New Revere Papers from Cartiera Magnani now available at DANIEL SMITH: Artists' Materials

Some of the exciting new art supply items we have new in our DANIEL SMITH 2009-2010 Referance Catalog are Revere Papers from Cartiera Magnani.  These fine art papers are new this Summer from the Cartiera Magnani paper mills in Pescia Italy:

“The Magnani paper mills are among the oldest in the world dating back to the 15th century, producing papers for a vast list of clients, including Napoleon, Picasso, Fontana, de Chirico, Salvatore Fiume, Annagoni, Morandi, Viani, Possenti, D’Annunzio and many others. Today the old tradition of craftsmanship continues and worldwide prestige is maintained with Magnani producing only the highest quality banknote, fine art, and deluxe limited edition papers to meet the demands of sophisticated and talented artists worldwide.”

Kristina Hagman at her dining room table, on the wall, four of her woodblock Prints: "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Rainier"

Last week I visited Kristina Hagman at her studio in Seattle to talk with her about her new work.  Kristinas’ Woodblock Print “Night” is on the cover of the new DANIEL SMITH 2009-2010 Reference Catalog.   This Woodblock Print is just one from her series “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Rainier”, inspired by Hokusai and his series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.  Kristina also wrote an article for DANIEL SMITH about how she was inspired by Mt Rainier and Hokusai to make this series that you can read here

When you enter Kristina’s Craftsman home you see about 7 framed prints of her series of 36 views of Mount Rainier on the pale yellow walls of her home.  Two on either side of the fireplace, two on the wall opposite above shelves, four on the wall near the dinning room table, another on the same wall on the other side of the door to the kitchen.

 

Kristina invited me to sit at her dining room table to show me some of Hokusai prints in a book on Hokusai she pulled from a nearby shelf filled with art books.  One of the prints Kristina talked about was “The Great Wave of Kanagawa” (his most recognizable work) with the tiny Mount Fuji seen in the distance.  When you look carefully you can see that the mountains’ shape is also roughly repeated in the shape of a smaller wave. 

 

With this series, “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Rainier” , Kristina is not trying to find corresponding views of Mount Rainier to Hokusai Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji in her series, but rather the spirit of Mount Rainier and how everyone in it’s vicinity sees it juxtaposed in their day-to-day activities and lives.  Mount Rainier is so huge, and stands so alone in it’s surroundings that it becomes a personal reference point to everyone in Seattle and south Puget Sound, just as Mount Fuji does for everyone in Tokyo and central Japan.

 

Then we went downstairs to The Studio!

 

Print & woodblocks from Kristina Hagman's "View from Georgetown"

In The Studio, Kristina first showed me the four woodblocks she used for the print “View from Georgetown“.  We talked about the peculiar cloud formation that occurs over Mt Rainier, called lenticular clouds that look kind of like UFO’s.  Kristina has carved one of the lenticular clouds into the woodblock which is appropriate for a view from Georgetown, which is a quirky little Artist community just about 2 miles southeast from the DANIEL SMITH Seattle Store.  Kristina told me that she began working with DANIEL SMITH Printmaking Inks in 1983 when she was in New Mexico studying printmaking, funny how she now has one of her prints 26 years later on the cover of a DANIEL SMITH Catalog! 

 

Kristina Hagman with Progressive Prints of "Dawn"

Kristina showed me a set of Progressive Prints of her print “Dawn” which is basically the print deconstructed.  Each paper is of just one of the woodblock prints with it’s particular ink color.  If you *click* on the link to see the print, you will see subtle “waves” in the water of Lake Washington, those “waves” are actually the wood-grain of that particular woodblock.  That was an artistic decision to choose a woodblock that had wood-grain that resembles waves, and to incorporate that wood-graining into the print.  It takes careful printmaking to bring out the wood-grain.  You can see some wood-grain in the sky of “Night” which is on the cover of the DANIEL SMITH 2009-2010 Reference Catalog, they echo the general shapes of the night clouds.

 

Kristina Hagman working at her lectern carving on her new untitled woodblock of Beacon Hill transformers and power lines with Mt Rainier in the background

Next Kristina showed me her wood cutting tools nestled in a nifty segmented box, a cigar box/tray that someone gave her.  I asked Kristina where she actually worked when carving the woodblocks and it turns out to be a lectern that she picked up at a thrift store.  It’s the perfect height for Kristina to stand at to carve.  Kristina picked up one of her woodcutting tools and began to carve the woodblock laying on the lectern to show me how she works.  That woodblock is an interesting one with Mt Rainier in the background of the Giant Transformers and Power Lines that run along the spine of Beacon Hill.  Below those power lines is a Park/Trail called Chief Sealth Trail.  It’s interesting to know that Seattle City Light has purchased, for their Arts Collection, some of Kristina’s prints from this series, since those power lines in this new print belong to Seattle City Light.

 

It was fascinating to meet Kristina Hagman, to see her studio, talk about her current body of work, and see some of her work in progress.  Kristina is now working on woodblock print number 25 of the 36, with the goal to finish by this spring for a show at Seattle University to inaugurate their new Gallery Space.  Kristina will do a lecture on her series, Thirty-Six Views of Mount Rainier there too, that will be a very interesting lecture!

 

Thank you Kristina!

 

Every Day,  Express Yourself  with  ART….
 
~Deborah Burns
 
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Dry Point 101 Printmaking with Dave Pruneda at the Seattle DANIEL SMITH Store

The past two Tuesdays have had a Printmaking 101 Workshop with Dry Point at the DANIEL SMITH Seattle Store with Dave Pruneda.  Throughout this year there will be beginning 101 Printmaking Workshops in a repeating cycle of Relief Printmaking, Collagraph, Dry Point,  and Screen Printing to introduce Printmaking to people who are curious to learn about the different processes. 

A class for beginners held over two-session periods. Discover this direct technique used by artists from Rembrandt to Boyden. The most direct form of intaglio printing is a new form of expression for the artist interested in drawing. In session one you will learn the history, terminology, materials and drypoint tools. In session two you will put that knowledge to use, creating finished prints on professional printing presses under the guidance and supervision of an instructor.

All sections for this particular class are limited to 10 Students. Call to reserve your spot!
$65 Materials Fee
5 pm to 7 pm

Lisa Snow Lady demonstrating her monotype techniques at the Seattle DANIEL SMITH Store

It was hard being inside on the beautiful, spring-like day we had today to attend the FREE Weekend Demo at the Seattle DANIEL SMITH Store, fortunately seeing Lisa Snow Lady’s floral monoprints and demo more than made up for it. 

Lisa Snow Lady at DANIEL SMITH

Lisa works from a drawing on paper of her subject, then lays the plexiglass plate over the drawing so that she can see the drawing through the plexiglass.  Then Lisa mixes her inks on a glass palette with a brayer.  Once she has mixed the desired color, she begins to apply that color with the brayer, onto the areas on the glass to cover the desired areas of the drawing she can see through the plexiglass.  Lisa keeps mixing ink colors and applying them to cover areas of the plexiglass.  Lisa may at that time “draw” into the flat applications of paint with q-tips, or other objects to remove some of the ink she just applied.  The printmaking paper then is placed on the inked plexiglass and run through the press.  The paper with an image is removed and the plexiglass plate is cleaned.