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Saturday, July 23, 2011

Goin' Up North


We leave today for our annual vacation in northern Minnesota near Ely. Its picturesque landscapes, towering pines, and sky blue waters are a welcome retreat from the everyday craziness of life. It's the perfect place to press RESET and just  r e l a x . . .  


While I'm away check out some favorite things I've found around the www...

Dear Blank

Scratch Maps Would be Fun!

ThisThat & These are current favorites of mine on Etsy

A Tree House for Adults

Tourists posing with other Tourists.....classic

What is marriage?


Why didn't someone think of this sooner?!

Will someone please buy me these earrings?


:: also ::

I will be doing my first GIVEAWAY 
within the next week or two after we return from our vacation! 

Stay tuned....I don't want you to miss out!!!  :)

See you back here on August 1st!


Friday, July 22, 2011

Print, Package, Post

I just mailed a set of handprinted notecards for my first order since beginning this blog :: exciting!! 




:: FYI ::

Feel free to email me if you're interested in purchasing any of my prints.

s.welch8408 (at) gmail (dot) com

- Almost all of my prints can be made into notecards! -

Inspirational Artists :: Pour

In his "Pour" series, New York artist Holton Rower pours successive layers of paint onto three-dimensional surfaces. The end results are amazing, but it's the process that I think is truly mesmerizing! Don't miss the video below!






Third Thursday :: Bike Night 2011



So much fun last night!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Fresh Ink :: Red Red Wine

While we were in California, Tim and I bought a slightly more pricey bottle of wine than we typically purchase at Hahn Winery. Having safely arrived by FedEx just a few weeks ago, it is tucked away, patiently waiting for us to open it for a special occasion. 
I'm really happy with how this one turned out + it was pretty painless to print too! Hope you're having a good week and keeping cool despite the tropical weather we've been having!! 





Bike Night at the MIA


:: Tonight is Bike Night at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts! ::

 Thursday, July 21, 2011
6 - 9 pm
Museum-wide


Bike Right In to the MIA. Join the group ride that leaves from Gold Medal Park at 5 p.m.

Park It at Freewheel Bike's free bike valet.

Tune Up with quick bike checks from The Hub

Catch a Flick at the Bicycle Film Festival's opening night

Check Out locally bred bikes by the Twin Cities' most exciting frame builders.

Enter Raffles for bikes from Surly and The Hub, Twin Six gear, or Nice Ride swag.

Create Your Own bike accessories with Secrets of the City using recycled bicycle parts.

Rock It to Joey Ryan & The Inks while sipping cocktails in the "Angry Catfish Bike Lounge."

Outside, weather permitting
Free; refreshments for sale

via MIA

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Divine Wine

While Tim and I were in California, we spent a day going to wineries and tasting some of Monterey County's divine wines...most notably, Pinot Noir :: my favorite! Here's a quick peak of how that day inspired my next print. I finished carving the block last night but won't be able to print it until tomorrow morning. Come back tomorrow and see the final result!





Tuesday, July 19, 2011

M e l t i n g

I saw this commercial while watching the news this morning, and about died at how relevant it is with the massive heat wave that is currently affecting so much of the country! Thought I would share...so creative!



Monday, July 18, 2011

Inked


Some of you have asked about mixing inks, so I thought I would do a quick post to hopefully answer your questions!

I individually hand-mix inks for each of my prints. The only time I use ink straight from the tube is when I print in black. By only using primary colors (red, yellow, blue) and neutrals (black, brown, white) I’m able to mix any color I wish to achieve, as well as cut down on total ink dollars. I prefer to use Speedball Oil-Based Block Printing Ink because it’s permanent and waterproof. Some printmakers shy-away from using oil-based ink because they think it’s difficult to clean up and requires chemicals to clean all the tools involved. However, I have found that a little canola oil and a paper towel does the trick pretty nicely, no harsh chemicals needed!
Hope that helps! 



Friday, July 15, 2011

Fresh Ink :: Sip & Perk

Coffee seems to always "pop-up" at significant moments throughout my life. To name a few...I met my husband Tim while working at a little coffee shop in the art building where we went to college, after graduating we moved to Italy and lived above a quaint cafe that we frequented daily, at our wedding the bridesmaid's dresses were espresso and the groomsmen's vests and ties were mocha and latte... (none of these were planned, but were later pointed out by Tim's best man during his speech!) Is there a common theme that weaves its way through your life?

** The ink looks like it's black in these top photos, but it's actually a 
dark chocolate...or espresso (wink wink) **








Thursday, July 14, 2011

mnartists.org

My little red bike made it to the mnartists homepage :: oh happy day!



Prints from the Past

:: click pic to enlarge ::

I was digging through my portfolio the other day and thought I would share with you a print I did before beginning this blog. This print is one of the lithographs I did while I was a post-baccalaureate student at Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy from 2007-2008. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to experience such a completely different printmaking process than what I currently do! In the print shown above, I used gouache and litho crayon, as well as colored wire which I sewed into my print to create an interesting texture. I was pretty happy with how it turned out, although the subject was extremely different from anything I had ever done before.

I also posted some pictures below of the lithography studio at SACI.


:: view of the 200+ yr. old litho press ::

:: you can see some of the litho stones in the foreground ::


Fun Fact :: Palazzo dei Cartelloni, SACI's home, was remodeled as a residence in the 17th century for the mathematician Vincenzo Viviani, who had been a pupil of the astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei....I miss living in a place steeped in SO much history! 

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Inspirational Artists :: Whimsy

Swedish artist Johan Thörnqvist adds super detailed illustrations on top of otherwise normal photographs. The results are utterly magical and imaginative! 

:: click on each photo to make them larger ::








pics taken by artist

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Monday, July 11, 2011

Fresh Ink :: Pedal, Path, Pavement, Pristine

I really enjoyed doing another bike print, though it did take me a bit longer since it's twice the size of the other prints I've done since beginning this blog. You can see my first bike print here. Hope you have a happy week!    




Great MN Biking Resources


Twin Cities Bicycle Bars

Friday, July 8, 2011

Ring My Bell

My next print is taking a while to carve. It'll be my largest print so far since I started this blog (8 x 10"), and I've had difficulty finding time to really sit down and carve this week. My goal is to finish this block by tomorrow and hopefully print it either this weekend or Monday. 
Happy Friday! 

Thursday, July 7, 2011

National Chocolate Day


Happy National Chocolate Day! I encourage you to go indulge in a little cocoa today...I know I did  :)

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Love Story for the Tech Age

Winner of the Nokia Shorts Competition 2011. This split-screen love story follows a boy and a girl on their parallel journeys in New York and Paris, hoping for sparks to fly when they meet in London. Let it pull on those hump-day heartstrings of yours.  :)

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Happy Trails

I. Am. Tired. This past weekend was a busy one! After early mornings, touring Iowa (gravel roads and all!) a family reunion, and a 26 mile bike ride with friends followed by fireworks...rolling out of bed this morning was kinda rough. It was a packed weekend but fun! What did you do to celebrate the Fourth of July? 
After all that pedaling yesterday...I think it's only appropriate that I do another bike print. :) Here's how it's coming along so far.




Friday, July 1, 2011

Have a Fun Holiday Weekend!

I hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend! Enjoy!!






pic taken by me of the historic Wayzata train depot on Lake Minnetonka
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