It 's a "dog eat dog world"

I'm sorry to say.

That's my thought for today.

(Do your part not to join in now.)

DOGEATDOGWORLD

mODERN fARM aRT

That's what I would call some of the printmaking art that I do or maybe modern scenic or something? I also do a lot more than scenery and barns. If I lived in New York my art would probably be a lot of sky scrapers against the clouded sky and sunsets I guess. I love the country side, the trees and how the sky looks behind them even when there are no leaves. There is so much chaos and negitive news in our world all the time and then we go to our homes and watch a murder mystery... well we need some serenity, "serenity art" a place to escape to once and a while. I hope I can make some art with that feeling of "a nice place to clear your mind", to slow down and get your thoughts together, a distraction from the daily grind.
(the picture above, by the way is called "Bare Trees" - based on an actual sky one evening in Indiana country side, I took many pictures and then designed this artwork based on those photos)

I grew up in Colorado...

I grew up in Colorado so I love the west, but I moved out to Indiana when I was in my early twenties so now I love the farmland of the Midwest also. I have a lot of art that looks like those areas and other places in the United States where I have visited or lived. I like to take pictures constantly of woods and the sky, and barns and so on. I get inspiration from the photos and some artwork will have been inspired by maybe one photo or maybe ten or it might be just something out of my head that I clearly remember when traveling. Other people such as my daughter have helped with ideas also, this artwork was based on a photo she took on the Colorado national monument of a pinion tree. I just call it "Pinion". It has been in the Fort Wayne Museum of Art twice for special local art displays. It was printed using seven plates that I hand carved and then printed by hand.



I use wood blocks and extruded PVC sheets and other materials that I can cut and carve. I lay out the drawing in reverse on all the plates. It prints the mirror image. A lot of work goes into each picture. I usually do a edition of 250 or less.



I am real particular about the type of paper I use. I only use 100% acid free papers to print onto. I normally use a smooth pressed bristol paper. I use environmentally friendly water based printing inks made especially for professional block printing.