Lily S. May–Life with Art
I began carving this print last month on gomuban, a Japanese carving material that's like a synthetic rubber, similar to linoleum but smoother and a little easier to carve. It began as lines and shapes of movement and developed into an expression of love of plants and flowers. I had recently been to Le Jardin… Continue reading Botanical Garden
Here's two very small prints--under four inches longest side each--that I made while thinking of entering a print exchange in the UK. Nothing was going smoothly and I finally decided not to enter the show. The first one morphed from a sunny face into one that began looking like some politicians I dislike and into… Continue reading Two Tiny Prints & A Show
Yesterday I printed the "Portrait of a Wary Bird" in black oil based ink. It's on a lovely Japanese paper whose name I have unfortunately misplaced. Here she or he is:
This is a proof of my most recent block print. I've been using this blue water-based ink for proofing because it's easy to clean up. It gives me enough of an idea of the shapes and textures to see if I need to make any changes. For completed prints I use a washable oil based… Continue reading Portrait of a Wary Bird
Here's part of the proof of the lino block that I showed in my last post. The full print had a bit too much body and humorously looked like a cross between a cloud and sheep. When I played around with folding the paper, I preferred the image you see here. I'm going to print… Continue reading Amended Lino
I'm still out here. I've been ill off and on but now I want to show you what I've been doing over the last month. First of all I received the catalogue for the international miniature print exhibits that I was in. It was fabulous to see one of my prints among so many excellent… Continue reading Back Again
This is another block print I recently made but did not enter in The Heart Show that the other four will be in. I felt this one--another version of a heart of fire--stood outside the series I had made and stood on its own. So, another time and place... The Heart Show--January 30 - February… Continue reading Another Heart and A Show
Here are the 4 block prints I've made for the upcoming heart show at Gerrard Art Space in Toronto. The gallery has called for submissions of up to four pieces which got me thinking about the four chambers of the heart. This led me to the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. Though I… Continue reading Aspects of the Heart
In December, I saw a tree near the Allan Gardens Conservatory in Toronto in full sun. I believe the tree is a sycamore or plane tree. With the sun full on it, the tree appeared to give off light. Here's one of the photos I took of it. In December, I also received a surprise… Continue reading This and That
This is the 2nd block print that I've carved out of softoleum over the last two weeks. Softoleum is, as its name suggests, a softer than linoleum carving material. This print, like the one in my previous post, is around 4" x 6". I adapted the print from a line drawing I made a few years… Continue reading In the Beginning
Arts of May 