Sunday, June 28, 2020

Unintended progression

©2020 Barry Smith - May we all be ok in these trying times.
It was a rainy day today so the opportunity to 'fix' the patina on the leaves and do the final grind was not too be had.

On Saturday I decided to print a R U OK? card - quite a few people are not ok at the moment. I deliberately chose random and worn wood type because I think it tends to match how many folk might feel; and it has a unique aged character.

©2020 Barry Smith - Couple of different versions - one just looked too uniform and the question marks on one were too inconsequential
©2020 Barry Smith - Final version in the drying rack - I used Pantone Orange as it suggests hope and healing
Choosing the type also had me looking for suitable wood type question marks. Strangely we don't have many in our collection - we will need to keep our eyes out for more. When I gathered our collection together it suggested to me a connection with a micro poster (A6) about taking action. I planned to print (If not now then when?). I decided to print the poster in two colours - the orange I used on R U OK? and black. To do a single print for each poster meant hand inking the font and questions separately with two separate rollers; and then printing.

©2020 Barry Smith - Not a bad outcome - the question marks are quite worn but that also gives the poster a bit of added character
©2020 Barry Smith - Tape used to adjust the height of the worn wood type
When I finished the micro posters I thought I might print off a few post cards using one colour. This caught Fiona's eye at the same time she spied a test wood printed mini poster (A5 size Be the change) that was in black still sitting on the gallery press. Her creativity went into action and she suggested we could experiment with an overprint. With a bit of measuring and registering we managed to print a poster that combined two posters. I found a couple more of the Be the change trial mini posters - so I over printed them.

©2020 Barry Smith - Bringing two themes together in the one poster
This led me to think it would be useful to do limited edition of the combination poster. I have now printed the orange section; and later I will overprint with the black.

©2020 Barry Smith - Orange layer of the combo poster printed.
You can see why I used the title Unintended progression - one thing just led to another.

Friday, June 26, 2020

Patina, pickle and production


©2020 Barry Smith - Patinated 19cm long copper leaves
I'm making a stash of patinated copper leaves for the DEP galley-shop.  It has been quite some time since I have made copper fold formed leaves. I'm making some that measure about 12-13cm in length; and another batch about 19cm in length.

Warning process photos follow.

©2020 Barry Smith  - Folding copper blanks with a vice mounted bending brake
©2020 Barry Smith  - Blanks folded and marked up for cutting
 ©2020 Barry Smith  - Folded and cut forms hammered on the anvil using two different sized hammers
©2020 Barry Smith  - Unfolded leaf forms 
©2020 Barry Smith  - Leaves in a heated pickle of vinegar and salt
©2020 Barry Smith  - Super clean leaves after pickle, washing with soapsuds and rinsing with clean tank water
Another photo of the patina process

©2020 Barry Smith  - This is the stash of 12-13 cm leaves - some on which the patina is fully developed and others where it is progressing
I will give the leaves a coat of matt varnish to fix the patina; the leaves will then need a grinfg to get rid of sharp edges and create a few bits of raw copper highlights - maybe I will get to that over the weekend.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Wednesday fragments


©2020 Barry Smith - Valley light through insect screen
It was too cold and windy for a walk this morning so photo are of the light in the valley; and some of Graham's micro orchids etc.

Photos of the gorgeous winter dawn light - the very clear cold air seems to produce the blue and pink layers - it only lasts for about 15 minutes.

©2020 Barry Smith - Early dawn
©2020 Barry Smith - Valley colour with reflected light of Brisbane CBD buildings
©2020 Barry Smith - Brisbane CBD through the dawn light
Some of those orchids.

©2020 Barry Smith
©2020 Barry Smith - Edge of an orchid blossom
©2020 Barry Smith - Micro orchid and sunlight
©2020 Barry Smith - A darker colour
Bee at work on a grevellia.

©2020 Barry Smith - I love how the bee is holding the leaf whilst working the flower

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Out of darkness and other bits

©2020 Barry Smith - Shine, hope and peace emerge from the darkness
I committed to making seven sets of business card sized inspirational word cards. Whilst I did this as you will see from the photos following, I did get side tracked by the gorgeous purple and the gold dusting powder. I decided to try the colour and the dust on black cards that were left over from one of Fiona's earlier jobs. I was delighted in the beauty of the contrast of the colours. As I said in the heading to this blog it was almost like the words were emerging out of the dark paper.

I decided to do a limited run of hope, peace and shine - words we need in these challenging times.

©2020 Barry Smith
©2020 Barry Smith
©2020 Barry Smith
And those photos of the other inspirational words on 300gsm white cotton paper.

©2020 Barry Smith
©2020 Barry Smith - Cards in the drying racks
Fiona's dad (Graham) does a lot to encourage action in folk - I asked him if he would like a stash of shalom cards to give out since I was on a printing roll.

©2020 Barry Smith - Shalom for Graham
©2020 Barry Smith - Shalom for the DEP gallery shop
Fiona asked me to do a print test on some old beermat coasters to see how they would come out if you printed them on all siders - interesting word coasters emerge.

©2020 Barry Smith - Interesting outcome
And a couple of racks of out of the darkness cards

©2020 Barry Smith

Friday, June 19, 2020

Odd source of inspiration

©2020 Barry Smith - Wonder with gold dust
Creative inspiration can come from the oddest directions. When we were moving the letterpress studio Fiona and I found a sheet of 100 sticky backed magnets that we must have bought with something in mind though we could not remember what. I suggested fridge magnets; but again what?

©2020 Barry Smith - Magnet rectangles
This then led me to think that I would do a series of business card sized inspirational cards that could go in one's purse-wallet or on the fridge (with magnet). But like all projects there was preparation to be done. I decided to print the seven words I use in my Daily Leaf Word sets (joy, love, peace, shine, wonder, hope and dream); so I needed to cut about 120 business card sized pieces of 300gsm paper.

©2020 Barry Smith - Paper on the guillotine
©2020 Barry Smith - Seven stacks ready for printing
I also decided to use purple and give the words a lift with a bit of gold dusting powder.

©2020 Barry Smith - Mixing a gorgeous purple
©2020 Barry Smith - Dusting
Photos of the first three in the series.

©2020 Barry Smith - Wonder in the press
©2020 Barry Smith - Three sets of words have been printed and dusted
I will get the rest done over the weekend.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Phone fragments

©2020 Barry Smith - Bee on lavender
There was no time for walking this morning - Fiona took her dad to an early morning appointment and I was off to an early morning meeting. Still the iPhone held a few images caught over the last few days including the bee on a lavender stalk yesterday.

The valley is ever changing - morning light and cloud tantalise.

©2020 Barry Smith
©2020 Barry Smith - You can still see a couple of stars in the sky
©2020 Barry Smith - Another morning another view
©2020 Barry Smith - Soft light on camellias and maples
And there miscellaneous bits catch the eye in passing and require a second look.

©2020 Barry Smith - There is always one in the bunch
©2020 Barry Smith - A deep etch
©2020 Barry Smith - Morning dew on leaf on the footpath
©2020 Barry Smith - Fungi near community centre
©2020 Barry Smith - Seed pod
So another busy day on the mountain draws to a close - the shortest day of the year is not far away.