Even though it coldI know spring is right around the corner.I've been getting ready for the markets making lots of cool new prints, cards, shirts and such.     See what's new in the studio!

Enjoyed listening to The Idiot by Elif Batuman. Then I had 2 false starts.
Had to stop listening to
99 glimpses of princess Margaret by Greg Brown
and My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Otessa Moshfegh.
Now I’m really enjoying Daisy Jones and the Six. By Taylor Jenkins Reid.
I love the way it’s many different voices. Really a good production.

Another cold day, great to focus on screen printing.
Working on a print of the ladies space liner.
Using an old stack of paper that has color on it already.
I like what is adding to the print.
Even though the screen is dissolving and it’s messier than I would like.
I like the fact that I didn’t plan this out and I know the decisions that I make along the way
will work or not. Either way it will be in the medium it was designed

Something that had been going on in the background for awhile.Is the ground of my paintings.Lately I have morphed from making tons of little sketches
   etc.
To trying to bring that same fast freshness to larger canvases.
Primarily 40x30".
A thing my little 5x7" sketches have that the larger ones lacked is lovely brushy grounds
made by one layer of color applyed with a 3" chip brush.
A 3" chip on the larger surface would be too activeI tried an 8 inch brush, it was hard to find a chip brush with the coarse bristle in that size,
a nylon brush with had a  soft bristle and did not leave the desired strie.
I ordered 8" chip brushes from China.  
they were cheap but took a month to arrive.
they were surprisingly nice brushes but not actually 8".

I'm sure there's a joke in there.I ordered more from a different Chinese company, so we'll see next month.Meanwhile I made a new tool, joining two of the brush heads into a giant paddle brush.
             
They've already been put to use priming two 30x40" canvases and worked great!!
It's a subtle variation that will hopefully give more life and breath to the larger work.
It's funny to get super excited over this detail, I am, & love the new brush!