Monday, April 22, 2013

Block Printing!

This week IslandWood instructors and students are getting their block print on! Our Artist In Residence, Mette Hanson, is hard at work sharing her craft and I can tell you from first hand experience, it is an absolute blast!

This afternoon, nine of us (graduate students) participated in a professional development seminar with Mette where we created our own prints using multiple blocks and multiple colors. I had never done block printing before and wow did I learn a lot! The patience, skill, and attention to detail these artists possess is one to be greatly admired.

Without further adieu, let's take a peek into our afternoon!

Ooo
After much deliberacy, a print comes into its own as the "key block" (the final block) is applied.

 Oooo
Careful! It's not over until the print leaves the block!

 Ooooo
Voila! A finished product! This print involved the carving of three separate blocks, careful mixing of colors, and a detailed eye to ensure that everything aligned properly.

Leaves
 Another finished product!

What an amazing process! Contact your local block printing lesson-providing agency immediately!

Riley

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Japanese Food Art

This week we are so incredibly fortunate to be hosting Artist In Residence Michiko Olson. Michiko's craft of teaching Japanese Food Art is so interactive and engaging. What follows are a mere handful of photographs of the incredible artwork created by this week's students.

Michiko Olson
Michiko demonstrating her craft.

 Frog & Strawberry Figure 

A frog graces the foreground, while a casually lounging strawberry looks longingly into the sunset.

 Samuri 

 Another collection of student artwork. The creation on the left, I was told, is a samurai warrior.

 Bird Is The Word

Ba ba ba bird bird bird... is the word.

Thank you so incredibly much for sharing your talents with us this week Michiko!

Riley