Prints and Plans

"Hold Me"

"The Descent of Auntie Madness"



I've been applying for graduate school the last few months, and soon it will be done. I've got one school left to finish up on my list and then it's just waiting. I can handle waiting.



I hope one of the seven schools I applied to actually accepts me. The second piece there, The Descent of Auntie Madness, touches on my dread if things don't work out. I'll figure out life as I go, but grad school has always been the plan, and I don't have a back-up. I've been living with my sister and her family for a year and a half, and it's time to move on. I love the kids and everything, but it gets to a point where one feels guilty about mooching for so long, and there's a bit of disappointment in myself for postponing my adulthood like this. It's not without it's joys, though. Before I moved here, I was constantly upset about the lack of babies to hold in my life, and that void has been filled to bursting. It's been great, and I'll be sad to go. Both of these prints feature my youngest niece, who I adore.

One of the joys of being here has been the access to the printmaking facilities at CCAD. I started a few different projects this fall, but I've only finished these two so far. If they are even finished. They aren't really editioned at this point, just some varied proofs, of which these are the best.

I like painting in black and white prints with watercolors a lot, but of course it's not conducive to making multiples. It's so fun though, like the coloring books I loved as a kid but better.

Hold Me was drawn and etched in a day, after spending weeks on a drawing for another print that will probably never be finished and getting more and more frustrated. I had a couple of wasted days of failing at different printing techniques with it afterward, but the main image is a lot looser than I usually am, and it's nice. I tend to be really precious with my work and get less done because of it, so it was really satisfying to have this one work as well as it did.

I think The Descent of Auntie Madness is much more successful in the painting aspect, though I could've been a bit better in carving the text. Elena's extra colorful speech-bubble makes me happy.

I have another semester of work and gallery use ahead, and some new projects in mind as well as a couple to finish. I honestly cannot wait to get back to work. If there's anything better than the holidays, it's printmaking.