Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Off to Santa Fe and feeling like a jet-setter

I haven't had a spare moment to post anything since leaving for Santa Fe. I had the great good fortune to have my daughter and her friend Paulo fly me out in his plane. It was quite an experience to be arriving in a private plane....what a treat. I took a few aerial pictures but I'm having problems with the computer "finding" my camera connection for some reason. If I can figure it out I'll post some pictures but it may have to wait until I return home.

There are quite a few of the artists attending the Ron Pokrasso Monotype workshop staying at the same place so we're getting acquainted and traveling back and forth to the printmaking building at the American Indian Arts Institute south of town.

There is just SO MUCH to learn. It's so exciting to be learning the ins and outs of another means of enriching my painting and collage work. Ron is a super, energetic, knowledgeable teacher and so generous with his time with all of us. There are some who have done some printmaking in the past but several of us haven't. We come from all over, California, Connecticut, Florida, North Dakota,Texas (me), Arizona and several live here in Santa Fe.

We are all working hard.....standing all day is a given. This workshop is sponsored by Making Art Safely ...www.makingartsafely.com and they strive to have as few chemicals used in the studio as possible. We are using oil based inks but clean all the plates, brushes, palettes, brayers, etc. with a product new to me SoySolv. I'll be sure to get some if I continue to use oil based paints and inks in the future. We use Gamsol only as necessary and I haven't been bothered with the smell at all.

We spent a lot of time today learning about adding chine colle to the monotype. I got two that I like a lot more than the three I started with yesterday. They definately will have more work done on them before they're finished. Of course, some may never see the light of day anywhere :>). You have to have a few duds now and then and they serve their purpose of learning a new process.

Well...gotta got put these swollen feet up and rest up for tomorrow and another day of discovering more about monotypes.

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