Inconvenient Truth...again

I'm about to print the green of the Bridge print....
I'm using sized paper now.
Slowly, with much determination, will power and sheer stubborness...
I'm catching on.
I really want this.
The last print two days ago saved the day, and my spirits...
yesterday's printing was very much better
having learned much from the day before's efforts.

In the mean time,
when I'm not arting....
reality creeps in.....













Find a theater..
and go see this "Inconvenient Truth".
I'll make it easy for you:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/findatheater/

An Inconvenient Truth

I've been working hard at overcoming printing problems....
which would probably be quickly solved
if I were able to have someone simply SHOW me
what I'm doing wrong...
which, I'm willing to bet, would be easily spotted by one of experience...
but, "one" is not near...
so, I'm battling through on my own.
I'll get it..
I'm just that stubborn....
so, sit tight...
postings will begin showing up once over this latest hurdle.

In the MEAN TIME....
I've pasted a posting from dailykos.com
that hits directly upon one of my main concerns.

I will never understand how such behavior can continue
when, the "house" we ALL live in is in such dire need of attention.
I do what I can do...
I'm in a community that is aware of the planetary situation
and does what it can do...
there are others,
but, we're just small specks in the global mass here.

I wish I could take all those with disagreements by the ear,
forcing them to leave all their religious beliefs at the door....
and sit down at one big round table as individuals having humanity in common...
having the wish to live healthy, happy lives in common...
wanting clean air, water, food in common....
and make them ALL stop fighting and arguing
to attend to the matter at hand...
the climate, the air, our resources, our energy, etc...
and after all is back on track
they can go right back to their arguments.

Yes, it would take a long time...
at least they would have that long time...
and chances are, by spending so much time
working together, towards a common goal...
their bickering would be forgotten...
and humans might just have a better, longer future on this planet.

This is a very real, big issue for me...
and I can easily go on....

Read what I picked up from the DailyKos...
track down the links...
find the movie...
do your part.


An Inconvenient Truth
by DarkSyde
Tue May 16, 2006 at 03:51:58 AM PDT
Crooks and Liars has posted the trailer for Vice-President Al Gore's movie debut in An Inconvenient Truth here The film is an in depth look at the case for global warming as well a graphic illustration of the devastating effects in store for mankind as a result of climate change.

An Inconvenient Truth: About the Film--Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb.
If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced ...
Gore also proves himself to be one of the most misunderstood characters in modern American public life. Here he is seen as never before in the media - funny, engaging, open and downright on fire about getting the surprisingly stirring truth about what he calls our "planetary emergency" out to ordinary citizens before it's too late.

DR Eric Steig at Realclimate had some observations about the quality of the science itself:
Realclimate--This isn't the "wooden" Gore of the 2000 campaign; he is clearly in his element here, talking about something he has cared deeply about for over 30 years.
How well does the film handle the science?
Admirably, I thought.
It is remarkably up to date, with reference to some of the very latest research.
Discussion of recent changes in Antarctica and Greenland are expertly laid out.
He also does a very good job in talking about the relationship between sea surface temperature and hurricane intensity.
As one might expect, he uses the Katrina disaster to underscore the point that climate change may have serious impacts on society, but he doesn't highlight the connection any more than is appropriate.
This is pretty slick:
There's also a blog and news site,
a real blog with comments where you can discuss the movie,
along with a schedule of locations and dates where it will be showing.
Permalink

Bridge in Blue and Yellow

Drawing for my steel client lately...
great time...
terrific ideas/drawings...
I'm waiting for approval now.
Tricky concept, so these last few weeks
there's been no arting for me...
BUT,
there's been busy work.

I discovered the paper I thought was sized....
wasn't...
so, I've been learning to size it myself.
In theory, it doesn't sound difficult...
but, reminds me of learning to drive a stick shift.
I'm told it takes years...
like everything else in this hanga process....

I'm going to catch on sooner.

My first batch, was sticking to everything...
I felt like I was performing a comedy routine.
second batch was better....
so much so,
I used part of it today
printing two of the GreenBridge blocks.





I cut in the kentos....
it's registering!
I'm not fussing about colors right now...
I just want to see where I'm at.
There is some tailoring to do..
but, nothing I was not expecting.
I'm tired...
more later.

Bridge Blocks Rubbing

All day cutting on the forth bridge block....
and I finished it enough to made another rubbing
of all four.








It's a little messy...
but, I can see enough to know the registration
is right on the nose....
so far....
I still have to cut them into the wood....
the kento.

Bridge Update

The "time of disgust" seems to have passed...
so, I'm cutting on the last block for the green bridge.
I'm consumed with this!
Today, the amount of time I've put into this wood
hit me...
.....geeez......
I had to check the registration.........






Not an easy rubbing to do...
but it's looking ok.
The sky needs work...
more cutting is ahead.
Once I see a proof
I'll cut a couple masks,
trying to get as much milage as I can with 4 blocks.
I don't think I'm ready for more than that.
I really want to play with black..
but, I don't have an extra brush to dedicate
to the color I'm told never really washes out...
SO, until I can buy one...
I'll be doing what I can with colors..
which is not a bad thing.

Nurse Dogs

At first glance,
one sees the classic "Man's Best Friend" thing...
how touching...
their owner, miserable with a cold....
they stay by her side...
ALL DAY,
to encourage and support her
through this time of Disgust.

But, look again.

True, they've been with her constantly..
but, not because of that
Dog Loyality crap. . . . . .

No.

It's all because of kleenex!
Thats what they love.
A fresh box for them is
nothing more than a PEZ dispenser.

From the first nose blow
in the morning,
these tissue eating cur
stay glued to their infected owner
all day.....
waiting..........
for the only thing BETTER
than fresh kleenex.

The Yellow Dog

Six years ago
after doing a new logo for the
Iowa County Humane Society in Dodgeville, Wisconsin...












I was so fired up,
I dug out a very weak monoprint
saved from my "yellow dog" series...
(I don't throw much out...
I don't see things as failures...
only beginnings for something else)
and produced a fine, newly painted Yellow Dog.
I scanned him when he was dry...
and then took him in to the gallery where their first auction was to be held
to see if he would be an acceptable donation.

I don't know if I simply lost him...
or he was stolen.
He never made it to the auction.
The only proof of his existence were the glowing pixals on my monitor.

This year I mastered the Epson printer...
and using CavePaint, some beautiful archival paper,
and my new printing abilities
finally released the YellowDog from his dark, digital quarters
in time to be at this year's Humane Society auction.



















The YellowDog brought a bid of $218.00.

Small Dog of Power

That's him...
He was my effort towards the BarenForum
Chinese Year of the Dog print exchange.
The first major effort on my own with Moku Hanga....
I needed some mild mannered beast to print..
considering I may be printing hundreds of them
in order to get the 60 some I needed...
so, I selected this mild tempered/mannered fellow
which I felt I could look at for the duration
and not risk either eyeball damage or boredom.

I DID manage to discover that there is one volume of Murphy's Laws
which addresses Japanese printmaking specifically...
and I've managed to follow
and then successfully break every one of them
with the help of this fine beast...
which is, actually, part of his job AS animal of the year.

I printed in batches...
and each batch was a bit different than the one before.
I couldn't help myself...
I had to keep trying something different
but I did achieve consistancy within each batch.
I guess I should call them "editions".
I'm still learning.
I had a ball.
It took way longer to get those 60 prints than I expected...
but, I wonder how much of that time was spent
following all those "laws".

I'm not done with this one though.
Fine tuning, tailoring and experiments with flaming glue are in his future!

My knives are calling...
more later.

Bridge work

I'm almost done drawing this
up on blocks that I'll eventually print....






I'm into the last block.
I SO under estimated what I was in for.

Of course,
it would probably help matters greatly
if I could stop making small changes
along the way....
but, noooo....
I latched onto this printmaking method way late
so, I'm packed with too many
"what if"s and "how about"s
to keep things simple and easy....
besides, I'm a sucker for a challenge like this.

arting

I've got some arting at http://www.absolutearts.com/kelen
too much really.
I post to show someone...
and there is stays.

They selected one piece to be featured for 24 hours
starting at midnight tonight...
which means thousands of viewings.

So, I added a new piece.....








reordered them...
posted a link to SardineQueen.

My bad back sure threw me off.
Last summer, I was going strong...
and wham....
I went from strong and powerful
to delicate and breakable overnight.

I've got a kind of arting rhythm going again...
I'm seeing a variety of projects at various stages of completion...
more starting up...
it's starting to feel good again.

I'm getting quite involved with these woodcuts.
Two more nearly ready to start cutting...

and then it will be time
to dive back into my
"garden of eden" work.......















but, in the mean time
I was paying attention to where our fearless leaders are taking us...
and needing to take me someplace else...
got to doing some monoprinting...












there are 15 more.

"Captain" of us

There are so many
much better than I
at assembling words
about what's going on...

Enough Sardines.

I'm a bit tired of them at this point.
Well, I was working on them...
and they were right there in front of me.
Somehow it's fitting
they should be at the bottom
sinking lower
buried in posts.

I had to take a break from drawing up new blocks to cut....
and, in trying to find something else to work on
ran into and got to working on the "wedding procession"....

The Sardine Regatta drawings

OK...
I'll post the photo that's framed WITH that first Sardine drawing...
when I find it.
....................Found it..........................
here's the first time the Sardines appeared

in a boat...

and the commemorative stamp:

In the mean time
here's more:

the official
Sardine Regatta....












the Sardine Classic...

(got to use the bigger picture size here...
all those little motor boats....
it's a good sized watercolor...)

and then...











That's it for today.

February 23...

I have to get some kind of web presence...
this seems to be the fastest and easiest way.

Throw something up...
anything...just to see what it is....
then I'll figure out how it works.

How about a picture...

The Sardine Regatta!
A Gathering of Remote Controlled Model Boat enthusiasts....

More about this later...
right now I want to see what I've done.