Wishing Well, Print #37, Linouct of the Day

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hilary_lorenz_wishing_well_linocut_framed

I woke up last night to the sound of running water. I wanted to ignore it, but being winter, and being the high desert, it was a strange sound. I dragged myself out of bed to see that in fact it was raining. Now the weird thing is until I woke up, I was having a dream about a wishing well, an old fashion stone well with a hand crank attached to a bucket.

I went back to bed, but when I finally got up at 7:00, all I could think about was the stone well. I can remember vague stories and fantasies about stone wells when I was a kid, about the fantasy of escaping my home through some portal in a well, but not much beyond that.

I currently share a well, an underground well with a neighbor, and I always think about what it will take to drill my own well. The wishing well has kind of haunted me all day, before I carved, during my carving, and even now after I printed all 10 prints. Maybe it is premonition of some magnificent even about to unfold in my life. Now that would be something!

vintage well, stone well, water well, linocut well

Wishing Well, 10″ x 8″

This quirky black printed linocut well is in an edition of 10. It is printed onto Rives BFK paper and available at my Etsy Store, Stonetrigger Press. All proceeds from the sale of this print, as well as all the others, will eventually go toward digging my own well.

Luna Moth, Print of the Day

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Luna Moth

Luna Moth

The is a beautiful yellow to glowing green to dark green Luna Moth.  This is the first print to also get it’s own t-shirt, you can see it all on Etsy. The image is 4″ x 6″ and printed in an edition of 10.

Framed Luna Moth

Framed Luna Moth

Print comes unmatted and unframed, picture of framed work is only an example. Image is 4″ x 6″ printed onto Rived BFK paper, 10″ x 8″.

Luna moth print drying

Luna moth print drying

This print is part of my print a day project, where Monday through Friday I will post a new print nightly.

Each print is hand printed by the artist, me, Hilary Lorenz in my studio in New Mexico. Each morning I carve a new animal into my linoleum and print an edition of 10.

All of February get 20% off any order of $40 or more using the code “twentypercentoff” in the Etsy store. 

USPS and Mail Delivery Problems

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Isn’t there something in the stars that upsets the balance of things? Is there some post office God that ensures the mail goes though? Well it seems I have a couple snags. Yesterday I learned that a first class package sent to Australia on January 3rd, just arrived this week, 4 weeks to delivery. Today I learned that a big print portfolio of 30 prints slated to be shown at the Southern Graphics International Conference in TN has gone missing. This was a very complicated print:pegasus From_VictroliaI became worried and checked my international shipments. Good, the order sent out January 27th to Toronto arrived on February 3, but then Oh No! the order sent to Vancouver on January 19th has not show up. I checked the order to Samoa sent on January 23rd and as of February 3rd it only made it to Honolulu, HI.

Good grief, how can it be that it takes 3 days to get to Long Island, NY, but then 12 days to get to San Francisco which is only two states away.  I sure am glad I have tracking numbers. But if your package it taking too long, it should be 2-5 days in the Continental US, up to 2 weeks Internationally. I read in Etsy that at times it can take up to 6 weeks send first class, that is unacceptable.  So if you need your prints by a certain date let me know. I will send them priority, 6-10 business days international. But no matter where you are, if you feel it is taking too long. Please contact me, I will send you a new order the next day. Postage on me.

King of the Cats, February’s daily print #2, Linocut

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linocut, lion, kind of the jungle,

King of the Cats

The King of the Cats – now on Etsy, $20 each, just click here.
Each linoleum block print image is 4″ x 6″ printed onto Rives BFK paper 8″ x 10″ in an edition of 10 for only $20.

4" x 6" linocut on 8" x 10" Paper

4″ x 6″ linocut on 8″ x 10″ Paper

If you read this far I am going to admit something mildly embarrassing. I read my horoscope, in fact I subscribe to one by Susan Blair-Hunt, I have admitted this before, I started last summer, but I still feel a little sheepish. But can something so seemingly innocuous as a horoscope change one’s life? Here is the short version of that story.

Susan’s Monday edition of her daily horoscope gives you an a spirit animal, a color and a number. I had no experience with these, but I liked the weekly animal. Beginning in July 2014, I made it my Monday practice to carve and print my animal of the week, I am a Libra. I collages many of those animals into drawings which were exhibited at the Gallery at Pioneer Bluff in Kansas. Here are 6 of those drawings:

I continue to carve my spirit animal of the week, along with all kinds of other animals, birds and fish during the week. The habit of printing and carving on Mondays, spilled over into every day of the week and I created a small business of selling the prints.  This week my animal is the Lion. The edition of 10 is currently on Etsy and available until the 10 sell out.  If you want to see more of the 11″ x 14″ watercolor collage drawings you can click here: 

T-shirt Test for Linocut Printing

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Stonetrigger Press Linocut Wolf T-shirt

Stonetrigger Press Linocut Wolf T-shirt

Having this weekend off was great for spending a very long day carving. I carved my first t-shirt block, a wolf. I tested the block out on two of my own shirts and they printed great!

I placed an order with a t-shirt supplier for women’s 100% preshrunk ringspun cotton, tri-blend crew neck short sleeves shirts in four different colors. They will be here on Friday for this weeks printing. I will send out a few free samples to get your opinion on the feel of the shirt, the washability of the print. Last summer I printed a shirt last in the same manner and it is just as strong now was it was then, and it stays soft.

I am planning on having shirts available in in two weeks, with at least two different images. I will also take orders for different color shirts, short or long sleeve, men’s or women’s cut. I also got a suggestion for a summer dress. There are just so many options.

This is a fun learning process getting this all down. In the meantime I am finishing up carving today’s print. It will be out at 8pm EST.

Day 29 – What will day 30 bring?

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30_prints_30_days

Look Who Showed up at my house!

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Look who came to print

Look who came to print

Look who showed up at my house today, none other than Jim Lorenz, my Pop. I have not seen him in 2 years, he lives almost 1500 miles north east of here. I am glad I was home, it was completely unexpected.

He had  driven with my older sister, whom I have no idea when the last time I saw her was, from L.A. where she was living. She is moving to Chicago and they decided to pass through.

I gave Melissa and my Pop a quick printmaking demo. He chose to print an Elk.

Inking up the plate

Inking up the plate

I let him wear my handmade Italian leather apron. He quickly learned to lay out the ink and use the brayer to ink up the plate.

Jim Lorenz putting the paper down

Jim Lorenz putting the paper down

After putting the plate on the press bed, he put down the paper and then the cover board.
jim_lorenz-print3The behold, a new Elk print! He made three and took them with him. I could see he got a huge kick out of it, so did I. You can see he is pleased in the top photo.

They only stayed a couple hours, but we did get in a walk at Plaza Blanca and lunch at Bodes. I had already pulled today’s print before they got to my house. I would say, it was a pretty darn good day!

Ridiculous Pink Kitten, print #24 of 30

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Framed Pink Kitten

Framed Pink Kitten

This kitty is silly, and pink. Why pink? I am not sure but we all need some ridiculousness every now and then. Pink Kitty is on Stonetrigger Press Etsy for $20, there is an edition of 10. She is 4″ x 6″ on an 8″ x 10″ Rives BFK paper.
pink_kittenValentines Day is coming soon, maybe that is why she showed up? I am not sure but there is a table of them ready to find a home.
table_of_pink_kittens

Feral Kitty SOLD OUT, SPCA donation made

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Donation to SPCA

Donation to SPCA

Feral Kitty is sold out! Thank you for your support. Today, I made a donation of 50% of the total sales from the edition.  I upped it from 40% because it is such a great cause and you were all so wonderful in buying them up so fast.

But wait there is more. Every two weeks I will carve the portrait of a cat from the shelter who needs a home. Again 50% of the proceeds will go to the San Francisco SPCA.

Feral Kitty will be well taken care of.
feral_kitty

What’s this? An Empty Frame?

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Empty FrameWow those Feral Kitty’s took off last night! Today, I am afraid I am empty handed. But do not fear, tomorrow I will have two new prints for you, one at the regular time and one earlier in the day.

I hope you had a great Sunday and see you tomorrow for prints 18 and 19. Also through tomorrow you can still get free shipping by typing :”FreeShipping” into the coupon code if you spend $40.