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Here's a photo detail of one of the sketches I'm working on for my current series of etchings. This group will be on copper plates that are 5 inches by 8 inches. I'm attempting to create a more three-dimensional look to my work. Also, I intend to experiment with some backgrounds based on what I've learned about the false biting I've been getting. I'd like to see if I could get it intentionally. However, I need to do a little bit more experimenting with the process.
I have the day off today, but I spent most of it doing errands related to the studio. I went down to K-Surplus in National City where they have all kinds of metal bolts, screws, bearings, washers, and who knows what else. Things that look interesting to me but that I can't identify. I found some more roller bearings and bronze washers that I had purchased before. They make nice "beads" for necklaces. I thought especially the bronze ones would make a nice chain when combined with some gold-filled wire.
Later I went to another store where I got a cheese shaker to put French chalk in and a bottle with a spout to store ammonia in. I can carry those down to the ladies room where I can use the sink to de-grease my etching plates. I think that's the problem I'm having is not getting rid of the grease. Now I just need to get some cotton balls to use to clean off the plates. Well, maybe tomorrow I'll use paper towels if I don't have a chance to pick up some cotton balls.
As I was driving around in my car today, it occured to me that I should make a list. Well, really, I know that. I just don't seem to be doing that for some reason. Maybe it's because I don't think the whole process through at one time. I just concentrate on one part of it. Well, certainly that makes getting organized so drawn out, but by doing without the various items, I now see the value of having them. I don't just take them for granted the way I did when I was in a classroom environment where everything was provided for me.
Last night some of us went to a birthday party given for Andy, my next door neighbor, the glassblower. Her birthday is actually next weekend, but we celebrated early. I made her a copper key tag with some words etched on the back. It turned out fairly well, but it was during the process of making it that I realized what my problem was with the grease. I also think there a possibility that using the ammonia to neutralize the etching solution is important as well.
Here's a photo I took this evening in my studio. The fabric covered table runs the entire length of the studio and has a shelf underneath where I store things. On top, as you can see, I have my jewelry displayed. On the far right, you may be able to discern the tall stand with the necklaces suspended from it. It's rather hard to see. I want to paint it black or navy blue so that it's not so obviously PVC. However, it works very well to display the longer necklaces. I was sitting at my table this evening looking over at it, and I noticed how the crystals in the necklaces glitter in the light as they moved ever so slightly.
When I came out of my house this morning, I was surprised to find it raining. Well, I suppose if you live in a rainy climate, you'd laugh to hear it called rain. However, it was a rather heavy drizzle. And it was still raining by the time I got to Spanish Village. My outside worktable, chair, and umbrella were wet. After greeting the glassblower who was working outside under her canopy, I immediately disappeared inside and turned on all the lights against the grey day.
I don't mind the rain. We certainly need it, but I find I have to sit outside to draw on my etching plates. I can't see in the studio because the light causes the wrong reflection. I realized I'd have to wait unless I wanted to sit in the rain. I didn't want to sit in my studio and not work. So I spent time looking up some information in one of my books and reading the printmaking supplies catalog. I could have switched to working on jewelry to keep myself busy, but I wasn't mentally prepared for it.
Finally, around noontime, it stopped raining and I went to work outside. One of the Spanish Village artists came to talk to me about altered books. Her mother just died and she says she'd like to preserve some of the memories and feelings she has right now. She expressed interest in my journals and books several years ago when I first started making altered books. She said I had inspired her to create a book, that she had never seen anyone else making them.
She wanted to know how I happened to be creating them. I tried to trace back in my mind, but I couldn't remember, only that I have been keeping a journal for about 20 years, on and off. And I've always decorated them and pasted things in them. Now I find them a great place to store other items such as money order stubs, receipts, phone numbers, labels from bottles, articles from magazines. Anything I want to keep and lots of things I just keep, for no particular reason.
Currently I'm keeping a journal in which I keep track of what I eat each day. It was something my personal trainer asked me to do. At first, I just wrote down food information, but soon I was filling the backs of the pages with all kinds of information. I showed her what I was doing currently. It's so nice to have an interaction like that with other artists, each of us encouraging the other in some way, learning from the other, being inspired.
I've started using the pages in my food journal to draw on. I've created six or eight drawings that would make a nice series of etchings. They're a slightly different size than the others I've created. I discovered early in my etching career that I could buy very nice, thick. acid-free mats that fit in standard size frames. They were particularly nice because they have a larger than usual amount of white mat around the opening, making them look elegant and expensive. So I use to cut all my etching plates to fit within the openings of the mats. Now it seems I may not be able to get them anymore which means I'll have to get them custom made for about three times what I was paying. But the advantage is that I can create a series of etchings in a different size.
I'm beginning to find that the size of things can cause me to modify or change a project. I have to worry about the size of my jewelry wire, the size of my glass dish, the size of the mat opening, the size of the saucer to catch water under my plant, the size of the foot of the computer monitor, the length of the ruler, the . . . . It goes on and on. I just have to laugh and keep going.
Here's a photo of a large pot of plants that stands in front of the Prado restaurant in Balboa Park. I went there for lunch with my parents. The food was good and after all the hot weather we've been having, the air conditioning alone was well worth the visit. But really, it was better than it's cooling system. The service was good and the decor is attractive. It is located in one of the old buildings in the Park. In the old days it was called Casa del Rey Moro, House of the Moorish King. I remember going there with my husband when he was alive. The Park is close to where I live and easy to get to.
My parents enjoyed seeing my studio for the first time. My mother said she'd like to come back with her camera and take photos to show her friends. When I get my printer hooked up, I'm thinking about trying to print out the pages of my blog. I expect that could work. There might be a particular entry that would work for a brochure, too. I'm not sure until I consider the matter.
Anyway, my day was spent mostly on other things besides work. I didn't even bring a sketchbook home with me. However, I did take photos while we waited for the restaurant to open for lunch, so I could say that was the work for my day off. Everyone needs a little leisure time, to think of and do other things.
I took this photo just as we were getting ready to close up, the end of another Fourth Thursday. It didn't seem to me there were as many visitors tonight as last month. Of course, the weather has been so humid that I'm not sure people want to be outside. On the other hand, Southern California doesn't usually experience these kinds of temperature and humidity levels, and most of us don't have air conditioning in our homes. But we don't have it in Spanish Village either.
I spent the day cleaning up my studio in preparation for my parents' visit tomorrow morning. Everyone was teasing me, saying "clean up your room before your parents get here." I don't mind that. I'm very happy with how the studio looks right now, all tidy. There are still a variety of things I'd like to do, but I've made lots of progress since last year.
I created a display stand for my longer necklaces out of PVC. Today one of the artists found a board among his supply and attached the base of the stand to it. Now I can hang my longer necklaces on it, and they don't have to be wrapped a number of times around a display form or left lying on the table.
The other thing that's exciting is that the photographer/artist in the studio next door has started installing the equipment for the wi-fi (wireless network). He put a router in the office where we have a DSL connection. Next he will try an antenna on top of the building to see how far the signal will reach. The office is located mid-Village, but one of the people who wants to use the network is located all the way at one end. So we need a fairly wide range. We should be able to get there in the next couple of days. I'm excited. I'll have to rearrange things in my office to accommodate my computer, printer, and scanner, but I don't mind. I'm thinking about what to do already.
Here's a photo I took out in front of one of the other studios. It's some kind of grass that's blooming. I think it's very pretty. I've been looking at all the plants around me, getting inspiration for my etchings. I find myself drawing plants in all shapes and sizes. They're not the least bit realistic, but they look like plants to me. I think other people see them that way as well. With all the plants in Balboa Park and just in Spanish Village itself, I'm bound to be influenced.
I think I've discovered what the problem with my etching is. One of the things I haven't done that I learned to do in class was to clean any grease off the plates before putting the asphaltum on them. I've been skipping that step, partly because I didn't have the French chalk needed to clean them with. However, I do now have some and I'm going to try cleaning them.
I discovered this fact today when I took a small copper plate and added more asphaltum to it, thinking that would prevent the false biting. But there was a great deal anyway. That's what made me think that I need to clean the plates better. So that's what I'll try next.
I took some small pieces of brass and the small piece of copper and put them in the ferric chloride together. In order to keep them from touching the bottom of the dish, I suspended them with masking tape. The copper had a lot of false biting. The brass had almost none. The lines on the brass weren't as deep. And some of the copper bonded to the brass, a fact that I thought was interesting as well.
I definitely want to experiment more with the brass. It occurs to me that this time I bit the pieces for two hours today. That might be part of the reason why the copper lines were deep. I have a big piece of brass that I can etch tomorrow, to see how it does. And I'll try leaving it in for at least two hours or more, to see how deep the lines become.
Tomorrow is Fourth Thursday, so I'll be there late. Since I'm having company on Friday, I'll spend most of my time cleaning up and organizing my studio. I really need to do that. I've been putting it off, but I feel slightly embarrassed when people go in my studio and see it so messy. I have a pretty good idea of where I want everything to go, so I can take care of it.
Here's a photo of one of the etchings I printed yesterday. A great deal of the color mostly in the corners is due to false biting. That's what happens when the ferric chloride gets under the asphaltum ground and bites the plate. Little pits are made which then hold ink. Some irregularities in the print are nice, but the ones I printed yesterday have too many. I will try to repair some of it, as much as I can.
The etching process involves a number of steps and there is room for error everywhere. I have definitely learned from my current etching and printing activities. Since this is the first time I've performed the process on my own, not in the classroom, I have had various differences to adjust to. I have done almost no etching on copper until now, only once. In that particular case, I also had a problem with false biting. So when I use copper, I need to apply the asphaltum ground more thickly. I also learned from my printing experience yesterday that I want to make sure my ink is not too thick or it will cause the very fine lines to run together into a solid shape. I don't want that to happen.
And the other amazing thing is that the little pieces of brass that I printed turned out to have very crisp clean lines and there was no false biting whatsoever. My friend point out the fact that it might be the way I applied the ground, which is true, but I want to investigate using brass for printing.
Then it occured to me that I could take a rather heavy piece of brass that I have and make a nice etched sign for my studio door. Spanish Village requires us to post our hours of operation in our window. I have no window that a visitor could look in through, but I could hang a brass sign on the door itself. So that's a new project for me.
While I was sitting at my worktable this afternoon, a man walked by and then stopped. He was the original City worker who patched the holes in the walls of my studio. He was working on one of the other studios across the patio, and he came over to see me. We talked for awhile, and I told him that I have noticed how much more productive I am now that I have the studio. Because I'm required to be there for five hours per day, five days a week, I have lots of time that I can devote to my artwork. And that makes me very happy. In fact, five hours is almost never enough time. I worked until six tonight and would have stayed longer if I didn't have other commitments that I felt I needed to meet.
This coming Thursday is Fourth Thursday, and my parents are coming to see my studio on Friday, so I'm motivated to straighten things up some. Usually, I just want to work on my art, but I really need to do some housekeeping, including putting things away, moving the track lights, and hanging the mirror I brought from home. And maybe I'll have time for my door sign and to paint the door itself. So much to do.
Here's a close-up photo of one of the philodendron leaves. The white in the center is a whole lot of white, waxy blossoms that dropped down from the palm tree overhead. I heard a little rustling sound while I was sitting at my outside worktable this morning getting ready to go and print some of my etching plates. When I finally got up to go back inside, I noticed the flowers in the creases of the leaves. I'd like to do an etching of a large leaf with small flowers in the middle of it. And while I stood looking at the flowers in the leaf, I heard the rain bird come on again. It was about 10:00 this morning when I heard it. We've had such hot weather, and I'm happy the grounds crew is making sure that everything is well watered.
I spent about three hours this morning working on another etching plate which I did not finish and tearing up my paper in preparation for making prints. When I got to my friends house, I soaked it in a water bath to soften it. Then right before printing, you take the paper out and blot it between two blotters. That way it's damp but not wet when you put it through the press.
I printed four plates that are intended to be etchings and an additional eight plates that are intended to be made into jewelry. Four of those were out of brass. They turned out very well, and I like the idea of cutting the plates and then printing the pieces reassembled. The disadvantage is that if the pieces are small and/or long and thin, they are hard to prepare for printing. But I managed to do it.
I think it's been two years since I printed any etchings. I admit, it was nice to get back and do it. I thought I was going to hate doing it, but it was very enjoyable. I'd like to do it some more. I have several friends who have printing presses. Particularly one of my single friends has been begging me to go over to her house and use her press with her. I'm definitely going to call her about doing so. It was great fun,
Here's the peacock. I think you can see from this photo that his tail feathers are now much longer. Well, really, I have no idea whether it's the same bird, but Andy, the glassblower says she thinks he is, that he comes back to get peanut butter pretzels that one of her students was feeding him. Certainly, he went right for her studio doorway while she went to get some pretzels. He ate a little bit, but not all the pieces she tossed to him. Then he walked around our little patio and even behind my table before he went sauntering off down the side of the main patio.
When I first arrived this morning at Spanish Village, about 9:00, the first thing I heard when I walked into my studio was the rain bird come on again. I don't know how long it ran this morning, because I was anxious to get to work at my outside table. I've made arrangements to do some etching at a friend's house tomorrow, and I had a lot to do. I still could do a whole lot more to be better prepared.
One problem I had was that even though the glass pan I bought said it measures 9 by 13, I wasn't able to put my 9 by 9 plate into the etching solution, because the measurement is at the top of the pan, not the base. So there were two plates I didn't etch, the two largest ones. Really only one is finished. I did however bite (etch) one of the 9 by 7 plates and both 4 by 6 plates. Unfortunately, I didn't apply the asphaltum heavily enough, and there is a great deal of "false biting." That is what happens when the asphaltum isn't thick enough and the etching solution gets under the asphaltum and bites wherever it touches the copper.
I didn't have that problem previously. I'm not sure why. It might be the hot weather or just that the asphaltum was thicker on the other plates. But as a result, I took the other 9 by 7 plate back inside and put more asphaltum on it. I still haven't drawn on it, and I'm not sure I'll get it finished and bit by tomorrow at noontime, but I can start on it.
I sat at my table for hours, only getting up to check on my plates as they etched. Finally about 6:30 one of the artists from a studio down at the end came by and looked at my plates. He said, "This is the coolest thing I've seen in the Village for a long time." That was very nice feedback, especially since I consider him to be one of the best artists in the Village. Another artist came by earlier and made similar comments about a piece of brass I am planning to make into four bracelets. She also is a very fine artists, another of the best. It was very nice to have such positive feedback from two artists I have a high regard for. It made all those hours of work and my backache worth it.
Here's a photo of the patio this afternoon. Actually, by the time I took it, the weather had begun to cool down a little. You can see thunder heads behind the tree, especially on the right. I never remember a summer this hot. I looked at the weather report on my telephone this afternoon about 1:00 p.m. and it said the temperature was 95 degrees. In fact, it was so hot, several of the Spanish Village board members decided to allow artists to go home if they wanted to. You can see how "white hot" the patio looks.
I stayed, because my house is right near the Village, and I thought it would be just as hot. And I had spent a fair amount of time talking to several artists and the guy who collects cans, so I wanted to continue working. I'm scheduled to use my friend's printer on Monday to print some of my etchings. I'm looking forward to that, but I still have a great deal of work to do before I'm ready to print.
Actually, today was a day that I wished would never end. I stayed and etched at my table until nearly 8:00 p.m. this evening. I love to use the needle to draw on the asphaltum covered copper. The needle goes down through the wax which provides a certain stability, and I feel it actually drawing into the copper. Anyone with a very light touch might not mark the copper, but I always press hard enough to. Of course, afterwards I etch the plates in etching solution. I've tried just drawing on the plate, but the lines really aren't quite deep enough.
I sat at my table outside, and I tried not to think about the fact that in another six months it will be too cold and too dark to consider doing what I did this evening. I love the long, warm days so much that I feel I must take advantage of every one, before they're gone again. I can't bear to waste them. I stayed so long at the Village, that finally I went inside as it began to get dark. While I was sitting inside, at about 8:00 p.m., I heard the rain bird behind the building go on for about 10 minutes. I've never heard it before, but I'm not sure I've been working inside that late before.
Here's a photo taken from almost the same spot as the one in yesterday's post. In this photo, I'm shooting more southwest rather than southeast. My studio is to the left behind this studio which is called Gallery 21. The Gallery has rotating shows that last for two-week stretches and is usually occupied by artists who are not members of Spanish Village. There are frquently interesting shows, and I like to view them because they give me an opportunity to see what other artists in the area are doing. It's very helpful for all of us to interact and exchange ideas.
Today was my day off. I took my father to the eye doctor and spent the time while I was waiting for him to work on one of the 4 by 6 inch etchings that I started yesterday. I made some good progress. When I am working on a piece, I can wrap it in paper to protect the resist and carry it around in my purse. Then when I find myself in a place waiting for some reason, I can take it out and work on it. When my husband was ill, I use to spend a great deal of time in doctors' offices and the hospital working on etchings. In fact, probably all my old etchings were created under those circumstances. Now I find that sitting at my table in front of my studio is an even more productive way to work.
After visiting my parents, I stopped at Industrial Metal Supply to buy some scrap brass and some more copper. I'm going to try etching a large enough piece of brass to make some bracelets. I also looked at some thicker brass that they said they could cut for me, and I thought I might make them into keychain pendants. But that project is a little further down the road. In the meantime, I have lots of copper and brass to keep my etching for at least a couple of weeks.
Here's a photo I took in about 7:00 p.m. this evening. I went back to Spanish Village to deliver a plant that I bought at the grocery store. I did buy some groceries as well, but I found I couldn't resist the palm as well. It was reasonably priced. In this photo you can see the arched window on the left. Further along the wall is a second arched window. My outside work table is located between the two arched windows.
I sat out at my table today and spent the whole day working on etching plates. In a period of four hours, I managed to create a 4 by 6 inch etching on one of the copper plates I had cut. I then started a second piece the same size. I bought a sketchbook that measures 4 by 6 inches, and I've been drawing in it. There are quite a few of the sketches that I think are worth turning into etchings. I'm considering doing a whole series of them, maybe six or eight. I also have a 4 by 4 inch sketchbook with drawings in it, but I seem to have misplaced it.
The weather remains unseasonably warm for us this time of year. Today, however, we did have a nice ocean breeze, and as long as we have one, we are quite comfortable. There were very few visitors in the Village, less so than in previous summers, or so it seems. We'll see what the weekend brings. Today was Opening Day of the horse races at Del Mar, so maybe lots of people went up there. We do find that other events can draw crowds away from the Park.
I was happy just to sit and draw on the copper plates. I really enjoy that process. I took pieces of copper and brass over to the Enamel Guild so I could cut them. I now have an additional four strips of copper that I can make into bracelets. I'll borrow the drill press this weekend and work on them. It occured to me that maybe I could make other items besides bracelets. I thought about getting thick pieces of brass that could be used to make medallions for key rings. I love making something is that is not going to be printed, because I can write on it and not worry about the lettering being backwards, the way it is with a printed etching.
Here's my garden. One of the artists rearranged it and did some gardening as well. You can see the tree fern in the back. Unfortunately it's sojourn in the sun caused all it's leaves to turn brown. But it has several new ones coming out, so all is not lost. Meanwhile the philodendron is very happy. You can see it in front there in the middle.
I spent the day preparing some plates for etching. I also spent some time looking through the catalog they sent me from Graphic Chemical and Ink Co. The catalog is very informative. I learned, for example, that I can use the ferric chloride solution to etch zinc as well as copper, but not in the same bath. So I need to get another glass dish for etching zinc. I'm thrilled because I've got a number of zinc plates lying around that I never used when I was in school. I prefer to use the copper because I think it gives a better line, but I'd like to use up the zinc plates I have. Now I have that option.
I find that when I'm actually drawing on the plates, I need to sit outside under my umbrella. I can't see as well when I'm inside. The light is too strong or is coming from too many directions or something. The natural light is the best, especially in the late afternoon. I noticed that when I worked in the very first studio I shared with another artist in Spanish Village. That was in 2001. I use to sit in the open doorway in the late afternoon and draw on my plates.
Last night I went to the drugstore to buy . . . drugs. Nothing exotic, just over-the-counter ones. And I wound up with this gardenia plant. You can see the flower near the middle. It's a pretty plant and I know it will do well in the shade outside my door. It was getting a little late afternoon sun, but mostly it will be in the shade.
I guess an artist should diversify to stay in business, like a drugstore. Certainly I'm moving away from jewelry right now anyway. I'm really getting a great deal of pleasure out of creating etched metal. Today I put two pieces of brass in with some copper to see how the brass would etch. It worked well. Now that gives me another option. I'm curious to see whether I can use it to make printed etchings. Certainly I can make it into jewelry. And it could be medallions for keychains as well perhaps.
I wasn't nearly as intimidated by the ferric chloride as I was last time. I got another bottle last night. Too bad I can't get that at the drugstore, too, but I had to go elsewhere. Anyway, I added it to the amount that I had in the glass pan already. It is now deep enough to submerge my plates. But when I poked around in it to fish out the plates, I wound up splashing it on my shirt. I'll bet it won't come out. And I painted the back of the plates with the liquid asphaltum which then made a big mess when I used mineral spirits to clean it off. But now I'm prepared for that too; I went to the auto parts store and bought some hand cleaner, the kind that has grit in it.
Eventually I'll have everything I need. I guess I don't know what I do need until I try the process, any process. Well, I suppose I could think back on what we had available when we took the class in college. I am doing that. There are a great many steps involved in creating etchings. I really enjoy making them. And I am realizing what I really enjoy is working with the metal itself. The printing process isn't as interesting to me. For that reason, I can see that I might prefer to just etch and use the metal to make jewelry.
However, speaking of printing, my order of ink and other supplies arrived today by UPS. I ordered everything from Graphic Chemicals, the supplier I'm familiar with from school. They sent me a catalog, and I see there are lots of other things I could order like water-based ink for relief printing, paper, plates for less than what I pay locally, other tools. I didn't have a chance to look at everything. One step at a time. There's just so much to do and only so much time in each day.
Here's a view down through Spanish Village that I took the other night when I was sitting at the Silent Auction booth. You can see how we've painted some of the concrete on the Patio. Usually a group of us gets busy before some event and paints the "stones" which are actually not stones but stamped concrete, certainly some of the original. I don't know how long the Patio has been like that, but the Village has been in existence since 1935.
Today was a day off for me. I spent time organizing things at home and setting aside things to take to the studio. I still had framed etchings that I wanted to take over. I've now done so, and I'll spend time tomorrow hanging them up. And I desperately need to clean up and go on with organizing in my studio as well. I also found a group of copper bracelets I made awhile back when I was studying metalsmithing. I've taken them over to the studio this evening as well. I'd like to see if I could do some etching on them even though they're made into bracelets already. I think I can use the liquid asphaltum on them. Anyway, I'll try it.
This evening when I was out, I got another bottle of ferric chloride to use for etching. When I was at Spanish Village on Sunday, I put asphaltum on some pieces of brass and I've drawn on those now, so I'll be ready to etch them tomorrow. I'm very curious to see how the brass will work, both for jewelry and maybe to see if I can use a piece to print an etching.
Anyway, it will be a busy week, getting better organized and finishing up my plates in preparation for getting them printed next Monday at my friend's house. Also, I'm going to set a goal of making another four bracelets this week and using etching ink on some of them to bring out the etch better.
Here's a photo I took this evening at Spanish Village. We had our annual Open House, the third Saturday of July. All the studios stay open until 9:00 p.m. and most of them have refreshments of one kind or another. However, over the years, whenever we have a Silent Auction, I help set it up and man the booth. You can see all those clipboards on the table in front of me. They have bid sheets on them.
Artists in the Village donate their artwork and I make labels on the computer for each piece, including the name of the artist, the name of the piece if there is one, the medium, the opening bid, and in which studio you can find more work by that artist. I also make the bid sheets which include most of the same information and have lines where bidders can write in their bids. Of course, the highest bid gets the piece. You have to be present when the bidding closes.
Bidders have until a given time to write down their name and their bid. It's open bidding, so you can see if someone has out bid you, and you have a chance to increase yours. When it gets close to the cutoff time for the bids, sometimes people pass the clipboards back and forth until the President calls time. The money collected from the bidders goes to help with the expenses of Spanish Village.
It took me about four hours to do all the paperwork for the auction. Then I spent the evening sitting at the table in the booth. Normally I wouldn't want to do that, but I was glad I did this time. I had decided earlier in the day to donate one of my etched copper bracelets be sold in the auction. If an artist donates a piece and it doesn't sell, it goes back to the artist. I decided that I wanted to see how my piece would be received and that I'd be perfectly happy to get it back if it didn't sell. But it did sell. When the first person wrote down a bid, I knew it was no longer mine.
The interesting thing about the experience was that three different people bid on it. A fourth person came up and asked me if I knew who the artist was and where she was located. It was nice to get positive feedback like that without having to specifically ask for it. I feel a certain loss of the bracelet, but I'm happy three people liked it enough to buy it. And I know of course that I will be able to make more. In fact, I have two more right now that I haven't put the rivets in.
Originally, I chose printmaking and specifically etching as a medium because prints are usually printed in editions of more than one. That means if I have an etching or relief print that I like, I can keep one for myself and print at least one more for someone else. The etched bracelets are a little different in that each one is a portion of a freehand drawing. However, I do have a recognizeable drawing style that will carry over from one bracelet to the next. And I think the bracelets are a good way to give many people an opportunity to enjoy my drawings which otherwise languish in sketchbooks on my shelves.
Here's a photo I took yesterday of the number on the wall that runs perpendicular to my front door. Below it to the left you can see the corner of the awning that covers the glassblowing platform. On the very left of the photo, you see part of the trunk of the palm tree that completely blocks the number from view. I like it though. It matches the style of a number of the others around the Village.
Actually, having a visible number beside or on the door doesn't really matter in the larger scheme of things. The blue and green canvas I have hanging in front of the studio attracts people in. I think that plus the lamp that you can see shining as you approach the door. People come in and look at the jewelry. Most of them don't notice the etchings. So I'll need to do something to call attention to them. I'll think of something.
About ten years ago, I had a business with two other people. We had great plans. But we use to say "We can't be CocaCola tomorrow." And that's something to keep in mind. While the world travels so fast around us, the pace at which we progress through our lives may seem akin to the proverbial snail's, but in the overall scheme, progress is being made. I'm making progress. I'm getting organized. My only fear is that I might stop making progress, improving, changing, growing. That frightens me the most of anything.
Today I was off from the studio. However, I did spend some time sketching. And I showed my new bracelets to a number of people who made comments about them including adding something to the grooves so the patterns show up better. This morning I took out one of my two notebooks of poetry that I've written over the years. I can see that some of it would fit with some of the etchings I'm working on now. I am determined to incorporate the two somehow. It's something I've wanted to do for quite awhile.
Here's one of the copper bracelets I made today. Well, actually that particular one is not finished yet. There are four bracelets in all. Two are completely finished and the other two still need to have rivets put in them to overlap the ends and hold them in place.
When I arrived at Spanish Village this morning, I wasnt' sure I could meet my goal of making a bracelet and I had some doubts during the day as well. I have injured my back, so I didn't feel as enthusiastic as I would have liked. However, after I left the gym this morning, I went to a grocery store where I was able to finally find ammonia. I almost didn't spot it down on the very bottom shelf. But it was there. I also bought three large roasting pans, one to put the copper piece in while I neutralize it with ammonia, and another to put the piece in while I clean it with mineral spirits to get the asphaltum off. I guess the third pan was for . . . who knows. I'm sure I can use it for something. Actually, I thought I might be able to etch in it, but the directions on the bottle of ferric chloride say to use glass, plastic, or rubber. So I used the glass dish I had already.
But first, before I put it in the chloride, I needed to protect the back. When we buy zinc plates to use for etchings at school, the back is always covered with some oil based laquer paint. But the copper I have is scraps of roofing copper and so it's not protected. My first thought was to paint the back with the liquid asphaltum I had. But I had no brush; however, while I was looking for one, I found a roll of masking tape. It seems to me that I used that in the past to protect the back. So I decided to try it. And it worked just fine.
The copper plate is supposed to be turned drawing side down, unlike zinc, and supported on something so that it doesn't touch the bottom of the pan. I tried some plastic beads I have to hold the plate, but when I poured the entire bottle of ferric chloride into the dish, the plate was suspended above the level of the liquid. So I took some masking tape, wadded it into two little balls, and put it under the plate. I was concerned that whatever I used would cause part of the plate to not etch. But that didn't seem to be the case either. However, I still had a problem getting the liquid to cover the plate, so I took two glass pieces that I have and placed them in the chloride, thinking to displace some of the liquid. That worked, but I think I need to get another bottle so that there's plenty of coverage.
When I etched copper once before, we left it in the ferric chloride for two hours. However, it was at night, the weather was cool, and we left the dish outside. Since the weather is so warm right now, I checked the etch a number of times and finally removed the piece after one and a half hours. The etch is deep enough, but I'd like to try a really deep etch, too, at some point.
After I removed the plate from the chloride, neutralized it, cleaned it with mineral spirits and then soap and water, I took it to the Enamel Guild to use their shear to cut it. First I cut the plate in half lengthwise. But I realized that made a thicker bracelet than I wanted, so I cut each of those pieces in two.
I had thought I would have to anneal the copper to make it soft enough to bend. Unfortunately the person who was working in the Enamel Guild did not turn the kiln on because it's so hot. It was very hot in there. So I tried bending the copper around the bracelet mandrel that I have and that worked fine. The bracelets require some pounding to make them even, but they are fine.
The next thing was to drill the holes and put in the rivets. I tried using my cordless drill, but the battery ran out almost immediately. I asked a friend how long it would take to re-charge and he said overnight. But he suggested that I could use his drill press. It is really very useful. I enjoyed using it. So I drilled holes in two of the bracelets. The tube rivets drove me crazy, but finally I got all four of them set. I have some tendency to struggle with them, but I love them once they're in place. So the struggle is worth it for me, and I'm sure that the more of them I do, the easier it will be.
It took me about 12 hours in all from my trip to the grocery store to pounding in the last rivet. Of course, next time it won't take nearly so long. And I find that I'm very proud of my bracelets and remarkably empowered to go on with my metalsmithing, something I've been kind of putting off doing because it seemed too hard. It's not though. I love doing it.
Here's a photo of the spathaphilum in my studio. I's blooms have finally begun to open. I'm not sure why it's taken so long; maybe it's because the plant has been too dry. I always water it when the leaves feel limp, but yeterday I gave it some water before I thought it needed some and this was the result. There's another bloom around on the other side.
I've been looking at a journal I created exactly two years ago in which I kept various paper that I encountered in my life. I also used it for sketching and writing. It's a wonderful collage of things that were going on in my life at the time. I created it in an old cookbook. I'm not interested in cooking, so I didn't mind altering the book to use for my own purpose. I then started a second book which I didn't finish. It was more structured and not as inherently creative. I now find that I'd like to start a new book of the same type. I keep various journals and notebooks currently and certainly combining them together would be useful for giving my life a sense of unity. However, when I looked at my various journals and calendars, I was hesitant to combine them into one by destroying the existing ones. So maybe I'll either wait or not try to combine so much together.
Altered books are a popular new art form, stemming I believe from the movie The English Patient in which the main character had a book filled with all kinds of scraps of information, photos, and sketches added by another character. The idea is an intriguing one. The idea of combining all the divergent pieces of a life into one whole is a desire that lots of us have these days, I would think. Life with all it's myriad of parts and directions can be fragmenting to us.
The other thing about a book is that it has an immediacy that files stored on a computer don't have. You can hold a book in your hand and page through it. You can argue that you can do the same with a computer, but a computer has a certain transitory feeling to it. There's something about the actual weight, feel, and texture of real paper that digits don't provide. Call me old-fashioned, but that's how I feel. Believe me, I've tried moving to a paperless world, but I found myself going back. Certainly there are some things like email that are wonderful, but I find paper comforts me.
I spent the day working on more etchings, today for jewelry. I'd like to get a bracelet made tomorrow. However, I've got several stumbling blocks in my way, one of which I have no control over. I still need to find a bottle of ammonia to use as a neutralizer for the ferric chloride after I finish etching the copper in it. Then I also need to anneal my piece of copper. If the kiln isn't turned on in the Enamel Guild, I won't be able to do that. However, it occurs to me that I might be able to use the torch that the glassblower next door uses. The other problem I have is that the piece of copper is too long to fit in the dish I have. But I can cut it off. That part isn't a problem if I can solve the other parts of the equation.
This morning I received an email from an old friend, a woman I met at the swapmeet who originally told me about the etching class that I took for so many semesters. She and I became friends. On one of her trips to China, she purchased and imported a printing press which she keeps in her condo. We have talked in the past about getting together and doing some printing. I don't think she's ever used her press. But now that I'm beginning to do some more with etching copper, we might start printing together at her condo. For over a year she's been urging me to come over and work with her. But I see that my life has to take it's own time. Eventually I'll get to all the things I want to do. It just takes time.
Here's a portion of the etching I worked on today. It will become a bracelet when I've finished with it. The drawing is complete. Now I need to coat the back to protect it from the ferric chloride. But also it's too long to fit in the dish I bought to hold the etching solution. I'll have to go back to the Enamel Guild again and cut the end off. That will make the piece 12 to 13 inches long which gives me plenty of length for a cuff bracelet, bent with a portion overlapping and joined with rivets.
I was searching for something in my bookcase at home and came across a book on metalsmithing. In that book, there are directions for etching metal. Apparently, I could use the ferric chloride to etch brass as well. And the other thing that's interesting is that I can use various other chemicals besides asphaltum as a resist. That ties in with the comment my visitor made on Sunday.
Some of these other types of resist are ordinary chemicals such as nailpolish and spray paint. I have heard that spray paint applied lightly can have the same affect as aquatint. I think I mentioned that several days ago. Anyway, it would be nice to try it. The traditional way to create aquatint is by applying a film of rosin and heating it. The acid seeps down between the particles and bites into the metal. Those tiny bites will hold ink and can be used to create a dark area on the print. The rosin is the same substance used by ballet dancers on their shoes and by gymnists on their hands. It is sticky and melts when heated.
Today was a quiet day in my studio. The glassblowing activities that usually take place right outside my door were suspended today, so I was essentially all alone back in my corner. But I listened to KPBS and NPR on the radio and was fully entertained. I finished the one bracelet. It would be nice if I could work all day and do enough drawing to cover the whole piece of copper, as opposed to having to spend an additional day on it. If I take too much time, that makes the finished item an expensive piece.
While I sat working on the bracelet, the printmaker who has a press came into my studio and sat in the chair opposite my table. We agreed that the best time for both of us to meet and print some etchings would be July 24. That's a Monday, and I'm off. Mondays are better for him, he said. I had just called Illinois and ordered ink before he arrived. The local art store didn't have a very large selection of items. Not many people actually do etchings or have presses. And of course nowadays it's so easy to call and order or use the internet.
I took this photograph while I was waiting to get my parents' car washed. I thought it might be the yellow variety of the jacaranda tree. I've been seeing trees with these yellow blossoms on them all over town. The flower looks like the purple jacaranda, but when I went back to Spanish Village tonight and looked at the purple ones there, I decided that the leaves are definitely different. These in the photo are much larger. I think you can see that just from looking at it. So now I don't know if they're the same tree or not. But they are very pretty.
We had a General Membership Meeting of Spanish Village this evening. We have monthly board meetings, and we try to have at least two general membership meetings per year as well. The board meetings are usually in the morning and the general meetings are in the evenings because many people have a fulltime job in addition to being an artist.
One of the issues that we all face, even as artists, is how to spend our marketing/advertising budget. We're in the process of deciding that now. We find that we see a great many out of town visitors who come to see the world famous San Diego Zoo particularly. But there are many San Diego residents who have no idea our complex exists, and we would like to tell them about us. So we come up with various ideas. Certain there are lots of opportunities on the internet that we're beginning to take advantage of. Not all of us are computer literate though. But having a general membership meeting allows us to pass the word that we need digital savy folks. And I think we may have picked up several tonight. I hope so.
Here's a view of my garden from inside my studio. I like looking out at the plants under the trees. I spent some time sitting in my studio today, more so than I have been for several weeks. I've been avoiding my studio, because I thought my chair might be giving me a backache, but it's not my chair. It must be something else. So today I spent some time inside. I really like sitting at my desk. It helps me feel centered and composed. From there I can move on and create something. It helps me to sit there for awhile. I know I'm more visible outside, but I think I need to spend a little time there each morning.
This morning I searched until I found my scraps of copper and I put asphaltum on them. There is one piece in particular that I know is large enough to make into two bracelets. I spent about three and a half hours drawing on it after I prepared it. When I'm finished, I'll put it in ferric chloride to etch it. Then when I've cleaned it off, I can cut it in half lengthwise and shape it into bracelets. When the kilm is turned on in the Enamel Guild, they will let me put it in to anneal it. That makes it soft and easy to bend. It will give me a chance to get back to doing some metalsmithing which I enjoy.
There was a woman who came into my studio today who had worked as a graphic artist, but she started out by studying fine art and had taken a class in printmaking. So even though I started to explain the process to her, she understood it already. That's unusual. Not too many people understand how an etching is created. After she watched me heating the plates and applying asphaltum, she said she was surprised that the method was still the same as when she had studied it in school. She mentioned that so much of the art world had been taken over by technological advances including the computer. So I explained that although I thought there were some advances in the process, my instructor had taught us the traditional method and I liked using that.
I think creating things in the traditional manner is important to keep the process alive. There are ways to use spray paint to create the look of aquatint, and I think there's a way to use Sharpies to create resistance. But I'm still doing it the same way. I like that for now.
I find myself gradually bringing my supplies to my studio from home and gradually getting back into the various media that I'm conversent in. I need to paint a sign for my studio and someone else has asked for a piece of painted canvas. So in the next week or so, I'll be taking up my paintbrush again. There's still room under my display table to store art supplies. After the painting, the only thing I have left is enameling. I'm not sure when I'll get back to it, but eventually I'm sure I will. And there's paper art. I'm really anxious to have my computer in the studio where I can work on various ideas I have.
This morning when I arrived at my studio, I found several plastic bags leaning against my door. They contained five pieces of artwork done by an artist who was a long-time member of Spanish Village. She is no longer living. I never met her, but have heard her name on numerous occasions. I'm not sure why someone delivered some of her artwork to my studio, but I have taken it in and will investigate when I have a chance this week. I'm sure what seems like a mystery has a perfectly logical explanation. I like that an artist's work allowed her to reach out and touch me over a seemingly unbridgeable gap.
Here are some of those misplaced plants, some more refugees. We've tried to put them in locations where they don't get too much direct sunlight. These are in shade now, because it was morning when I took this photo, but they will be in direct sun later in the day. So far they seem okay although the pot in back contains a philodendrum that is probably getting too much light. Giving them lots of water helps.
I spent the day at my outside table, working on jewelry. I still haven't gotten back to my etching plates. I did call the artist who has the printing press, but I haven't heard from him. He may be out of town. So in the meantime, I made three necklaces and a bracelet today. The three necklaces were made using silver chain that I purchased. I cut it at various points and wired it back together with crystals. I like doing that, and of course, because I'm not making every single link myself, I can make a necklace more quickly. Then I don't have to charge as much for them, because there isn't as much labor involved.
One of the Spanish Village artists came to see my studio late this afternoon. She has been a member for a number of years, but she's not in one of the studios, because she works, teaching art classes. In fact, I took several classes from her myself. She teaches painting en plein aire. The term is a French one and it refers to taking paints and canvas outside to a specific location and painting what you see before you. It's a very interesting experience, completely different from painting from memory or from a photograph. I enjoy doing it, and I might consider taking her class again in the fall.
This afternoon, we talked about jewelry and beads, not about painting. I enjoy interacting with the various artists, talking to them about art and just about day-to-day life. It's a nice form of interaction. I had intended to go to the bead store to get more crystals for one of the necklaces I am making, but I decided I could do that tomorrow and that staying to talk was more important for both of us. We spent a pleasant hour sitting in my studio talking.
We talked about my display table among other things. She suggested a multi-tiered display that would give me more room by displaying some items above and at the same time behind other pieces. That's one thing about my studio now is that I don't think the display is very good. I did notice that someone who was in my studio spent time lining up all the necklaces in a row. That was interesting. It was obviously someone who likes things tidy, more so than I do.
While we talked, I did spend some time straightening things up a little. I think tomorrow I'll get out the rest of the copper I have a put asphaltum on it, so I can etch it and use it for copper jewelry. Then I'll put my skillet away on the shelf. It's been sitting on my inside work table for too long now. I'm getting tired of seeing it there. And I am getting traffic into my studio, even when I'm outside. Well, the whole is gradual process. It seems there's so much to do and never enough time.
Here's a photo I took several weeks ago. It's the window of one of the Spanish Village studios. The artist who use to have that studio was my art teacher when I was in high school. She's no longer living, but she was an inspiration to me during her lifetime and continues to be one now. I miss not being able to talk to her.
But based on the inspiration she instilled in me, I was working today even though I didn't go to my studio. After I went to the gym this morning, I spent about an hour working on sketches for the purpose of creating etchings. I spent the time creating small drawings, ones measuring 4 inches by 4. I created about ten new sketches. I have to wait for a day or so and then go back and look at them with a fresh eye.
After sketching, I set out to find a book on making chains for jewelry. I have a great deal of wire that was given to me. It is too thick to go through most of the beads I use. So I want create jump rings and makes some chains. Unfortunately, I never got a book with directions for making the various chains. But after searching three different bookstores, I did find one that will work. It doesn't have a huge selection, but enough to work for now. If I get really ambitious, I'll try to find one on the internet.
The third thing I did was spend some time reading about making books and embellishing existing ones. I'm very taken with books and am always working on at least several sketchbooks and journals at the same time. In fact, I have an idea for a new book, one in which I collect all the paper in my life. I've started to save some of it recently. I can see that it could be a useful exercise periodically to see how life has changed and how it stays the same. Perhaps this weekend, I'll spend time creating a book in which to put my "papers." I also will go on with my etching plates and my jewelry. That will keep me busy.
Here's a photo of the main patio of Spanish Village, looking northwest. You can see the jacaranda trees are still in bloom. I'm not sure how long their flowers last, but they are beginning to drop on the ground. I don't know if you can see the petals under the tree in front of the shadow.
The weather is cooler and we are now getting our afternoon breeze coming off the water which always keeps temperatures moderate. I sat out under my umbrella and was quite comfortable. I find it interesting that even though I'm sitting under the umbrella, I'm still getting a tan, albeit at a slower, safer rate than I would be if I were sitting in the direct sun. I know the sun isn't really good for me, but I do love to be outdoors and so I'll just take my chances. I can't help but think back to all the years I spent my summers sitting indoors at a desk. Besides, I think we look more approachable and hospitable if we are sitting outside instead of in our studios. I notice one other artist copying me today. I hope more will do so.
I had intended to spend at least some time today working on my etching plates, but I wound up spending the whole day making jewelry. And really, I don't think that's a problem. I've wanted to make a multi-strand bracelet, so I worked on one that I had started yesterday. I devised an idea of another multi-strand necklace, one made with silver chain and a little heavier than my previous ones. It will have randomly placed stones on it to add interest. Then I spent some time making a matching necklace and bracelet using some leftover chain and combining it with some crystals and pearls. I'll wear it myself for a few days. The color of the crystals is reminiscent of the jacaranda blooms.
Here's a photo I took over the weekend. You can see the white canopy in the background where one of the artists is set up. She doesn't have a place in one of the studios, so she sets her work up on the patio every weekend. It's a great deal of work for her, but I've been told her name is at the top of the studio waiting list, so she will have the opportunity to accept the next available studio, if she wants it.
Today was a slow day, as the week days frequently are. Sometimes Tuesdays are busy because various museums in Balboa Park take turns offering free admission on Tuesdays. So Tuesdays are a day when it pays to stay open later, because visitors come through the Village after they've left the museums.
I spent the day working on one of my etching plates. I decided I wanted to modify the drawing I had done so far, and I added more lines to it. Now I don't like what I've done. Unfortunately, because I press quite hard when I draw, I probably won't be able to get rid of those lines without a great deal of work. However, I've decided to go ahead and finish the plate. After I etch it and print it once, I can cut it up if I don't like it and turn it into jewelry. So all is not lost, and I'm glad I'm not wasting my time. But I'm disappointed that I may have one less etching to put up on the wall.
I also spent some time this morning working on a bracelet, using some of the Austrian crystals that I purchased at the bead store last week. There's a particular style of bracelet that I've been wanting to try, one that has multiple strands and is structured with spacer bars. I started it and I think the spacer bars will work just fine. But it will take a lot of work to make the bracelet since it will consist of three strands rather than the usual one. And I need more crystals to finish it, unless I use some other beads for part of it. I don't know until I work on it some more. Then I can figure it out.
Here's a photo of part of a page in one of my sketchbooks. I like to create my sketches on a paper size that matches the copper plate for the etching. So I have a sketchbook that is 4 inches by 4 inches for the small plates. I have one that's 4 inches by 6 inches for the somewhat larger plates. Then for the 7 by 9 and the 9 by 9, I have larger sketchbooks that I rule off to the proper size. One of the things I've fiddled around with is scanning my sketches into my computer and then manipulating the sizes in a program like PhotoShop. But for now, I'm just going to stick with the one to one size. Later I can play around with different sizes.
So I spent time today working on sketches for smaller plates. I also spent time working on the plates I've started already. I think the 7 by 9 inch one is almost finished. However, I did have another idea today while I was working. It occurred to me that I might be able to take another sketch and put it behind the main one to create an illusion of depth, more so than what I already have. So I'll work on that some tomorrow. I think it would add interest to the plates. That way, it would look as though there are more plants in the background.
I also spent time today working on a multi-strand chain necklace. I made it three strands, but I can see the possibility of making it six or eight or even twelve or more strands. I suppose it's only limited by how much gold-filled chain I want to buy and put together. Then of course it's no longer a light summer necklace to just add a little sparkle. On the other hand, I like the idea of engineering something a little more complex than the simple single strand necklaces I've been creating for the last six months or more.
The other thing I want to do is some etching on copper that will never be printed on paper but will be cut up and made into bracelets. I'll have to look in my box in my studio and see if I have some large pieces I can etch and then cut up. I'm pretty sure I have some. I'd like to put asphaltum on them before I pack away my skillet which is currently sitting on my work table.
Here's a better photo of the rescued plants, the tree fern on the right and the philodendron below it on the left, directly to the left of the white pole that holds my sign. I think they'll be very happy in that spot. It gets some late afternoon light but is mostly shaded for them. They share the space with some other ferns, some bromeliads, and a spider plant of some sort. Oh, and there's a tiny fishtail palm there as well. It's right in front of the tree fern.
I've been spending time on personal matters including relaxing with a special friend, a very pleasant occupation. I feel as though it's the July 4th holiday already. I've been celebrating or getting ready since Friday. I did work Saturday and Sunday at Spanish Village, sitting at my table outside under my umbrella. The weather remains unseasonably warm, but it's bearable as long as we wear light, loose clothing.
Yesterday afternoon I went to the bead store to get some very thin chain to make light necklaces. I certainly don't want to wear any heavy jewelry when it's so warm. And I thought other people would probably feel the same way. But when I was in the bead store, I couldn't summon my usual enthusiasm for making anything except light chain necklaces with 2 millimeter crystals, just to add a little sparkle to the neck, something to put on and forget about. I'll work on making a few tomorrow.
However, I haven't been working on any jewelry, just my etchings. As I mentioned, I can see that actually sitting there at the Village working for five hours or more each day really does allow me to be productive. When I try to work at home, I'm always interrupted or distracted by other tasks. Spanish Village really is a wonderful opportunity for those of us who can take full advantage of it.
The etchings are coming along well. I've completed one of the 9 by 9 plates already. I'll take a look at it again tomorrow and see what I think, but I'm guessing I'll be ready to actually etch the lines into it. I'm about three quarters done with one of the 7 by 9 plates, and probably a little less than half done with the other 9 by 9 plate. I'd like to have the four big plates done and at least two to four of the smaller ones done by the middle of July. Then I can get busy and print them.
