Pushing the Season

A few weeks ago when the media were trying to make engaging news of the annual laying out of Christmas retail products for sale —an topic that picks up some olden time sentiment but fails actually to be news—I was reminded of days years and years ago when in August Lucille M., one of our great volunteers, told me we needed to look at the Christmas decorations in the large downtown church where I worked. It was time, she told me, to put in our order for fresh greens that we’d hang on the first Sunday of Advent. To me that time was a long way off, but to her orders needed to be placed immediately if we were to get what we wanted. So all these years later when the media was working up people’s feelings about a non-issue, I realized I, too, was still directly involved. 

Presenting goods for public consumption is only a marketing concern and such concerns seem always to be in the American consciousness. I had to quit moaning because as an artist I have a challenge before me. The reminder from the retailers always helps me since I print my own holiday greeting cards. It's time for me think about that task and get to designing what I am going to do! Luckily I am a long way from being surrounded by endless tunes of Santa Clause, reindeer, angels, and the baby Jesus. I realized I’d need to figure out what to do this year because I might need the cards early if I again shared a booth with my friend Sue in a holiday crafts fair. Those events start weeks before Thanksgiving!

To the studio! I have to manufacture a Christmas mood in order to get going. I considered beginning with spiked eggnog, but I don’t even like eggnog. Would I be able to tolerate Christmas music? No. So I started leafing through a huge volume of Gothic art. I looked and looked and even began sketching, but didn’t get caught up in anything. I thought I’d go another direction, American Craftsman traditions since I live in a neighborhood of Denver bungalows, many of which are definitely craftsman in design and appointments. I decided to do something with long needle pine branches and began looking at the trees, their needles and cones, and the designs I might be able to emulate. That turned out a worthy topic, one that I have yet to figure out!

I got out my printing supplies and messed around with some other projects using those methods, something to get me into the mood. I cut a couple of lino blocks and kept drawing pines. So this weekend, before this blog shows up, I have to meet the challenge. 

Here's what happened in picture form.

 I started drawing after looking at trees, photos of trees, craftsman examples of pine cones and long pine needles. I messed and messed and finally got a design I hoped I'd be able to actually carve on a lino block.

I traced the design onto tracing paper, then turned it over and taped it to the block. By again drawing it, the original pencil transferred to the block leaving a backwards copy of the design. Just what I wanted.

I carved the easiest parts first. I was afraid of the needles since they'd need to be more delicate. I'm not very delicate myself, and I sure didn't want to have to start over again!

I made a proof print, then compared the original drawing and it to find out where I needed to go back in and clean up or re-cut some details on my block.

Finally I was fairly pleased with the results. Now I'll take a variety of papers and a stack of white card blanks and another of brown card blanks and get to work! Wish me well, you know, good luck with the different colors of ink, the clean up, and eventually finding the current addresses of my friends and relations I want to send cards to this year.

And if you try something artsy this Christmas, I likewise wish you all the best. Oh that's so far away.

If you are putting off your holiday planning, I urge you to get to the planning and work. You can still hurriedly address and mail your cards at the last minute and get that holiday rush. I worry that if I don’t get this underway immediately, I’ll never get to it until next year or even the one after that! Merry Christmas!

Denver, 2014

Life Art

I spent last week saying goodbye to a long-time friend by attending her memorial service and then saying hello to the Missouri portion of my family. I heard on Labor Day of my friend's accidental death. I met Gerry in 1981 when we began working together on educational projects at First christian Church in Jefferson City, MO. Gerry and I not only collaborated; we became friends and intellectual buddies. We worked together creatively but even more enjoyed long discussions about history, Biblical studies, theology, philosophy, literature, politics, and economics. Over the thirty-two years we shared ideas and a rather deep sense of connection. I am missing her and feeling sad about it. Still, the memorial service was a time of enthusiastic celebration of a life well lived, a sparkling intellect, and independent thinker, a fearless yet tactful communicator, a beautiful woman, a beautiful woman, a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. 

I also enjoyed some healing time being surrounded by my own very lively family--kids, eleven grand kids, ex-wife--and several friends, a wonderful antidote to my sadness. We attended the memorial service together, also a wedding reception at which three grand kids entertained, and a birthday party for three celebrants. We played cards, drank coffee, and talked endlessly. The reunion was as joyful as they always are in our family.

And there was art in the beautiful tribute given by my friend's daughter, the music made by grand kids, art projects underway to make birthday presents, and mostly by the people who surrounded me--the result of their dedication to the ultimate art, that of living a full and meaningful life.

I'm home and back to my studio. That, too feels really good. Sorry to have missed making a post last Monday. Check in next week. I have something to share about my Christmas preparations.

Model in chair, torn paper collage
Phillip Hoyle

A Gathering of Bears

I’ve long been fascinated by bears, those large lunky denizens of zoos I used to watch with admiration and fear. I bought a figurine of one in Estes Park as a child, a figure I kept with me into my adulthood. Then I discovered bear paw prints and bears in a panel of petroglyphs on the south-facing escarpment of Spring Mesa west of Montrose, Colorado. They thrilled me. The panel has been dubbed The Three Bears since three carvings of bears climbing trees appear there. The symbol is still current in the traditional bear dance of the Utes who used to spend time each year in the valley. Perhaps they held their annual vernal equinox dance there. 

Recently another Ute bear petroglyph image has captured my imagination, one from the Gunnison River some miles north east of the three bears. This bear looks ferocious to me. I painted it several times and have now used it in a lino-block for printing. This past week I printed. My artist friend Sue suggested I try printing on different kinds of art papers to see what would happen. So I printed on roadmaps, hand made papers, papers with seeds or leaves or strings embedded in them. I hd fun with my brayer, baren and tiny Speedball press. And I’m pleased with the results.

Some of these prints will be shown at the Colorado Mountain Art Gallery in Georgetown. Going on a color drive into the mountains soon? Stop by the gallery and see all the additional colors there as well. Oh, the food’s good up there, too.

Denver, 2014