Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Linocut Grace

Sleep stayed with me all the way until 5:30 this morning, which is some kind of record. The DM slept, too (and is, in fact, STILL asleep), which is even more surprising. Perhaps it was the fistful of analgesic cocktail taken for a nasty headache... maybe it was just exhaustion catching up. Whatever it was, solid sleep was welcome.

Morning here is gray and hazy, chance of snow in the forecast. Wan sun peeks over the rooftop next door... is it just me, or is the whole neighborhood kind of groggy?

Last night's headache kept me from staying for the presentation at which my friend Denny received the "secret" linocut I referred to last week. She retired in January from the board of the local Greater Arkansas River Nature Association (GARNA), and to my delight I was asked to create something for her.

One of Denny's many GARNA projects was the enthusiastic launch of a local birding group, so we quickly agreed that "something birdy" was in order. Friend and fellow board member Ann suggested heron... and I was off to the races. Literally. Yes, this was the "8 colors in 10 days" project! The printmaking gods smiled upon me, though... a small edition of 8 images went off without any real hiccups, and there was even time to get it (mostly) dry before last night!

Artists and musicians alike can struggle with giving titles to pieces, and for this one I wanted both a "public" title and a "personal" title... something that would represent the image AND the person for whom it was ultimately intended. Guardian Grace it is, then. Denny will get it, even if she cringes a little. (Inside joke.)

Hm. I hope she likes it.

8 comments:

  1. Wow, how could she not like it? This is why I need more artist friends, so I can make them give me gifts like this!

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  2. Another lovely piece,Sherrie.
    Thankyou for sharing these.

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  3. I'm sure she loved it! a beautiful gift

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  4. Sherri, you are a beautiful artist. What you wrote, about my mother, actually makes me cry. I guess it's knowing how hard she has worked, how many people she has touched, and that it is recognized, appreciated, and acknowledged. Ever since I was a child, the Great Blue Heron has been one of her favorites. Thank you for creating this piece for her. I know how much this means to her, as has GARNA and all of you who are a part of the organization.

    Thank you!
    Laura Colby

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  5. what a beautiful piece to a beautiful recipient. I'm sure she is loving it.

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  6. Thanks, everyone! I am pleased to report (as Denny's offspring Michael and Laura did!) that Denny's quite happy with her new heron. The GARNA annual meeting was a great success, lots of people and great times. I'd say the board will miss Denny, but we all know better than to think she'll stop making things happen just because she has one less meeting to attend!

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  7. this is wonderful! :D great job with all those feathers

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Linocut in Progress: The Third Act

Time to wrap up this linocut ! And we are wrapping at warp speed (see what I did there?)... because there are deadlines. Exhibition deadline...