Last one about to get slayed to be ready for printing on MOONday. 
Speaking of the moon, I found this morning.

WAY awesome.....

MOONBOW

Source: I Fucking Love Science

What could be more picturesque than a rainbow?

How about a Moonbow? Or more correctly; a lunar rainbow!

As many of you will know, a rainbow forms as a result of the refraction of sunlight as it passes through water droplets in the sky. The refractive properties of the droplets cause sunlight to be split into a band of colours, more specifically the light spectrum. 

For a Moonbow, the principles behind its formation are quite the same. The only exception is the light source is no longer the Sun, but the Moon.

While most of us will have seen a rainbow at least once in our life time, a much fewer number will have had the pleasure to encounter the lunar equivalent. This is because, as the Moon is more variable than the sun, many conditions need to be just right.

1- Moonbows are best seen when the Moon is conspicuous in the sky, so the period around the full moon, and more particularly before and after the gibbous phase is particularly favourable.

2- Of course, the brightest Moon thinkable will not cause a moonbow on its own accord. Moisture in the air also a crucial component. The best nights to see a moonbow is when there is rain coupled with intermittent clear skies.

3- The last main consideration is the position of the Moon in the night sky. Acredited to the atmospheric optical parameters of water droplets; a low Moon altitude is desired. If the Moon is greater than 42 degrees above the horizon, no bow will form.

These three things are the basic necessities for the formation of a lunar rainbow. While they may sound like reasonable considerations individually, it is quite a different situation when you need all three of these to work together at the same time. As a result, this phenomenon is really quite rare.

The best places to witness this spectacle are said to be the Scottish Highlands and The Hawaiian Islands as well as Ireland and the United Kingdom.

So, if you ever think it is a Goldilocks night, in which all the conditions are right- get outside and see if you can catch a glimpse of this amazing phenomenon.

-Jean

Photo courtesy of Rob Ratkowski of Hawaii.

2 more complete. 1 more to go until the series is complete and ready to print.

Two woodcuts  - 18x24 and 11x16 on masonite 

Lots of music and tea today. 

Exploring the textures of nature that are embodied by the skin of the ephemeral. (trees). 

Texture.
Sand at Longpoint Beach, ON.

A wood cut/engraving I am currently working on. 

It is almost done and ready for printing.

Recycle (T-Shirt) Time

So today I thought I would make a t-shirt from a fabric I hand-dyed a few months ago as part of a screenprint/lithography edition. I had about 2 yards remaining, collecting dust, so I thought hey, why not make something of it.

 Ready to be cut into!

 Ready to sew!

 Close up of the fabric. 

I used a combination of pigments and dyes with a dash of bleach. It almost resembles a nebula. Hmmm space...

Close up

Vola! Finished product. 

I think I might revisit this later to shorten it a bit so it is not so long, and make pockets out of that material. But for now I will enjoy it!

Nature-led, I dig.

I was blessed to be featured in Toronto's, The Grid in preparation for my thesis exhibition at The Gladstone Hotel in Toronto ON, along with my thesis Printmaking class at OCAD University. 

Cool. 

You can read the article with more clarity here.

It's Nano-Camp Cosmic Time.

Carl Wagan Bookmobile

OCADU Student Gallery – 285 Dundas Street West, Toronto

Opening Reception: Thurs. June 28th, 2012

Summer Camp / Camp Nano Workshops: 12 – 2pm

Gallery Opening: 6 – 11pm

Carl Wagon Bookmobile & Campfire: Located in the parking lot beside Butterfield Park / South side of OCAD University – 100 McCaul Street

 

COME! and learn the art of Nano-Publishing, partake in mini workshops and browse through various zines and artist multiples that students at OCAD University have been busy creating. My zine, Erectus and artist multiple, Artistic Guide to Trinity-Bellwoods will be featured in the exhibition at the OCADU Student Gallery.

Come for nano-cosmic fun, stay for smores!

Erectus

These are some process shots of a zine I am currently working on, 'Erectus' for a nano publishing class I am taking at OCAD University, in affiliation with a Montreal zine distributor.

Erectus

Melissa Cormier

Polymer Plate, Silkscreen, Ink, Seed, Recycled Paper

4X3

Artist Statement:

Erectus, Latin for Erection, gives a visual narative about the concept of fertility and growth. By the incorporation of illustrations that have subtle erotic symbolisim such as phallic and chalise representation, visually support the idea of procreation.

The idea is for the viewer to soil his/her seeds and make this earth flourish. (literally).

 

The magical and amazing 'Polly' Maker, which makes polymer plates for the Vandercook Press. 

 
 

PROCESS SHOTS

New Business Cards

Just in the past few months, I have had the opportunity to be in many exhibitions; Gladstone, Music Gallery, OZ Studios and Grad Exhibition at OCAD U. So I thought it was the perfect time to make a new business card, as the last one I had was about 3 years old.

UPDATE time.

FRONT OF CARD

BACK OF CARD

Continuing with the little organism orbs, motif, which I use a lot in my work.

Book Arts Fair

 

This Saturday at OCAD U!

100 McCaul Street, Great Hall

Toronto, On

Rudolf Bikkers Studio Visit

A moment none of us will forget.

Thanks Rudolf

....

And I might add, great taste in beer Roodie! 

Painting the Town with Wheat

 

For the launch of Shannon Gerard's, new publication, Unspent Love, me and a fellow student and friend Krystina,wheat pasted around the city of Toronto on Saturday, November 5th. We pasted primarily on Dundas street west to Ossington, then headed south on Ossington and continued west on Queen. This was my first time ever wheat pasting and I love it. I plan to do some large installations with this process.

Best Wheat Paste... Why?

Nickelshit sucks.

Ink Remnants

These are some photos I took while printing a relief and I was intrigued by the patterning caused by the combination of estisol and ink. 

Reminds me of cross sections of the human body

Rad sauce.

Process - Organisms

Here are some process shots of a lithography stone ready to print. I have etched it twice in hopes of good print run. As far as the content on the stone, these are some preliminary ideas for a fictionalized organism, which will be considered for my final image for thesis.

It's Been Awhile - (Staind Style)

I know, I suck. It has been a long while since I last updated this so called blog, but I have a good excuse, I was saving panda bears from killer bamboo pirates...
I was in Yellowknife, close, minus the bamboo (and maybe the pirates)
Twas a grand adventure filled with magic and awe which truly fueled my concept for thesis. Northern lights, Foxfire bioluminescence, rock formations and the abundance of anorexic trees. I drew a lot while I was there, either at work, sitting on a rock overlooking Great Slave Lake or coming home at 3am from an excessive night of drinking. I got a lot of preliminary sketches, concepts and thoughts down in the notebook and I have already begun exploring how to translate those ideas onto the stone - or what ever creative outlet that would best articulate said ideas.

Organism Formation #1
Lithograph and Digital
2011



I want to take elements from various lithographic washes, then apply the selected formations into a drawing. It's going to be a game of going back and forth from litho to drawing either with pens, pencils, watercolor etc - this process will ultimately determine the final 'organism.'

Organism #2

Watercolor, Pencil, Ink
2011

Back logged

I was asked to part take in the Steam Roller Printing Festival which took place at OCAD University on October 22 (see how behind I am... sigh) But to make this short, it was an amazing experience which I was so thankful to be a part of.

'Buckminister' Design Created By: Lauren Nurse

Clockwise from left to right: Leah Ataide, Myself, Lauren Moore, and Flora Shum - beginning to carve out the 4'x4' (approx) piece of linoleum.

Clockwise: Myself, Lauren Moore, Leah Ataide and Flora Shum - All part-taking in the final cut!

Me rolling up the the linoleum piece in preparation for print.

The artist herself had the opportunity to steam role her own print!

Lauren Nurse, this is why you rock.

Pulling the first proof Approx size of image: 4' x 4'
Relief - Linoleum


It was so much fun working on this piece with some artists whom I really admire, Flora Shum and our team leaders, Leah Ataide and Lauren Moore.

Images courtesy of Leah Ataide