the well-worn path

Back at the laptop  but this post is just to show what has been done since  returning - I acquired a few more cutters for wood and lino and did a quick cut on the back of a block I had already  used  - couldn't wait to see what it looked like so rolled out some water-based ink:

 

It was good to see that even just using a roller for pressure the fine cut worked. The ink coverage could be better but hopefully that will be sorted soon.

 

Picked up a lot of ground metal and incidental art in France -  apart even from the gallery stuff - ; also some nice girder work and rust :

 

 

.....to be continued

Street art in France - on the path

Tried to get these into other post but had to upload them direct from Picasa - may use that again

 

 

 

The Cloud Chart

So we find ourselves in Marseille airport - what a strange place : the building we are is like a warehouse from a bad gangster / smuggler film - all painted concrete floors and exposed girders - and I don't think it's an ironic statement

Great trip  - yesterday I went to l'Estaque and walked in the footsteps of Cezanne and Braque - I did a v quick sketch of the Viaduct which has changed very little:

Just being there - you can't avoid falling into cliche 

Anyway will do a more thorough report when back at laptop

Op Path

I

In Aix there is a museum called the Vasarely  Foundation - here are some more:

This one was quite small and early  and done in gouache but most were enormous - he did a lot of silk screens

On to Marseilles 

Morning path

A bit of productivity :

Five views of the mountain -

From the top : pencil, ink (on the spot), w/c, w/c, and gouache all done on hotel balcony

.....and so it goes 

Aix - the path of the mountain

Montagne Saint VictoireOk it's not the classic Cezanne view but I'm here and I have drawn it and taken numerous photos - will paint and print at home

Tomorrow I hope to visit the Atelier at Lauves; today went for a drive to Vauvenargues where one can see the opposit side of theountain - v different. 

We had a bit of difficulty finding our way around at one point and stopped at a set of traffic lights there beside us in its own grounds was Jas de Bouffan the Cezanne family home.

Jas de Bouffan is the name now of a huge housing area.

On the way back from the mountain I couldn't resist this - familiar colour?

Most photos are on the big camera andwill  have to wait

More tomorrow 

The path of the Midi

Touring in the Grands Causses area of Southern France - architecture and scenery brilliant - lots of v interesting pics which may transmute into artwork - quite a lot of sketching and one or two paintings

The old ground metal is here too!

Have a think about that one!

If you're reading, this one is for you Liam

How they deal with chewing gum!!

Can't beat the oul' bit of rust!

Travelling on towards Cezanne country  - further reportage then

The path of the blade

Before I do a bit more back-tracking this is to show that your correspondent is not just pursuing a summer life of ease.
I started a few weeks ago noodling around and particularly experimenting with a new and beautiful cutter:

 

I was always fascinated with the fact that Albrecht Durer was the first artist I ever notice to have his own logo, so hubris demanded:

Just the first version!!!

I had several plans regarding a multiple block print and here is some design-work:

 

A possible colour plan - about six blocks

 

 

Transfer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key-block - this was painted with a light w/c to make seeing cuts a little easier

 

 

Kento reg marks - this is very experimental having never tried anything like this before.

 

Here I decide to stop till I returned from holidays but I continued to experiment trying cuts on a piece of plywood on the basis of something I had read:

 

The cut

 

 

The print

 

 I really liked the texture of the wood surface so I decided to try a small multi-block which would also act as a test-run :

 

This design is for another possible project but I chose to use one of the panels:

 

key-block under way

 

 

 

 

  outline transfers -thick lines are safer when are the pressing is being done by hand

 

 

Potential colour - plan

 

 

Colour-blocks cut - cutting plywood is different  in that one has to consider the direction of the gain in the next level ; anyway I am not sure if I will get the colours in before I go away but you will be informed.

 

 

Just in passing I continue to draw :

 

 

Was also out plein-air painting but more of that later.