Cricketts Inky Art Blot

Last week I had printed a small print to go with the relief cut series. Part of this was carved with "Softkut", an eraser type of material that is stamped rather than hand rubbed. I had also printed a small white circle made from precut relief carving block, also by stamping. Today I added a clock face to the bottom corner, over the top of the white. I am thinking of exhibiting this for Artown this July. I am helping to organize an exhibition at Wildflower Art Village for the Printmaker's Conspiracy and have quite neglected the fact I need to put some prints of my own into it! The weather is cold this morning, but I see a few signs of Spring from the window.

Last week I raced to finish the snail painting in time for Nada Dada's Naughty Show. I finished it just in time and we hung it in the back studios of Oxbow Press. The front gallery had the "Naughty, Taboo and Just Plain Wrong" print exchange displayed. The weekend saw a large number of visitors to the show and I enjoyed seeing the reaction to my painting. I am still debating whether or not to add the photo of my final picture to this blog as it is VERY naughty! http://www.nevadamagazine.com/index.php/events-and-shows/details/nadadada_motel/   http://nytimesagency.com/preview/NTA2009062172208 I wanted to make a painting that was completely unexpected from people that don't know me and judge me by my outward appearance. Most people I imagine, see me as a housewife and mother over an artist. I wanted to make something that would fit both the critera of the show and to induce a reaction from the viewer. I would like to think that I covered both of these and I had a g...

I have been starting off a copper plate for etching. In the past I have always used other metals and always used traditional but toxic methods. Acids and feathering have been my method for exposing the plate for a good bite. I have been happy with the results, but I have not enjoyed the headaches, sore hands and eyes etc. I am learning more about non-toxic techniques to print and will be experimenting with salts for the plate exposure. I am also going to learn about using an alternative to the powder aquatint. Over the weekend I worked on a sketch for the plate and prepared the plate for the image. The first difficulty I found was that without a rosin coat on the plate, I could not really see where I had scratched. I am allergic to pine, so it is a good thing for me to not use the rosin, however, I might need to find a ground that is dark to work into as I am disappointed that I can't see the details.

Yesterday morning, I worked on finishing book one. The rest of the day I stitched and covered a second book using one of the other cover prints. I am going to make this my journal of impossible things, coined from Doctor Who's book. In this book I will paint, draw and take notes of my own adventures in it. Both books are drying and are ready for filling as art books at a later time.

My name is Carole-Ann Ricketts, I am an artist living in Reno, Nevada, USA. I am British and lived and studied in England for most of my life. I travelled quite a lot over the years and my experiences have always influenced my paintings and other works.This year I have decided to take the bull by the horns and work on what has always been my weakest area: Printmaking. Having been something of a disaster zone in any print room I have encountered, I am looking forward to seeing if my misadventures are now a thing of the past. I don't know much about blogging but I will give it a shot. I will try and keep it professional, but chances are I will end up waffling about what my cats ate or what my kids did at school. Anyway, my goals for the year are loose, I want to concentrate on printmaking, but if the need arises, I will paint or do whatever else the muse would have me do. Along the printmaking path, I hope to get some work in exhibitions and participate in some collaborations. I ...