A Wyeth Twist

“Stepping Forth” inspired from “Trodden Weed” by A. Wyeth. – Dark field monoprint on Kozo paper. © Katie Kath 2022. Do not use without permission

A long time ago I was fortunate enough to see a special exhibit on Andrew Wyeth at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and it was AH-MAY-ZING.

They had just about every scrap of painting and drawing the guy ever did, all collated into one, huge, fantastic show. The opening picture, smack in the middle of the wall when you walked in, was “Soaring.” I could almost feel the wind whipping at the feathers of the birds depicted in the surreal landscape, as I felt somewhat sorry for the hundreds (thousands?) of gallery-goers in various museums around the US, sadly staring up at blank frame-shaped patches of wall once holding these beautiful works, now displaying a “temporarily on loan” sign in their place.

Ah, well. C’est la vie. Meanwhile, I feasted my eyes.

Tonight’s monotype print was inspired by one of my favorite Wyeth pieces, a painting entitled, “Trodden Weed.” (Feet modeled after yours truly.)

One of the things I love about Wyeth’s work is how his paintings cannot help but make you feel.

So, I leave you with this question tonight: How does this monotype make you feel?

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Lora, Two Ways

“Lora” – trace monotype print, detail added. © Katie Kath 2022. Do not reproduce without permission.

You know how at some fine dining establishments they often have those dishes that are supposedly served “two ways?”

Well, here is my friend, Lora, who now appears on tonight’s blog in two ways!

The below image is a pencil sketch I made in order to create a trace monotype print (like the image from the last post), only this time I used standard Kozo paper (a good idea–the Strathmore was really too thick for it, and I knew that at the time, but I figured what the heck, why not give it a try?) and burnt sienna Akua ink to give the finished product a warmer tone.

“Sketch of Lora” – pencil. © Katie Kath 2022. Do not reproduce without permission.

I drew the sketch during lunch–dodging M’s spaghetti-flinging and meeting his rowdy, medieval tavern-esque demands for more milk–in the hopes that it would save me time on the printmaking end, which it did. Huzzah! This also means an earlier bedtime for me, DOUBLE-HUZZAH!

Until next time, folks, thank you and goodnight.

A Monday Monotype With Food For Thought

“Yia-Yia’s Cat” – Dark field monotype print. © Katie Kath. Do not reproduce without permission.

I know I do a lot of pieces in black-and-white.

Sometimes I even say to myself, “Seriously? Another black-and-white drawing?”

“Yes. Got a problem?”

There is something I really love about black-and-white. No matter how many color pieces I do, black-and-white is like that one boyfriend who you just keep going back to, not because he’s a sleazy hunk and a cheap date, but rather because he’s a romantic. He’s the boy next door who maybe everyone else failed to notice but you–and every time you come back, golly he just gets cuter.

In fact, a former professor was once singing the praises about the virtues of black-and-white art-making, saying that, “It’s really all you need. All of the visual information you ever need is there.”

I remembered this phrase, interestingly, on the heels of browsing one of my favorite textbooks by Martin Salisbury, where he states (and I paraphrase): “The important thing (about drawing) is whether or not the approach serves the drawing’s purpose.”

So. Let a drawing serve it’s purpose. i.e.: Show only what needs to be shown. Get rid of the weeds. Don’t overly complicate a piece if it shouldn’t be complicated, WHICH INCLUDES not adding color if it isn’t necessary.

I love black-and-white. So there!

Here’s Looking At You

Is there a better subject from which to practice monotypes than film noir movie scenes?

Nope, I’m not sure there is.

Among the many things I love in life–including chocolate, fresh bread, a good Gin and Tonic, and cute, chonky little baby thighs–is a classic old film noir (or really any old classic film, for that matter).

A couple of years ago (was it really that long ago?? Alas, I think it was!) I re-watched “Casablanca” for about the umpteenth time. Let me tell you, Bogey never gets old, and neither do his movies. Although he might have smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish and probably had about a million personal issues, he sure could make a movie.

And so, my latest print is inspired from such a movie–in fact, I had such fun that I might make this into a print series. HOW RAD would that be? I could watch my way into a monoprint series!

I think I feel a “Maltese Falcon” viewing coming on…

Here’s looking at you, kid.