On January 18, 2012 I went with several members of Kutztown’s Communication Design Department for a Letterpress Workshop. It was held at Lead Graffiti in Newark, Delaware run by Jill Cypher and Ray Nichols. Many thanks to the CD Department, as well as Ray and Jill, for their hospitality.

Please check out Lead Graffiti.   http://leadgraffiti.com/

I went by Bieber Bus to the opening of the National Academy’s Annual on January 24, 2012. My new print “Beneath the Surface” was in the show. What’s better than that is they had the work transported by an art shipper to the National Academy and they’ll return it…at their expense. I don’t know many people in the Academy and have always felt a little uncomfortable about being an Academician. But it’s kind of cool too. There have been so many great artists who have been members. They even carved our names in the marble ceiling. It was a packed opening – I would estimate over 1000 people. The exhibition will be up until April 29, 2012.

Just getting to New York was nice. There was a lot of excitement and I took pictures of Naked Cowboy and Statue of Liberty Man. It was cold. I don’t know how Naked Cowboy does this.

For more information
visit: Copper in the Arts
(Part of Copper Development Association)

CESAR CHAVEZ was a Visiting Artist at Kutztown University for two weeks in October 2011. Cesar is from Oaxaca, Mexico and is a specialist in woodcuts. His visit was arranged by Kevin McCloskey of the Communication Design Department, and I’m very appreciative of Kevin’s efforts. Cesar spent a lot of time in the Printmaking Studio and did 8 to 10 prints. Hopefully some of the students who complain about doing four in a semester took notice. He also made it over to the Ceramics Studio where he produced several plates. In addition he had an exhibition of his woodcuts in the Student Gallery.

Cake with Katie and Kelly in the KU Print Studio

Drawing on Mylar of one of the toads I photographed in China

Just finished this Mylar drawing for a lithograph I’m working on with Tim Sheesley at Corridor Press.

This opening was also the gallery dedication of the Marlin and Regina Miller Gallery. Thank you, Marlin and Ginger for your support! The first picture above was taken late in the opening so it doesn’t show the terrific attendance. In this photo are George Viener, Owner of the Outsider Folk Art Gallery in Reading, PA, Evan Summer and Bob Metzger, former Director of the Reading Museum. Taken in front of Evan’s prints, Second House and phattie shitta.

I liked the pig, phattie shitta, so I decided to do another animal. This is done from a photo I took in China during the summer of 2010. These toads would come into the house where I lived at night and eat mosquitos. I photographed them in almost total darkness. This is the first state of the etching with a lot of pencil drawing and I had to title it phrauggie shitta.