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Gardenia Riot

Gardenias are incredibly beautiful, delicate and fragrant flowers. We have three large plants in separate pots on our patio. They flowered beyond our wildest dreams this year–we were completely overwhelmed with white blossoms and their heady perfume. Of course, I’ve been photographing them a lot–but this spring I was so taken with them that I simply had to use them as subject matter for some drawings and prints.

This one was simply perfect!
Wishing you could smell the amazing fragrance!

Most people know I can’t do things halfway (yes–I am just a little obsessive)–and right now I’ve got 5 new print editions based on my gardenia photos and drawings. There will be a few more print editions and maybe even a painting or two. Here is a look at a small portion of the work I’ve been making. There are dozens more computer-generated ideas, color studies and patterns.

Gardenia
Gardenia; ink on paper; 2019
Gardenia Stripe; Ink on paper; 2019.
Gardenia Stripe Mirrored; ink on paper; 2019. This drawing will soon find it’s way onto the press as a photopolymer print with a split fountain color background.

And now for the prints…they are based on the first simple line drawing of the gardenia above. Future prints will be based on the second drawing with the two different stripe widths. The 5 editions (below) were all printed by Brent Bond of Santo Press this past month. Brent selected the colors for Gardenia Riot Pulse and all I can say is WOW!

Gardenia Riot Lace; 2019; photopolymer relief; image size 12 x 9.5 inches on paper 16.5 x 13.5 inches; edition of 10; printed by Santo Press; $150.00.
Gardenia Riot Pulse; 2019; photopolymer relief with split fountain; image size 12 x 9.5 inches on paper 16.5 x 13.5 inches; edition of 10; printed by Santo Press; $150.00.
Hot Gardenia Riot; 2019; photopolymer relief with split-fountain ground; image size 12 x 9.5 inches on paper 16.5 x 13.5 inches; edition of 10; printed by Santo Press, $200.00.
Gardenia Riot Blue; 2019; photopolymer relief with flat background bleed print; image size 12 x 19.5 inches; edition of 50; printed by Santo Press. A.P.s available for $100.00
Gardenia; 2019; laser-cut linoleum block with photopolymer relief; image size 9 x 9 inches on paper 13.5 x 13 inches; edition of 10; printed by Santo Press; $150.00.
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The Mandala Series: A Peaceful Center in a World Gone Mad

Mandalas have fascinated me for a very long time. It coincided with dreamwork and my study of Jungian symbols (of which mandalas play a primary role) and the vast richness that transpersonal psychology holds. According to Jung in Memories, Dreams and Reflections:

“The mandala is an archetypal image whose occurrence is attested throughout the ages. It signifies the wholeness of the Self. This circular image represents the wholeness of the psychic ground or, to put it in mythic terms, the divinity incarnate in man.”

In the late 80’s I made a few colorful mandalas using watercolors but have no idea where they are now–probably hidden away in a drawer of my flat files where they shall forever remain.

Then in 1992 I was fortunate to watch Tibetan monks create a beautiful sand mandala for close to a week at The Frick Pittsburgh. The monks created a Chenrezig Mandala which is a manifestation of compassion and was meant to be viewed as an architectural plan or structure. I brought my sketchbook and made a few quick studies of the designs but (sadly) I don’t think I took photos. It was pre-digital cameras–and cell phones were just phones.

Study of Tibetan sand painting mandala; sketchbook page; 1992

I went almost every day they were there. One day they permitted me to try using their tools and colored sand. As can be expected, it was much harder than I thought to get the sand to fall evenly in the designated area. Have a look at these beautiful photos of a Chenrezig Mandala–this mandala was created in Salisbury, England in 2013 is very similar to the mandala I saw being created.

Jumping to the present day, I wanted to create circular patterns based on my own version of repeating patterns within a circular (mandala) form. I sought to make a mandala based on quadrants but bisecting those 4 quadrants into 8 separate spokes to form a more complicated pattern. Are these mandalas representations of my inner self? I really don’t know, but I do think they are my attempt to create a sense of wholeness and a place where I can feel a peaceful center in a world gone totally mad.

Here are the first 2 mandalas (with detail shots) in this new series. Hopefully the third mandala will be finished today–there are at least a dozen more ideas ready and waiting in the wings.

Mandala 1 (Ribbonesque); Graphite on paper; 22 x 22 inches; 2018

Mandala 1 (Ribbonesque) detail; Graphite on paper; 22 x 22 inches; 2018

Mandala 2 (leaf); Graphite on paper; 22 x 22 inches; 2018

Mandala 2 (leaf) detail; Graphite on paper; 22 x 22 inches; 2018

Now completed–the third one!

Mandala 3 (Nest); Graphite on paper; 22 x 22 inches; 2018

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Tessellation 7

My newly completed drawing is the seventh in my series of Tessellations all based on a single shape. This one has taken me longer than usual to complete–our Thanksgiving trip to Cincinnati came just after I was about half-way into the drawing. Coming back to it after that time away was hard yet rewarding.

Concentrating on the drawing has taken my mind off politics (UGH!). I sat at my drawing table and got lost in lines and shadows. My only concern each day for hours at a time was whether a line should be darker or if an area would look more dimensional, showing more motion if shading was added.  As the drawing appears right now, it may or may not be finished. I’ve decided to look at it for a few days–and then determine if it might need a bit more added detail in some of the open areas. Time will tell.

drawing, graphite on paper,Tessellation 7; 2016; graphite on paper; 22″ x 30″

Here is a fun detail shot of the drawing I took at a low sideways angle. I was completely surprised with how dimensional it looked this way. Who knows? I might turn this oddly angled “anamorphic-looking” photo into a mirrored pattern drawing. The fun never ends!

drawing, graphite on paper,Tessellation 7 (detail on an angle); 2016; graphite on paper; 22″ x 30″

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Tessellation 6

A new drawing completed this week; it’s number 6 in my Tessellation Series. I hope to add more drawings to this series and then search out a place to exhibit them. All the drawings are based on the same shape that is an interlocking pattern. The tessellated shape is very evident in this iteration–but in other drawings the shape is quite hidden.

drawing, graphite on paper,Tessellation 6; 22″ x 30″; Graphite on paper; 2016

Tessellation 6 detailTessellation 6 (detail); 22″ x 30″; Graphite on paper; 2016

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