tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77688889923915908582024-03-12T19:12:52.243-07:00Trout Lily StudiosOriginal Wood Block Prints of John KochJohn Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-44409878862612818462013-03-01T17:16:00.000-08:002013-03-01T17:18:30.526-08:00Getting Ready for Great WatersIt's less than a month now until we gather for the <a href="http://www.greatwatersflyfishingexpo.com/Home.html" target="_blank">2013 Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo</a>!<br />
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Somebody pinch me, but it's the 10th year anniversary. 10 Years! I hate cliche's, but holy moly, how time flies!<br />
I can't for a minute think about the Expo and not pause a bit and thank the powers that be for the friendship of Tom Helgeson, who started it all. Without his guidance and support, and some outright prodding, I doubt my artwork would be were it is today. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I miss my friend daily.<br />
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I've been an exhibitor at every one, selling raffle tickets for Kiap-TU-Wish at the first one, and selling artwork at all the rest. I dug a round and found a few photos of previous years Expos:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/2010ChicagoExpo/PJ.jpg" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(2010 Chicago)<br />
One of Wisconsin's finest <br />
cane rod makers, Paul Julious </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/expo2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/expo2007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> (2007 Bloomington)<br />
Tom was ready to strangle me when I dragged The Barn into the auditorium.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MnExpo2009/JohnGinny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MnExpo2009/JohnGinny.jpg" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(2009 Bloomington)<br />
Always good to see friends</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MnExpo2009/FlyWC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MnExpo2009/FlyWC.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(2009 Bloomington)<br />
A Jeff Kennedy original of my Kinni Sulphur</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MnExpo2009/Working.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MnExpo2009/Working.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/2010ChicagoExpo/CheeseBill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>(2009 Bloomington)<br />
Demo-ing at the 2009 show</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/2010ChicagoExpo/CheeseBill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/2010ChicagoExpo/CheeseBill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local color at the 2010 Chicago show</td></tr>
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John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-37469208716060493592012-11-25T14:40:00.000-08:002012-11-25T14:42:46.224-08:00I was asked in an interview recently about what was in my artistic future. My reply was that I really didn't know, but that what ever the case, I was going to "create and express myself in my artwork."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Orp6H7KvepY5xHuvxZ5hv6QibPhHxJbO3KWl4xefEkb-9dX3qeQ5gQkp94FWIEv6mBK_UAL8ZSXyRzs7HQFAvXZOAszlgZwbSwBIg9k2ABapeUylLxcQuBLsRFkrsdgA4I99teUZSRc/s1600/GingerOilPastelWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Orp6H7KvepY5xHuvxZ5hv6QibPhHxJbO3KWl4xefEkb-9dX3qeQ5gQkp94FWIEv6mBK_UAL8ZSXyRzs7HQFAvXZOAszlgZwbSwBIg9k2ABapeUylLxcQuBLsRFkrsdgA4I99teUZSRc/s320/GingerOilPastelWeb.jpg" width="320" /></a>A pretty milk-toast answer; I think I was imagining at the time I would move into something like silver smithing or sculpture or something 3D. So I was a bit taken aback when I sat down today with some paper and oil pastels (of all things) and whipped out a quick drawing of my old buddy Herb's old Brittany Ginger furiously running through the late season grouse woods. <br />
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OK, so this isn't <i>COMPLETELY</i> new territory for me; I'd done a portrait or two in school, um, 20-some years ago. So I sort of know the concept of pastels. Sort of. I totally botched the first attempt - I am a seriously bad draftsman. This is my second attempt, and I must say, there are more things that please me about the drawing than things that don't, so I consider it a success, I guess. I really like the way the dog's movement comes through - I think that was my first goal. I'm also impressed with how the oil pastel's work together as colors.<br />
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So, I think I've found my "next thing", so to speak. I'm certainly not laying down my wood blocks (as a matter of fact, I'm about half way done with the latest that I started not too long ago) but definitely on to something fresh.<br />
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<br />John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-43408528911501946022012-08-24T17:14:00.000-07:002012-08-24T17:14:23.353-07:00For the Birds...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Deb and I have three (maybe four) more shows lined up for the rest of this year, and have been hard at work the last couple of weeks getting some new hand-colored linoleum block prints ready, for Art on the Kinni, Spring Valley Dam Days Teachers Art Fair, and the Spirit of the St. Croix Art Festival.</div>
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We're continuing our bird-themed prints, as we had a terrific time with last years Orchard Calendar project, and thought it would be fun to concentrate on song/garden birds as a theme. When we started Trout Lily Studios years ago, it was with the intent that it would be a vehicle for both of us to pursue our art with; these are Deb's images, from blocks that she carved. I proofed the blocks for her, and printed them, then handed them back for her to hand color.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Winged Blackbird</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/Images/Artwork/HandColored/Birds/GoldfinchYellow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/Images/Artwork/HandColored/Birds/GoldfinchYellow.jpg" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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Eventually I'd like to carve some color blocks for some of these and see what that will do to the over all image. But for now it's enough to concentrate on rolling out the base prints.<br />
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<br />John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-47392706990789940232012-02-26T13:39:00.003-08:002012-02-26T13:50:17.355-08:003rd Meadow FinalI finished my latest print today, a Moku Hanga print entitled "3rd Meadow." The view looks up through the 3rd meadow on Slough Creek (hence the title...) Slough Creek is a tributary of the Lamar River in Yellowstone:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/ThirdMeadowFinalWEB.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 494px; height: 348px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/ThirdMeadowFinalWEB.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />For a print that started out with a whole lot of Easter Egg colors, it turned out exceedingly well. I'm very happy with it.John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-10228864594471790802012-01-29T11:44:00.000-08:002012-01-29T12:14:35.939-08:00Morning on the Paint - a long time coming<a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MorningOnThePaintWEB.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 208px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MorningOnThePaintWEB.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I finished this one up today.<br /><br />I was fishing with Joe, Grizz and Todd on the Paint a few years ago. It was the first time in recent memory for me fishing in the UP, and we were fishing to especially fussy brookies during an early morning trico hatch. I think I might have caught one or two (where I should have caught dozens), and so it was an especially frustrating morning. I had hung it up for awhile, maybe even sat down on a rock midstream to watch my friends downstream do their own fishing, when someone nodded to me in that way that made me turn and look upstream. There was a whitetail doe, cautiously picking her way along the bank, not far away.<br /><br />I started a print of the scene immediately that fall, but as I worked my way through the blocks, something was lost, and I eventually put them away. From time to time over the next couple of years I'd pick them back up and try something new: a new paper, a different color, etc, always putting them aside and working on something else.<br /><br />I picked them up again a couple weeks ago, and the answer was obvious: what the blocks needed was just a little bit more carving and just one or two additional color layers.<br /><br />Here's a proof of one of the last runs I did:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MorningOnThePaintAP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 197px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MorningOnThePaintAP.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />You can see where I drew in a line of birch trees to cut out and a line of grass to add. I also printed it on brighter paper and adjusted the colors a bit.<br /><br />Here's the finished print again:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MorningOnThePaintWEB.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 208px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/MorningOnThePaintWEB.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-24161069679636512242012-01-23T15:31:00.000-08:002012-01-23T15:54:52.801-08:00It's been awhile - New Print!I haven't taken time to post anything since August. That doesn't mean that I've not been working, though; it's just been extremely hectic late summer/fall/winter.<br /><br />I've been working on a couple different prints this winter, with the goal of combining what I've been doing with my reduction woodcuts with what I've learned about the moku hanga technique. The result(s) are prints that are as visually full of depth as before, but with the added versatility and aesthetic appeal of the traditional Japanese woodcut. At least, that's my own thoughts on the matter...<br /><br />So here's the latest:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/SulphursOnTheRushWEB.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 536px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/SulphursOnTheRushWEB.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is a 9 block <span style="font-style: italic;">moku hanga</span> type woodblock print. I carved a new and different block for each color, starting from the lightest grey and ending with the black.<br /><br />The technique is pretty straight forward - I used a master image to trace each color area onto an exactly sized piece of maple. I then carved each one out by hand with various shaped/sized gouges:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/LtGray.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 383px; height: 504px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/LtGray.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/LtGreen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 432px; height: 328px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/LtGreen.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I apply the colors in the traditional manner, using a boar and deer hair brush. The ink I use is made by a company called Akua Kolor. My friends at <a href="http://www.wetpaintart.com/"> Wet Paint</a> have been my local source since stocking them last year.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/LtBlue.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 432px; height: 324px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/LtBlue.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/DrkBlue.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 360px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/DrkBlue.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/Black.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 460px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//Images/Artwork/MokuHanga/SulphursOnTheRush/Black.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There are a couple darker colors that were printed that I didn't record, but you get the point. These are artists proofs, printed on a relatively cheap paper. My task now is to decide on which, if any color layers I want to get rid of, and make final prints on good quality paper (which will change the appearance somewhat, usually to the better....)John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-11629843540022624922011-08-23T05:56:00.000-07:002011-08-23T06:07:30.448-07:00
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<br />I finished up the last block for this Swallow Tail yesterday, but on printing, it looks like I've go to go back into the blue block and do some more smoothing - the two dark lines are caused by two "bumps" running across the block. These in turn are caused when the rough-stock lumber is ran through a planner that has chips in the blade. Usually I sand these all out, but once in awhile I miss one (or two)...
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<br />I didn't want to muddy either of the back ground colors for the dragonfly print, so I carved another background block for it to see what orange would look like:
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<br />I've inadvertently created a controversy in the household, Deborah likes the blue one better, but Sophia and I like this one.John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-68844523111780744602011-08-18T08:22:00.001-07:002011-08-18T08:23:21.620-07:00Dragonfly
<br />I finished up the dragonfly/cattail print I started last week.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/DragonFlyWEB.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 419px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/DragonFlyWEB.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />I printed all the color blocks in succession up until the grey wings (I wanted to print them last, over all the other colors, to give a sense of transparency) and stopped because I wasn't happy with how it was progressing, and slept on it. I printed the wings this morning, and it looked better. I then printed the whole black key block over everything and was extremely disappointed.
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<br />Hmmmmm......
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<br />I went back to my books on Hiroshige and Hokusai, and really looked at how they did things, concentrating on how they used black, particularly as an outline, or in this sense, how it isn't used.
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<br />I thought at first that I'd carve another black block, because I didn't want to wreck the keyblock. but i found that I can ink just the portions of the block that I need to, and with selective burnishing, get pretty much the results I was looking for. I'm going to experiment with the background colors just a bit, maybe add some orange to compliment the greens, but overall, I'm extremely please with this print! John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-71748831641991407922011-08-14T20:03:00.000-07:002011-08-14T20:18:12.125-07:00A week of workI finally got a break in between shows and hot, hot weather to get some studio work done. It's too hot to work in the indoor studio on the 3rd floor of the house, and the outside studio isn't insulated, so it get's pretty warm (and humid!) out there, too. So it was with great relief that I took advantage of the gorgeous weather we've been having to get some work done with the Dickerson out in the shed.
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<br />I've been printmaking under the name of <span style="font-style:italic;">Trout Lily Studios</span> for some time now, so I thought it time to print an image of some Trout Lily's. It's hard to get a decent image to work with, because the flowers tend to look straight down. But I got some good ones to work with this spring, and of our less than abundant yellow ones, too boot.
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<br />I decided to go with a reduction on these, to go along with the Trillium I did several years ago. It came out "interesting"; I'm fairly happy with it.
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<br />I also printed an image that's been swimming around in my head this summer, that of a Bee on a Purple Cone Flower.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/ConeFlowerandBeeFinalSmall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 432px; height: 307px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/ConeFlowerandBeeFinalSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />This is a multi-block print, done in the Japanese style <span style="font-style:italic;">Moku Hanga</span>. Again, there's things I don't like about it, but I'm finding myself really liking the colors. The nice thing about these types of prints is that I can work with them more until I'm satisfied: add a block, change colors, etc.
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<br />Finally, tonight I finished up the key block for another Moku Hanga print, this of a Dragonfly:
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/DragonFlyKey.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 407px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/DragonFlyKey.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />I'm really liking this image - very simple, but very elegant. I cut up the rough color blocks, and will be carving them and proofing them this week. Stay tuned!
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<br />John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-40734826987827533242011-07-08T19:17:00.000-07:002011-07-08T19:31:35.487-07:00InfluencesI opened a new show of my work at Gallery 120 in River Falls last night. We had a great turn out, but I was especially surprised when a couple folks that I haven't seen for several decades walked in.<br /><br />The first was my printmaking professor from UW River Falls, Mary Barrett.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGgz2-rzJgj6saaVjuvZgifNigqpkjhR59QefXsDFi0TzdsgKQzvo0x35Qkk-Pp_5BGGXJ8dSGQLGyNE8D2mfT0YcNIRdj5xzdKqmoDFXoBpnqyELNpCaSov-SmKxckIOKXvC9KRM1c8/s1600/Barett.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGgz2-rzJgj6saaVjuvZgifNigqpkjhR59QefXsDFi0TzdsgKQzvo0x35Qkk-Pp_5BGGXJ8dSGQLGyNE8D2mfT0YcNIRdj5xzdKqmoDFXoBpnqyELNpCaSov-SmKxckIOKXvC9KRM1c8/s400/Barett.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627172834214812642" /></a><br /><br />Without a doubt, Mary was a huge influence on my printmaking career - I learned everything from lino cuts to stone lithos with her, but what really stuck were woodcuts. I was even honored with receiving a press from her last year when she closed her downtown St. Paul studio - I can't thank her enough for what's she's done for me.<br /><br />Not long after Mary left, a former mentor who I haven't talked to for 20 years, Bill Ammerman, walked in:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA-NcHJvNy9SzOLForOileQOwLB8A9-iEEr6VvfmqrVJgEBOG4kIuZgRe4a0B_Ypl3e5MaW9RLe33hEw-ho5qTR7uCDJmw8GXVZJ5X9Acz0HAD4P4pTyiqxwRR3tiCINrgtlBlRbMPsM/s1600/Ammerman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA-NcHJvNy9SzOLForOileQOwLB8A9-iEEr6VvfmqrVJgEBOG4kIuZgRe4a0B_Ypl3e5MaW9RLe33hEw-ho5qTR7uCDJmw8GXVZJ5X9Acz0HAD4P4pTyiqxwRR3tiCINrgtlBlRbMPsM/s400/Ammerman.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627172835824796466" /></a><br /><br />Again, Bill is a retired Art professor from UWRF. He taught drawing and watercolor, both classes that I never took, so I in fact never had a class with him. Never the less, he was a wise and steady council that I could always talk to. Again, I was deeply honored when he walked in to see my work.John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-65514584150506142142011-06-23T12:44:00.000-07:002011-06-23T13:03:52.449-07:00New printAs much as I like to do my own thing, especially with artwork, I need to have some guiding principles when it comes to what I do next. One of the main principles, I've come to learn, is "LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS"...<br /><br />So, after getting asked yet one more time at the Stone Arch Festival if I had any prints of Walleyes, I've taken the hint and started a Walleye Whiteline. As with the trout, the first step is to get the image onto a block of wood:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Wally/WallyWhiteLine1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 432px; height: 283px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Wally/WallyWhiteLine1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />the next step is to carefully trace all the lines with a V-gouge:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Wally/WallyWhiteLine2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 432px; height: 324px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Wally/WallyWhiteLine2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />stayed tuned for the next steps...John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-87207587422212519222011-06-23T12:28:00.001-07:002011-06-23T12:43:43.899-07:00Shows, shows, shows......and more shows.<br />The summer has been taken up with shows. We had a great time at the Stone Arch Festival last weekend (our first year there) and even received an Award of Excellence at the Edina Art Fair two weekends before:<br /><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.edinaartfair.com/images/award%20winners/art%20fair%20112.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.edinaartfair.com/images/award%20winners/art%20fair%20112.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Coming up, I've got a gallery opening at Gallery 123 in River Falls, Wisconsin on July 7th. We'll be at the 38th Annual Stockholm Art Fair July 16th, booth #23 (same as last year), and at Art at St. Kates on Saturday, July 23rd.<br /><br />It's hectic, but as I've said before, we're having a terrific time meeting some truly great artists and art aficionados... <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Edina.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 378px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Edina.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-11493610046069432632011-04-27T14:46:00.000-07:002011-04-27T14:55:36.203-07:00The Return of the DeadDay of the Dead figures, that is...<br />a busy spring schedule this spring kept Deb from working on the next series of Day of the Dead figures, but just in time for <a href="http://www.thecreativedrive.com/">The Creative Drive</a>, she got 4 new figures added to the collection:<br /><br />The Bee Keeper:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYORaROnQnTordH1y5NR2ibNrmkaWaBBKnDo8tLQH4vhbwhJRoQwdnFy-FMhAPYrhexttCVC31SlgrPvXE5jx1vxyehTHU4CmV-N0PvWx6dVIv-kiawyysouBlPPSqAjrt3uuhybwUBI/s1600/BeeKeeper.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYORaROnQnTordH1y5NR2ibNrmkaWaBBKnDo8tLQH4vhbwhJRoQwdnFy-FMhAPYrhexttCVC31SlgrPvXE5jx1vxyehTHU4CmV-N0PvWx6dVIv-kiawyysouBlPPSqAjrt3uuhybwUBI/s400/BeeKeeper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600383773361895810" border="0" /></a><br />The Happy Couple:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn4F-hJxFnlj1kmezMgBjPIM0pKZpfZwi2kzaQncZAvlZ_LnILBucH214_IECG1x4SA0-sRwluMbW1bnnzwhDdS94uK-houb8aq2J14Pm00GB75IjwuMrDYFgVU0uhyphenhyphent0Xxd4dlpY5pw/s1600/HappyCouple.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn4F-hJxFnlj1kmezMgBjPIM0pKZpfZwi2kzaQncZAvlZ_LnILBucH214_IECG1x4SA0-sRwluMbW1bnnzwhDdS94uK-houb8aq2J14Pm00GB75IjwuMrDYFgVU0uhyphenhyphent0Xxd4dlpY5pw/s400/HappyCouple.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600383966783322018" border="0" /></a><br />and finally, Uncle Sam and Napolean <span style="font-style: italic;">BONE</span>aparte (along with the sole remaining fly fishermen...)<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcd7DGACZo_t73NjF19A9tdqhK6_abIYYgXcTseR3PlX3Gr4lXUFmw8Nwzv7wNiUraPNOxVTToy2Jo9FE_F9-9vb2P_klRkvjyW284Sv9ME7Wq1jeyx_bd6V5sPo_JN3ZcJSx-_gGEXI/s1600/DODCollection.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcd7DGACZo_t73NjF19A9tdqhK6_abIYYgXcTseR3PlX3Gr4lXUFmw8Nwzv7wNiUraPNOxVTToy2Jo9FE_F9-9vb2P_klRkvjyW284Sv9ME7Wq1jeyx_bd6V5sPo_JN3ZcJSx-_gGEXI/s400/DODCollection.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600384244002865314" border="0" /></a>John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-71006702895093336752011-03-21T17:27:00.000-07:002011-03-21T17:57:01.580-07:00outside at lastI opened up the outside shed this week, finally ran some power from the house through the wire we buried three years ago, and viola - Trout Lily Studios is officially inhabiting it's new (non-winter) digs.<br /><br />But since it's not to warm out yet, and I need to keep ink sort of liquid (until of course when it's hopefully pressed into it's proper spot on a new print and supposed to be drying...) I need to keep things warm out there.<br /><br />Nothing better than this mother right here:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/Fire.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 504px; height: 482px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/Fire.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br />Once it's get's going, it takes about ten minutes to make thing nice and roasty toasty. <br /><br />It's still pretty rustic out there - it's far from rodent proof, so I don't store anything out there, and of course I don't keep anything I don't want to freeze out there, and instead haul stuff back and forth as I need it. But the light is fabulous, and even with the extra bee hives and such stacked about, there's loads of elbow room.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/Bench.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 378px; height: 504px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/Bench.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I'm midway through a quick little reduction woodcut of a fly fisherman casting on the Willow River, back when there were three dams. This image was taken in the shadowy half-light right below the upper most dam above Burkqhart. There used to be a ton of brookies that like to hang out were the water seeped around the dam.<br /><br />Folks ask me if I mix my own colors. Why yes, yes I do mix my own colors. I have four cans of ink - white, black, red, yellow and blue. All my colors are mixed from these.<br />It's takes time and practice and lots of wasted supplies figuring each manufacturers inks out, and how they will work for you. I'm finally getting a handle on Daniel Smiths colors - I wanted a nice "springy" green to pop through the grays and browns that will eventually dominate this print.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/Green.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 508px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/Green.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Yellow straight out of the can, printed lightly over the green for the looping flyline:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/5Colors.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 189px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/5Colors.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And if I do say so myself, tonight I mixed the prefect flesh tone (300 prts White, 1 prt Yellow, 1 prt red, .05 prts blue...):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/6Colors.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 218px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/6Colors.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />there's a fisherman emerging from the print - can you see him?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/Emerger.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 438px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/WillowCasting/Emerger.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-48449359686343339832011-03-18T14:23:00.000-07:002011-03-18T14:27:27.717-07:002011 Calendar Off and RunningI finished up the carving today of the first of our Calendar prints for next year. I went so far as to run a few proofs on my bottle jack press.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Owl.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 392px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Owl.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />For those not familiar with these, Deborah does the drawings, based on her year-round work at Maple Leaf Orchard, and I take the drawings and print them (along with all my woodcuts) She then takes them back and hand colors them. Finally, we pick out the best ones and electronically layout a calendar and have it commercially printed.<br /><br />I forgot to put a border on this one; otherwise, we're liking it a lot. The night sky will be dark blue with the moons glow, and we're debating on what to do with the fore-ground. Our original idea was shadows of trees on snow at night, but leaving it black is a possibility, too.John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-72665530409773523702011-03-14T17:25:00.001-07:002011-03-14T17:28:41.918-07:00Finished... and with the black block printed, this print is finished!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/BrookiePool.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 333px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/BrookiePool.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I'm pretty pleased with this one. It was a complex image, but pretty simple print - it has only 5 colors. I really like the way the Daniel Smith inks finished off on the Rives; a very different feel from previous work. I'll definitely be doing more.John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-72366519461723538652011-03-13T13:45:00.000-07:002011-03-13T14:09:20.865-07:00Progress on new reduction printI made huge progress on a quick reduction print that I've been wanting to do for some time. It's an image that I've done before: a trout swimming with reflections shimmering on the surface of the water. I'm not too worried about over-doing the image, which is actually more of a theme, per say, as each new print will be so much different than the last.<br /><br />I "married" two images that I have in my archives, a swimming brookie and some trees reflected on the surface of some water. The trees I shot a couple years ago on the upper Prairie while on a grouse hunt with Joe. He was wondering why I was throwing pebbles in the water and taking pictures of it...<br /><br />I went ahead and transferred the married images to a block of maple, carved out a bit of white, and printed the blue background. I didn't pay close attention to how the background printed, as I wanted it to be somewhat blotchy and erratic, since it was supposed to be flowing water. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Color1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 378px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Color1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It came out satisfactory, but when I went to wash up, I discovered that in my haste to get the project underway, I had forgotten to "fix" the image - my image had peeled off with the ink.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Block2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 378px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Block2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I had no choice but to cut another block and start over.<br /><br />But at least I had a start. Cutting a new block and transferring the images took up only a hour of time, so I was back on top of things fairly quickly. Things slowed down again when it came time to carve out the background that I had so recently printed:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Block1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 378px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Block1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I took a good solid day to carve it all out, and I was able to print the first color , the light colored parts of the trout, this morning:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Block3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 296px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Block3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I quickly followed with red, which actually started out pink, but since it was going over two colors already, I knew it would darken into the red I wanted:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Block4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 302px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Block4.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Next came the dark green/blue of the brookies body. I decided to go ahead and print the whole block, as the new color would be dark enough to give me an idea of what the finished print is going to look like once I print the black (I'm impatient)and any mis-registration between the green and black blocks would give it sort of a shimmering look. That's my theory, anyway.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Block5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 504px; height: 304px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/artwork/Brookie/Block5.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It's looking pretty good.John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-76067990475659920302011-03-08T17:11:00.000-08:002011-03-08T17:20:14.332-08:00CoversI got word a couple weeks ago that my work is appearing on some magazines this spring, most notably Gray's Sporting Journal, and the Yale Angler's Journal.<br /><br />Keep an eye out - you'll see this one on the back cover of the Gray's Spring Fly Fishing issue:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//HTML/Images/Artwork/Trout/MandalaFont.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 236px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//HTML/Images/Artwork/Trout/MandalaFont.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />These two you'll see on an up-coming issue of the Yale Angler's Journal, a fine literary magazine produced by the Yale University Press:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJsNJyATcU2gsqr2f9T1wy0GfbVcv6FvWtREkNqbBIQAB41bd1PavKoQKOrHIN3VkIdIhsZq7gnRUubp-KjWYvAMvIZ6yIjRu80N1BSXKMcUy7pGSnKAvsvc0aXjRd7CPBrtbmr8XCak/s1600/SquareTailWhiteLine.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJsNJyATcU2gsqr2f9T1wy0GfbVcv6FvWtREkNqbBIQAB41bd1PavKoQKOrHIN3VkIdIhsZq7gnRUubp-KjWYvAMvIZ6yIjRu80N1BSXKMcUy7pGSnKAvsvc0aXjRd7CPBrtbmr8XCak/s400/SquareTailWhiteLine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581883655812564450" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahhBL6okt0mZ5Aj-rEfwfWcAxtd3uLL2sBkTbZaTbFePe8Dpr9jxfR4IXuWKnKd8wi7cZ-oXF_iHOrrqeQKPNzJUaXgQOc6rC3JfZMSWsLQhEHtpIqli9rj37LFj1bi4Q6jsNpa-dHXU/s1600/EveningOnElkLarge.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahhBL6okt0mZ5Aj-rEfwfWcAxtd3uLL2sBkTbZaTbFePe8Dpr9jxfR4IXuWKnKd8wi7cZ-oXF_iHOrrqeQKPNzJUaXgQOc6rC3JfZMSWsLQhEHtpIqli9rj37LFj1bi4Q6jsNpa-dHXU/s400/EveningOnElkLarge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581883662426866834" border="0" /></a>John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-71578814798870511632011-03-08T14:16:00.000-08:002011-03-08T14:30:22.520-08:00New BlocksI've started several new blocks in the past week. Like I said earlier, I haven't done much since Christmas, so it's time to get busy.<br /><br />I started a new reduction, this one on a block of maple. It's off myself casting on the Willow River. At the time, there was pretty good brook trout fishing right below the upper dam. The water squeezing around the dam through the porous limestone created a tail water effect, and brookies could be taken right below the spillway.<br /><br />Anyway, there was terrific lighting, and a friend of mine took some gorgeous pictures for something we were doing at work at the time. I've got this block already to print the first color, the lightest, as soon as it get's nice enough to get out to the outdoor studio with the press (now with new wiring! yeah!)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Winter2011/CastingOnWillowBlock.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 216px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Winter2011/CastingOnWillowBlock.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I got a good start on a small Japanese-style block, that will be a print of a group of mayflowers that I took last spring. Lot's of work involved with this one:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Winter2011/MayFlowerBlock.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 216px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Winter2011/MayFlowerBlock.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We even got started on next years calendar. Deb assures me she's got all the images down in her head. This is the first one, a Great Horned Owl in mid-winter:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Winter2011/OwlTransfer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 216px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Winter2011/OwlTransfer.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Winter2011/TransferDone.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 216px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/Winter2011/TransferDone.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-43187824541558425792011-03-08T13:37:00.000-08:002011-03-08T14:04:42.223-08:00A New Year - there's a lot to doA new year, and with it, a "new" entry. It's been a while since I've had any updates: I took a small hiatus from printmaking since my last show in December. I was a bit burned out from a steady schedule of shows in the late summer and fall. And with the coming of a cold and snowy winter, I was less than enthused to start any new projects on the new press in the unheated, unwired outdoor studio (though more on this later...)<br /><br />So I did other things.<br /><br />I joined my good friend Joe K up on our other good friend's land in January for an awesome late season grouse hunt on snowshoes. Herb couldn't join us, but we appreciated his kindness in giving us unfettered access.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/Winter2011/Hunting.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 216px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/Winter2011/Hunting.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It was without a doubt, a great year for snow sports. The skiing was pretty good this year, and I even got out on the snowshoes a couple of times this year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/Winter2011/Skiing.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 216px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/Winter2011/Skiing.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In mid-January, friends gathered for what's come to be an annual event: the original Lie-n-Tie, held at our good friend Larry Aamodt's shop. I've lost track of the number of years we've done this, but all will agree it's a great time.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/Winter2011/Tying.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 216px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/Winter2011/Tying.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I of course did some cooking:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/Winter2011/Cooking.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 216px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/Winter2011/Cooking.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And I even started some new wines; to be specific, a couple of Port-style fortified wines. I have two carboys of Black Currant/Blackberry/Pinot Noir port bubbling quietly away in the basement, with some more Blackberry fermenting at my good friend Brad's house. Time will tell (if we can wait that long, 4 years or so)if we're successful, but preliminary taste test indicate these will be nothing short of spectacular.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/Winter2011/Wine.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 384px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com//images/Winter2011/Wine.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Today I started a project that I've long put off: I started wiring the outdoor studio for electricity. Since the new press runs on a 1 hp motor, and with some "distinguished guests" joining me for the Creative Drive, I thought it high time to run some power out there (other than a loooong extension cord.)<br /><br />So with that, it's time to get busy; there's a lot to do...John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-37117667932834110042010-11-30T15:15:00.001-08:002010-11-30T15:15:50.824-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/Images/GiftbytheHand_postcard1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 432px; height: 612px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/Images/GiftbytheHand_postcard1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-3116208170339103532010-11-12T13:26:00.001-08:002010-11-12T13:29:08.201-08:00I've been accused of ignoring my upland hunting heritage in regards to my artwork, and instead concentrating on that <span style="font-style: italic;">other</span> diversion we use to kill time when the bird seasons are closed.<br /><br />I've dabbled a bit, to be sure, but nothing real serious, or that get's me excited.<br /><br />So I finally made it a point to make room for some hunting pieces this year. Here's the first one:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/GrayNovDay.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 501px; height: 382px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/GrayNovDay.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />"Gray November Day" a/p<br /></div><br /><br />Ok, so it's a ditch parrot. Specifically, it's a friend of mine <span style="font-style: italic;">missing</span> a ditch parrot. I wanted to start with a simple image, and this one seemed to fit the bill. A gray fall day, a bit of snow on the ground - not much color except the hunters jacket and the red patch on the pheasants eye. It's not printed the best yet ("a/p" stands for Artists Proof...) either.<br /><br />Here's some images of the blocks used to print the piece:<br /><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/GrayNovDayBlock1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 432px; height: 324px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/GrayNovDayBlock1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/GrayNovDayBlock2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 432px; height: 324px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/artwork/GrayNovDayBlock2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I've got a pile more that I'll be working on this fall/winter.John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-18050182979168472862010-11-06T18:55:00.000-07:002010-11-06T19:05:35.107-07:00Now Showing at the Mable Tainter Center for the Arts Main GalleryDeb and I took most of Tuesday afternoon and set up a show of my work at the Mable Tainter Theater, wich will run through the rest of this month until the 22nd. It was a bit intimidating when we first walked into thew seemingly huge, cavernous room that serves as the Theaters main gallery, but thanks mostly to Deb's patient help, we were able to come up with a beautiful show.<br />The theater is hosting an artists reception on Friday, November 12th, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Whoever's reading this, is of course warmly invited!<br />Here's a sneak peak:<br /><br />Entrance to the Gallery Room:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/photos/MableTShow/IMG_8481.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 504px; height: 469px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/photos/MableTShow/IMG_8481.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To the right:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/photos/MableTShow/IMG_8478.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 504px; height: 378px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/photos/MableTShow/IMG_8478.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To the left:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/photos/MableTShow/IMG_8479.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 504px; height: 378px;" src="http://www.troutlillystudios.com/images/photos/MableTShow/IMG_8479.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-65281435033803381442010-10-25T09:21:00.000-07:002010-10-25T09:43:46.950-07:00End of the Day finiI didn't get down to my favorite trout stream this year;<br /><br />not once, not at all.<br /><br />Which, of course, is a shame. What ever pressing errand that stood in the way this summer, whatever seemingly important, dire event that took place, preventing a visit, is of course now forgotten.<br /><br />My best days trout fishing have been spent here. A tiny little creek, flowing through an improbable valley of farms, lies like a dream on the edge of the landscape. Wading slowly up through it's crystal clear, icy cold water, ducking around and through the thick vegetation, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that just over there, with-in a stone's throw of where I'm wading, lies it's potential doom: industrial agriculture lies unchecked along her banks like a bullying thug, ready and willing to foul her waters with a vindictiveness that exceeds mere greed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtidjwdMT08nOF7El9dV5uwZqEJnmPwyBQf49EzhxdFnEk3Sff9MY7zuYi-2fYzIMYxecionyRxSUpkHrwBbeke86lsA8xw0L4sdPXjUqwnOdyHC9PslFDCPz99pU0oVfbgmAQKhWImgI/s1600/EndofTheDay.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtidjwdMT08nOF7El9dV5uwZqEJnmPwyBQf49EzhxdFnEk3Sff9MY7zuYi-2fYzIMYxecionyRxSUpkHrwBbeke86lsA8xw0L4sdPXjUqwnOdyHC9PslFDCPz99pU0oVfbgmAQKhWImgI/s400/EndofTheDay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532020645423768722" border="0" /></a><br />I finally finished this latest reduction woodcut. It's been a trial of patience, a battle of wills, a real SOB and PITA the moment I started on it. Looking back, I had problems with mixing the correct colors, and the block cracked not just once, but twice. I had almost completely given up on the print and wrote it off, but then I got the new press up and running, and decided to finish it off. It's not my favorite, by far, but I'm satisfied with it.John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768888992391590858.post-17535932291608969762010-10-07T11:22:00.000-07:002010-10-07T11:24:41.904-07:00Printing with the new Dikerson Combination PressAbout a month ago, I got a call from my Printmaking Professor from UWRF, Mary Barret. I hadn't seen Mary in at least 20 years, so I was happy, if not a bit baffled, with the call. She indicated to me that she was shutting down her studio in downtown St. Paul, and if I was interested in her press, an electric Dikerson Combination Press. I of course said certainly, but at the same time silently wondered just how I was going to pay for something like a full sized printing press. Mary then explained that she was giving it to me, because she knew I'd put it to use.<br /><br />Well, what can a person say to that, other than "Thank you!"?<br /><br />So, in the spirit of putting the new-to-me Dikerson (it's actually as old as I am...) to good use, I took up where I had left off on my latest reduction print. Interesting enough, this print has given me nothing but fits of frustration ever since I started it, including a cracked block. This happened not once, but twice. I "solved" the problem by gluing another block onto the back (Thanks to my friend Vince), but now have a double-thick, double heavy printing block. I was seriously thinking about throwing the towel in on it completely. <br /><br />The press has made the whole process a whole site easier, letting me concentrate my efforts on getting the colours I want and on carving the tiny details of the foliage surrounding the fisherman. here's a short video I shot this morning, showing the steps in printing:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n1C5WTH3BnE?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n1C5WTH3BnE?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Like I said, the press makes things sooo much easier. A couple more colour layers, and we'll be good to go. So far, so good:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sW_X6ipWd-uj7F2-bf1KBMfFAeBWdIDFnraJE71r2SModBhoZ48H1JLZ2akrouuEel9uphRC1sNCqh58a_i31w6WMMA6XWjOrRA8X39mbLWGfO6dVkQF2S-6WIP4TzxHkWWKN_ukVds/s1600/IMG_8388.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sW_X6ipWd-uj7F2-bf1KBMfFAeBWdIDFnraJE71r2SModBhoZ48H1JLZ2akrouuEel9uphRC1sNCqh58a_i31w6WMMA6XWjOrRA8X39mbLWGfO6dVkQF2S-6WIP4TzxHkWWKN_ukVds/s400/IMG_8388.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525371739159445266" /></a>John Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05032757811533543262noreply@blogger.com0