I was planning to jump right into a new print project but nothing much is gelling. But there's nothing like a studio clean to stir up at least a trickle of interest in making something. Might have something to do with the siren call of those emerging horizontal surfaces!
Since I like to incorporate collage into many of my prints -- and every scrap of paper seems a good candidate for something -- my paper stash quickly becomes a disorganized mess.
Slowly, this becomes this...
I try to divert what I can into the recycle bin but I often end up retrieving stuff!
These are index pages from a discarded world atlas (old books often have wonderfully absorbent paper -- good for printmaking), punched full of holes and then used as masks and stencils for overprinting even more atlas pages. As enticing as they are, so far they've managed to remain in the bin!
The clean-up typically unearths many bits and pieces that snag my interest and can't be tossed. They get set aside for some yet undecided project, creating more stacks of paper! Below, I'm liking how the patterns and colours in these two finds coordinate.
And then I came across a file folder of tiny prints on Asian book pages. I remember now I had a good day a few years back mixing ink to re-create the sepia tones of the book's photographs and also the red used in some of the text.
I admit, after this, cleaning came to an abrupt halt. Much more fun to play around with paper and colour than tackle the still overflowing storage tubs. If this leads to anything, I'll let you know!
