important later!

CARVING

Once the image is transferred to the plate it is time to carve!  Carving is my favorite part of the process and I LOVE how the plate looks during the carving process...so bear with me for showing so many photos.

In this video I show how to make perfect circular holes in linocut using a drill bit.

You have to be careful when you leave the room for any amount of time.  Their are lurkers who try and steal your seat.

I thought the plate looked especially pretty at this stage.

This video shows the entire carving process from start to finish.  Turn on your volume!

Below you can see the photo, sketch and carving all together.  An experienced printmaker might notice a problem when looking at this photo.  When I took the photo I was still in ignorant bliss.

TEST PRINT

The following one-minute video shows me inking the plate for the first time and pulling a test print.  Again, turn on your volume!

As you can see below, I discovered I'd made a rookie mistake and forgot to flip my image when I transferred it to the plate.  Because I used carbon paper, the image was a direct transfer.  Hence the print is backwards.  Normally with a flower it wouldn't matter too much.  But if you remember, I had wanted to put a "chop" signature in the bottom right-hand corner...and that was not going to work anymore. 

“…this is the way reality appears in this moment,
and we do not want to argue with reality any longer,
for to do so only increases our struggle.”
― Matt Licata, A Healing Space

I fretted over what to do for a couple days.  Should I put the chop in the lower left-hand corner?  Not do the chop?  Re-carve?

In the end I decided to re-carve the whole piece.  Since I was re-doing it, I made a few improvements.  I usually like for the lines of my subject to break the border and I forgot to do that the first time around.  So, maybe in the end I was meant to carve it again.  Below you can see the new carving on the left and the old on the right.

PRINTING

In late May I went to Tiger Lily Press to print the calendar with studio manager, Susan Naylor.  Susan is a genius when it comes to making jigs to print on the Vandercook Proof Press. Below you can see Susan placing a calendar page onto the plate and how the plate fits perfectly snug in its jig.

The above photo was taken about midway through printing before our printing woes began.  Our goal was to print at least 120 prints, and at around 108 we started to have a problem with blurry prints.  We struggled and fussed with the jig for about an hour before we decided to call it quits.  I figured I would hand-burnish the rest at home.  Below you can see the problem.  After a while the plate can get warped which causes movement in the press and hence blurry prints.

Because I had been having some shoulder issues, I enlisted the help of my best-burnisher husband George.  He helped me print the remaining calendar prints plus a handful more that will eventually be available at NessyPress.com.

HAND-TINTING

The calendar is typically printed in one color (usually black) and from the very beginning I knew I might be disappointed to make a black-and-white print of such a colorful flower.  I figured once they were printed I would time myself hand-tinting one with watercolor to help me decide if I really could paint all 120 prints.  My test print only took me less than 5 minutes so I did the math and figured that 120 prints would take me 10 hours.  Little did I know that as I went along I would spend longer and longer on each one.  In the end it took me weeks to finish them all.  This video shows a sped-up painting of one of the prints.  Turn your volume on!

"To be entirely present to each thing that crosses our consciousness, to our most banal and repetitive experiences, is the door to awakening." 
— Daniel Odier, Tantric Quest: An Encounter with Absolute Love

CHOP SIGNATURE

After finishing the hand-tinting I started thinking about the "chop" signature.  I love the way Japanese prints are often signed with a red "chop" in the lower right hand corner.  I decided to make a butterfly chop for two reasons:  1) because my name, "Vanessa," is the genus of a butterfly, and 2) because a butterfly is appropriate for a flower print.  I also ended up hiding my initials in the body of the butterfly.  Below I highlighted the vertical "V", "A", and "S" in black and grey so you can see the hidden letters.

Originally I thought I would use Safety-Kut to carve the chop.  After two failed attempts at getting enough detail I thought I would try carving out of wood.  A quick trip to Michaels and I came home with some thin wood circles.  I was able to get more detail from the wood and ended up gluing the wood disc to a small dowel rod.  The results were OK, but still not as crisp as I would have liked.

I got attached to the idea that my initials were hidden in the chop and really wanted it to be legible.  So I ended up having a rubber stamp made at Hathaway Stamp in downtown Cincinnati.  

The photo below show all of my attempts at carving the chop, plus the rubber stamp.

If I could go back in time I would tell myself to stamp the prints first before I hand-tinted them.  I ended up ruining about twenty hand-tinted prints with poor stamps.  I rolled ink onto the stamp, blotted it once on paper, and then pressed the stamp onto the calendar prints.  Some were blurry, some were half there, and some were perfect.  The day I stamped them I wanted to cry because I knew I had ruined enough that I was going to have to print (and hand-tint) more "Pigsqueaks".  I don't recall now how many I had to re-print now, but in the end I had exactly 121.

 
DRYING

When Susan and I printed the black and white "Pigsqueak" we added a cobalt siccative that hastens the drying time.  She told me I should also add it to the chop when I stamped the prints.  I even have cobalt siccative here at the studio, but the day I stamped the prints I didn't end up using it.  I figured I had almost a month until the prints were due and I didn't feel like wearing gloves (you really shouldn't get cobalt on your hands).  In hindsight "I SHOULD HAVE USED THE SICCATIVE!!!"  
 

After three weeks I started blotting the chop signatures and they were not coming up clean.  I could blot the same chop twenty times in a row and it would just keep showing a faint red outline (shown above).  Daily I would go down to the studio and blot 30 at a time.  Eventually I did a little research and found that red, oil-based Charbonnel, in particular, takes a very long time to dry, but that heat helps.  So I started taking about 20 prints out to the car to "bake" for a day or two.  Each day I would bring a group in, test them, and put another batch out.  Some prints probably "baked" 3-4 times!

At first I kept the prints in my drying rack but I eventually moved them all out to the table so I could easily take them outside.

After about two months (and LOTS of blotting and "baking") the red chops were finally dry!  

"Slowness is a divine thing.  We have lost the habit of it.  With slow, regular, harmonious movement, the consciousness immediately finds its place.  The body begins to enjoy the smallest thing.  Attention is heightened.  We take in the world’s full freshness."  

— Daniel Odier, Tantric Quest: An Encounter with Absolute Love

CALENDAR

Below you can see the final hand-tinted, chopped and signed calendar print.
  

The Tiger Lily Press calendar includes the work of 13 Cincinnati printmakers (cover artist included).  Each print can be trimmed free of the grid when that month is over, matted in a standard 11×14 inch mat (with 8×10 cutout) and framed, making it very easy to hang these wonderful pieces on your wall.  You can purchase your calendar online here:

BUY CALENDAR ONLINE

It will also be for sale at  "Local Ink", the14th Annual Print Market held Nov. 13 from 11-4 at 4222 Hamilton Ave.

All calendars are hand-tinted pink: the Tiger Lily photo was taken before painting.

CONCLUSION

 If you include the writing of this blog, the "Pigqueak" project spanned a period of six months.  It is easy for me to get frustrated by how long it took.  But I like to look back at a project and ask myself "What did I learn?"  The first thing that comes to mind is that the universe was trying to teach me patience.  A project like this often takes on a life of its own and between my mistakes, printing issues, my decision to hand-tint, and a crazy long drying time, I certainly learned that setbacks happen and the best way to proceed is by focusing on the next baby step.

I also learned that it can be extremely rewarding and difficult to stick to my vision.  At numerous points along this path I could have decided to print it backwards or without the chop signature or just leave it black and white.  Every time I chose to stick to my original idea it made the project longer.  I often struggle with this idea of perfectionism.  Is this need to make it perfect killing me?  Do I need to let things go in order to be easier on myself?  I don't know.  But I do know that I am very happy with the way this print turned out.  When I look at it I feel happy and proud and a big sense of accomplishment.  It turned out exactly the way I wanted and that is a rare thing in printmaking. 

Perhaps I am learning to honor both my vision AND my time, body, and mental health.  These needs often appear to be in opposition, but navigating this push and pull is the very play of life.  I am learning that being willful, persistent and tenacious also requires me to slow down, relax and remain flexible.  In other words, if I am the ocean, my waves can't always push forward and break on the beach.  They also have to recede.  It is a constant ebb and flow...a constant push and pull.  This journey between opposites is our life and I am slowly but surely learning to stop resisting the rhythm but to move with it. And when I do, I dance with heart-shaped leaves that squeak and pink stalks push out of the ground to catch my attention. 

“Your hand opens and closes, opens and closes.
If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed.
Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding,
the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birds' wings.”

― Jelaluddin Rumi , The Essential Rumi

ADDENDUM 

The Pigsqueak prints are now available on my website HERE!

  

Cincinnati House Sketch

This house sketch came about because of the generosity of my neighbor.  In August of 2020 I noticed my neighbor (whose name is also Vanessa) was giving away an incredible "bird"chair on Facebook and I was lucky enough to be the first one to scoop it up.  The front of the chair needed a repair in its carving and I did an extremely long blog post about the chair carving here.  Several months later Vanessa (neighbor) saw another house sketch I did and offered to purchase one.  But I have always wanted to sketch her house and a trade seemed like the perfect solution to repay her for the lovely chair.

"The miracle is this: the more we share the more we have." — Leonard Nimoy.

Vanessa's house is a perfect example of the stunning architecture in our neighborhood.  Each house is an eclectic mix of the differing architectural styles of the day.  One thing I love about this house in particular is the curving slopes of the roof gables and dormers.  In addition the house has actual curved glass windows and I love all the square muntins.  I was lucky enough to get a tour of the interior and it is also quite stunning with beautiful dark wood work and lots of arts and crafts touches everywhere. 

Below you can see my initial black and white drawing.

Sometimes when I am starting these house sketches I want to stop at certain points and not go any further because I like the drawing as is.  Below you can see one of these points.  I liked the sketch with just the green on the magnolia tree.

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” 
— Amelia Earhart

Here is another place where I thought about stopping.  Sometimes I like the rather flat look of a drawing before I add the more three-dimensional shading.  I guess it is the printmaker in me.

As I was going along I tried to take photos fairly often.  However, the last day I worked on it I forgot to take progress pictures.  Here is a video showing the process from start to finish with a rather large jump in progress between the last two photos.  I still thought it was a fun video, so turn your volume on!

Sometimes the timing of things works out perfectly.  I had mostly finished the sketch and was going to putz about on it for a few days.  But I happened to notice on Facebook that it was my neighbor's birthday.  I put the finishing touches on, framed it, and dropped it off at her house all in one day.  I think the universe decided it was time to be done.  Happy Birthday Vanessa and thank you again for the chair!   

"How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time." — Morgan Freeman

"Medicine Buddha" Stone Basket

Tayata, Om Bekadze Bekadze

Maha Bekadze Bekadze,

Radza Samungate

Soha

May the many sentient beings who are sick, 

quickly be freed from sickness. 

And may all the sicknesses of beings 

Never arise again.

INSPIRATION

For the past 2 years I have participated in a show called "Think Square" where every piece in the show must be five inches by five inches.  The show was started by local printmaking professor Andrea Knarr who I met while taking a framing class.  As you all may know I don't normally print small.  So this year I wanted to come up with a print that I would find interesting and be a challenge.

My original idea was to print a gold buddha on a dark stone.  I have plenty of dark stones in my yard around my mill stone fountain, but they are all a little wide and I wasn't sure if they would fit into the frame.  I chose one that I thought might work but decided I should also take a trip down to the river to collect a few more stones that would fit into the frame.

I had a truly lovely morning looking for stones.  The river water was higher than normal so the bigger rocks I was interested in were covered by water.  I had to take my shoes off, roll my pants up, and wade out, feeling my way with my toes.    I asked the river to reveal to me any stones that might want to come home with me.  I would spy a potential rock in the clear water and make my way slowly over to it.  As I waded over, the water would get cloudy from stirring the sediment.  I learned I had to be still in order to see again...life lessons from river stones.  Eleven volunteers (pictured above) came home with me.

Once back in the studio I realized that gold ink might not show up on my new rocks.  I thought about printing in black ink but that didn't excite me.  Then I remembered a trip I took in 2014 to California where a friend and I visited the "Land of Medicine Buddha" (click here to see more photos of that trip).  The "Medicine Buddha" is a beautiful blue buddha who, according to Wikipedia, is held to be extremely powerful for healing of physical illnesses and purification of negative karma.  

In the traditional paintings (Tibetan thangkas) he is surrounded by various herbs and medicine, with halos of healing energy radiating from his head and body. As the Medicine Buddha's vow was to help heal all the sick and the injured, he is often called upon to help eliminate sickness. Usually portrayed seated with a jar of medicine in his left hand, often blue-colored, the Medicine Buddha's right hand is resting on his knee in the mudra of blessings, with a stem of a healing plant in between his thumb and forefinger.

Sometimes the Medicine Buddha is also called the Blue Buddha, or the Lapis Lazuli Light Buddha. According to the legend, he transformed himself into a radiant blue light Buddha at a large gathering of people and taught/transmitted the knowledge of healing and medicine. Thus, he is often depicted with blue skin or holding a blue medicine jar.

The Medicine Buddha mantra has powerful vibrations for healing, both mind and body healing. (Source: The Spruce)

I was intrigued by the symbolism, the healing and loved that he was holding a sprig of a plant. I decided to print the stones in a deep "Medicine Buddha" blue.

PRINTING

I had never printed a linocut plate on stone before, but began in the usual way with a sketch.  I scanned my sketch and traced it in Illustrator.  Illustrator was helpful for getting the lotus flower more symmetrical.  Below you can see my original sketch and the printed Illustrator sketch sized to fit the size of the stones.

I then transferred my sketch to my lino plate and carved my design.  While carving I decided to add a halo at the last minute.  Even though I knew the excess plate would eventually get cut away, I enjoyed carving the lines around the buddha and imagined healing energy radiating in all directions.

Below is a short video of me inking the plate for the first time and printing a test print on paper.  

As you can see in the video, the first print was terrible and had too much ink.  I realized a better print was achieved by pressing the plate a second time onto the paper.  Below you can see the hair detail after a second print.  I was so excited that my Japanese hole punch worked so well at making perfect buddha hair circles.  Sadly, the hair detail did not print very well on the rocks.

At some point I also realized I liked the print better without the halo so I cut it away.  Below you can see my giant mess.

Once the prints dried I brought them upstairs to photograph them on my dark lacquered chest.

After printing six buddha stones in blue I decided to do a quick test of printing with gold ink onto my one dark stone.  Below you can see my test prints on paper and the final print on the dark stone.

I probably could have used the gold buddha for my "Think Square" piece, but I ended up loving the symbolism and meaning of the "Medicine Buddha."  So I chose one of the blue buddhas and started the second phase of my project...weaving a basket around the stone.  

STONE BASKET

Below you can see the basket starting to take shape.

Instead of just having a floating basket stone in the middle of the frame, I decided I wanted it to hang from a piece of wood.  I have tons of pieces of wood hanging around the studio and thought it would be perfect to have it slightly bent, like the weight of the stone was pulling it down.  Luckily I got out my trusty, old Dremel tool and it was perfect for the job.

Above you can see I wove the jute rope into the basket and then wrapped it around the wood.  I had to be very careful to make sure it would fit in the five inch square mat. 

Below are a couple photos of me weaving the basket.  

I liked George's artsy photo of me peeking through the reed.

I wasn't sure I was going to include beads and thought I would try some old gold or brass beads I had stashed away.  I liked them but the hole wasn't big enough to thread the reed through.  So I ended up heading to Michael's where I found these nice wooden beads.  (I also bought some beautiful blue stone beads but again, the holes weren't big enough).

The next image shows the beginning of weaving the rim.

I didn't know quite how many times I would weave the ribs back in and before I knew it the rim got kind of beefy.  I liked it but was a little worried about it fitting in my frame.

George modelling the buddha stone basket.

FRAMING

I was correct in my worry about the thickness of the basket.  So much thought and energy went into figuring out how to adjust for this problem.  In the end I went with George's suggestion to cut a hole in the back of the frame so it wouldn't press so much against the plexiglass.

After opening the frame up 10 times to remove dust (and removing the very sticky double-sided taped spacers), I thought the piece was done.  Yet, somehow there was another piece of dust.  I had the clever idea to use a piece of tape to get the dust off the plexi, but the tape left a little bit of adhesive on the glass.  Luckily, I had "The Works" which is a plexi-safe cleaner.  I very gently rubbed the plexi but the adhesive would not come off.  In addition I had created numerous circular rub marks.  I kept fussing with it but to no avail.  At some point I realized the plexiglass was ruined and would have to buy another frame.  

Long story short, a fellow Tiger Lily Press member came to my rescue and had an extra frame.  Thank you so much Fred Daniel!!!  I was able to buy his frame and switch out the plexiglass.  When I went to bed that night I had the feeling of completion and slept well!  That is until the next morning when I went down to the studio and found that a piece of rope hair had unfortunately made its way between the plexi and the mat.  I wanted to pull my hair out!  But George helped me open the frame up one last time and I VERY carefully removed the hair and sealed it back up again.  Needless to say I breathed a big sigh of relief when I dropped it off.

The Think Square show runs from July 2-26th at the Cincinnati Learning Collaborative in East Walnut Hills.  The opening is Friday, July 2nd from 4-7pm.  The show includes work by 63 amazing local artists.  All pieces in the show are 5''x5'' and sell for $130, framed.  There will also be an online viewing option on the Collab's website.

My husband George Farnsworth deserves a big thank you for all his time listening to me fret and help working through this project.  Without his love and support these crazy projects would not be possible.  Thank you so much Georgie.   

SYNCHRONICITY

I have to tell you one final story.  Somewhere in the middle of this project I switched purses.  I took everything out of one purse at the dining room table and put it into my pretty blue bag from Guatemala.  The next day I was walking through the dining room into the kitchen when I saw a piece of paper on the floor.  When I picked it up and unfolded it, I realized it was the scrap of paper that came with a tiny stone that I purchased a couple years ago.  The words on the paper read, "Lapis: Stimulates inner vision to give you wisdom, insight and good judgement." I wondered if the little stone was still in my purse.

I found my purse and reached in, hoping that it was still there.  I was so happy when I felt the cool, smooth stone between my fingers.  Both the stone and the scrap of paper had been in that purse for many years. I decided it was time to take the stone out where I could see and feel it more often.  I didn't realize until I was writing this post that the "Medicine Buddha" is sometimes called the "Lapis Lazuli Light Buddha!"  I love synchronicity and when the universe gives me a sign like that, I take it as a message I am on the right path.

MEDICINE BUDDHA

If anyone is interested in learning more about Medicine Buddha healing, here is a nice description of the practice: 

Giving a simplified description of the practice, we can say that it begins with preliminary mantras and prayers and then—and this is the wonderful part—one visualizes the Medicine Buddha, blue in color like the Vaiduriya jewel. One then goes on to visualize the Medicine Buddha’s healing energy radiating in all directions, especially to the person named, practicing the healing mantra Tadyatha Om Bhekhaze Bhekhaze Maha Bhekhaze Bhekhaze Radza Samungate Swaha for at least one mala or 108 repetitions, and then one dissolves into the “great seal of emptiness," or rests the mind in the natural state, and dedicates the merit to all sentient beings. It is a beautiful, transformational sadhana which heals both the person who is the focus of attention as well as the practitioner. The practice is most effective when the person suffering is engaged in the process—they also practice the healing mantras and invite the healing in. (Source: Buddhist Door)

And this article by David Michie, "How to Invoke the Medicine Buddha" provides a wonderful description of the practice.  Here is a beautiful excerpt:

Visualize Medicine Buddha sitting, looking at you. He is depicted as having a dark blue (lapis lazuli) body, this being an archetypal color of healing. With his left hand he holds a bowl of healing nectars, and with his right a medicine plant. In your visualization, he is at about the height of your forehead, a few feet in front of you, gazing at you with as much love as a mother for her only child. He is everything beautiful gathered into one.

And here are two YouTube links so you can hear the mantra:

If you are on a healing journey, I send you strength, wish you good luck, and hope the blue light of the "Medicine Buddha" envelopes you in love and well-being.

ADDNENDUM: DOUBLE SYNCHRONICITY

The day I was printing the stones I was in the basement listening to Pandora as I always do.  In the middle of printing a song came on that I had never heard before.  This happens sometimes and I hardly notice.  But this particular song caught my attention because it sounded quite different from my usual music.  At the time I thought it sounded African.  And what I really noticed was that it was SO repetitive and went on and on.  I simply noted it and couldn't even look at my phone because my hands were inky.  

At the end of writing this blog post I went to YouTube and entered "Medicine Buddha Mantra."  It came up with several options.  When I clicked the song by Maneesh de Moor (second one above), I couldn't believe my ears!  It was the same song I heard while printing earlier in the week!  What are the chances that the Medicine Buddha mantra would come on while I was printing Medicine Buddha stones!?  It felt like a giant wink from the universe.  I am so grateful for it and to be doing what I am doing.  Thank you universe!

Mid Century Modern House Sketch

Every time I draw someone's house it is an adventure.  It is sort of like reading a book where you know the main character will experience trials and tribulations and beauty and there is risk involved.  You don't know how it will turn out...or if it will turn out at all... or if their actions will lead them to ruin or success. 

The main difficulty with this illustration was the thin white scrolled columns on the porch. I debated whether or not to try and leave white areas white from the beginning.  But I knew the lines were too thin and I would probably not be able to do that.  I also considered using a masking pen, but sometimes the masking fluid comes out globby.  And sometimes removing the masking can rip the paper.  So I decided to use a white pen.  I knew I liked my Uniball Signo white pen and realized mine had dried up when I did a sample test.  When I went to the art store, the woman working the front desk was super helpful and also suggested the thin tipped Posca pens.  In the end I used both...the Posca for the straight lines and the Uniball for the scrolls.

I can't tell you how nerve wracking it is to work for days on an illustration and to then have one shot at making perfect white lines.  The fear of messing it up grows daily.  I try not to think too much about it and I just dive in and hope for the best.  For the most part the white pens worked great.  In a couple spots they petered out and I had to make the lines twice.  I can't tell you how relieved I was when I finished those lines!  

"Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it."

― Judy Blume

Below you can see some work in progress photos.  The first one shows the inked-in pencil drawing.     

Above you can see my messy desk.  I like to work in front of the computer so I can zoom in on the photo if I need to.  Below is a close-up of the early layers of watercolors.

"Architecture is basically a container of something.
I hope they will enjoy not so much the teacup, but the tea."

– Yoshio Taniguchi

The final chapter of this illustration's story was meeting the home owner.  She invited me in and I got to meet her niece and nephew and see her beautiful art collection.  I learned her house was built in 1954 by noted Cincinnati architect Leslie Moss.  I got to see some of the interior details like the curved cove ceilings and the welcoming open split-level entry way.  The house also includes a well-preserved pink-and-green tiled bathroom and a yellow-and-black tiled kitchen.  The current owner removed carpet that had been there for decades to reveal pristine oak floors.  She also decorated the house with mid-century furniture and decor that accents the house perfectly.  Her art collection was incredible and includes work by Cincinnati artists Terence Hammonds, Dylan Tennison, and Jolie Harris...and now me!

I so enjoy seeing people's homes inside and out.  It was a delight to meet my neighbor and to illustrate her house.  It is a special treat when the homeowner clearly loves their house and appreciates all the little details.  A big thank you to her for supporting me on this art adventure.   

Harrison Ford House Sketch

Recently a neighbor commissioned me to do a house portrait.  I met this neighbor a few years ago while I was on a walk and noticed a bulldog in their front yard.  I LOVE bulldogs so I stopped and asked if I could pet the dog.  She said I could and that his name was Harrison Ford.  I proceeded to squat down and called his name.  Next thing I knew, Harrison Ford was coming towards me, hopped up to greet me, and pushed me all the way onto my back.  Harrison was not a light boy!  He let me pet him and tolerated my love with an aloof, heavy-jowled disdain appropriate for a bulldog.

As I was saying goodbye, his owner mentioned that Harrison Ford had an Instagram account (@harrisonfordbulldog).  When I got home I looked him up and was amazed that Harrison had quite the following!  Currently he has over 50,000 followers and is indeed a world-famous bulldog!  In addition to the incredibly cute photos, Harrison's comments are hilarious.  If you are an animal-lover you must go there now and give him a follow.

So when Harrison's human mom asked me to do a house portrait I naturally asked if she wanted Harrison to be on the front steps.  I was surprised when she hesitated.  But the reason she paused was that Harrison was going to become a big brother in a couple days and she wasn't sure if I would be willing to put them both in.  She sent me a photo of little Norman Peanut and I couldn't even believe the cuteness overload.  I told her I would be happy to put them both in the portrait, even though they might be small.  

Norman Peanut and Harrison Ford

Below you can see the black and white drawing before adding watercolor.

And here is the mostly-finished portrait after adding color.

A close-up so you can see the boys.

I love how you never know how a brief encounter may affect your life.  Little did I know when I left for my walk that day that I would encounter a world-famous bulldog and end up sketching his house!  So much magic in this world.

"Fate has a weird way of circling back over paths that were meant to cross." 

—Gail McHugh

"Paths cross all the time in this world of ours, sometimes in the strangest places." 

—Stephen King

A special thank you to Harrison and Norman's mom Sarah for letting me use her beautiful photos,
commissioning the portrait, and for her incredible sense of humor.  

Trains Sketch - Cincinnati Railyards

“...what thrills me about trains is not their size or their equipment but the fact that they are moving, that they embody a connection between unseen places.”

― Marianne Wiggins

Last December I woke up one day and decided it was time to photograph the Cincinnati railyards you can see off the Western viaduct.  I had glimpsed this scene every time I went to Tiger Lily printmaking studio on the west side and always had in the back of my head that I would stop one day to take photos.  

I wasn't sure where we would be able to park, or even if it would be possible to walk out onto the bridge.  For those of you that don't live in Cincinnati, the viaduct is a very distinctive double-decked bridge built in the 1930's that spans the Mill Creek and connects the west side to I-75 and downtown.  According to this website, "At 3,500ft. in length it is twice as long as any of the Ohio River bridges and has as much character as several of them put together."  But it was not the viaduct I was interested in...I was more interested in the view of the railyards and the cityscape.

So George and I parked at an abandoned-looking building on the west side and made our way towards the bridge.  There were stairs that led up to the bridge and then we found a decent-sized sidewalk at the top.  But the cars whizzing by still felt too close and it made me want to get my photos as quickly as possible and get back to the car.  It was kind of thrilling, but scary.  Below you can see a short video of the green train approaching the viaduct.

It is hard to see online, but there is a lone person visible in the sketch.  I zoomed in below so you could see him. 

Here is the sketch before I watercolored it.

“...the restlessness and the longing, like the longing that is in the whistle of a faraway train. Except that the longing isn't really in the whistle—it is in you.”

― Meindert DeJong, The Little Cow and the Turtle

Living in Cincinnati you can almost always hear the low, moaning bellows of trains in the distance...especially at night.  For some reason I find this sound comforting.

I am also reminded of a story that Rick Archer recounts on the Buddha at the Gaspump podcast I listen to.  He tells the story of a man who was rushing to catch a train.  The man had to hustle, carrying his baggage and barely made it up the steps and into the train compartment.  Once the train left the station, the man stood in the aisle, hands clenched tightly holding onto his luggage.  Someone approached the man and said, "You know, you can put your luggage down.  The train will carry it for you."

Something about this story really resonated with me.  Whenever I find myself tense and trying to tightly control this ride we are on, I try and remind myself that it is safe to relax and put my worries down.  Life will carry both me and my baggage.