the ebb and flow

In the interest of showing you exactly what has been taking so long and how I put these collages together, I present you with the following (in no particular order)

My sketchbook plays a role in all of my work--even though I am limited for table space. I use the book to lay out ideas, designs, notes, keep track of how many hours I spend working on each piece. The above photo is a print that I did from a block I designed and carved for the current work.This is the block I just finished carving yesterday, and printing today. I don't have images of the prints yet. I know it looks like linoleum, but it's actually that easy-carve stuff. I hate carving linoleum, as I usually wind up slicing my hands to ribbons when I do so. You should know that I use water based inks b/c the solvents for oil based inks eats up the fakey linoleum.
This is the page out of my sketchbook that has the designs for the blocks. I was unsure if I'd be able to finesse all the small spaces on the design on the right but I managed to ninja my way through it.

Here's the other completed block. I like to carve away the medium in a way that mimics the design. I think it gives the work a sense of harmony.

So that's what I've been doing there. Now all I have to do is cut-and-paste the prints into the assigned spaces on the grid, and then I can move on to the next step (more assemblage), and then the final step (paint). And then I can work on the 5 other projects I have lined up...

I went to the fabric store today and came home with a bag of goodies!!!