A brush to go with that baren

Progress on the little flower linocut has stalled this week for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that I've managed to catch a wee cold. My stuffy-headed fog precludes making good aesthetic decisions and I don't have a whole lot of stamina for standing at the press.

Luckily I've got some "bitty birds" to work on. These are small single-color linos that I hand-paint with watercolor, and since I've finished several batches of them previously most of the aesthetic choices have already been made. There's a fair amount of variety between each individual print, although I keep the general color palettes the same. But yikes! Which end of this brush thingy am I supposed to use to make marks? There's no sharp bit to tell me which end is up.

It will be nice to have a fresh set of these ready for the Colorado Field Ornithologists convention in early May. It's been several years since I've been able to attend and even longer since my schedule has allowed me to put together a presentation of work for the event.

It will be a great opportunity to catch up with some friends and to visit an area of the state that I rarely explore. Can you say scissor-tailed flycatchers and Mississippi kites? Just think of the potential new lino subjects!

But first it's time for another cup of echinacea tea and a fistful of vitamin C.