Thursday, December 12, 2013

Linocut in Progress: Finishing the puffin

Things in puffinland have ended somewhat anti-anticlimactically. After more layers of gray than I care to think about, I started work on the background.

Puffin linocut: Step 10

After this grayer-to-brighter blue blend I had ambitions that involved waves and surf and assorted other intrigues. But I was never satisfied with the shapes I carved or the colors I mixed, so in the end I decided that simple was best. This image is only 5" x 7," after all. All that other stuff just made it too busy, so out it came.

One final blue-black and our lone puffin perches pensively on a chunk of rock in unknown seas.

Puffin linocut: Step 11

Well, they're known seas, actually. You might not have noticed before, but this particular bird is wearing some jewelry around its legs. A little research on my part will be required to understand if the double silver bands mean he (she?) was hatched at Eastern Egg Rock, off the coast of Maine,where we encountered each other. It's an important part of the story that I hope to tell when all of the work for next summer's exhibition is complete.

In the meantime...

3 comments:

  1. really like the textures you have on the rock :) another great puffin :)

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  2. I think leaving the sea more "mysterious" (less detailed) is better in this case. It allows the eye to linger on the rocks and the puffin with that outrageous beak and the lovely detailing in its back plumage. Not to mention those intriguing leg-cuffs--bird bondage? Avian Tiffany? Oh yeah, bands…. :) Another great piece!

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  3. Wonderful description..."and assorted other intrigues." Beautiful work. I like the simple version.

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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...