The PBS show Tennessee Crossroads came to my house to film me yesterday. They said someone emailed them about me a couple of years ago, and they called out of the blue not long ago. A lovely surprise!

It was fun to sit down and talk about what I do. Mostly I just do things by instinct, more or less, and having to verbalize both my calling and my work methods is always an interesting exercise.

It was also fun just to show what I do. I had up close supervision:

After using the proof press to pull a big print, I also cranked up the 1909 Chandler and Price. It's a natural rock star. I love that it's a treadle instead of motor operated.

Mr. Darcy had fun hanging out with the guys and watching the proceedings. He should make the final cut.

They told me it will likely air around March, but they'll give me a heads up ahead of time, so I'll spread the word.

I've been out of town. Again. I'm finally home to really settle in and finish several prints in progress.

I spent a lot of the afternoon carving the one above, my second Paris print, so I could go ahead and proof it. It's hard to really tell what it looks like until I ink it, but once I ink it, I lose all my drawing lines. Printmaking is an exercise in patience.

I'm largely pleased (despite the extra fuzzy newsprint proof). I'll fix a few things and get a better look soon.

I also did a little more carving and another proof on my Notre Dame print. It's just about ready to print for real.

And I proofed the second Elmwood print, which I had gotten to the refining stage ages ago before all my travels. It will be good to have it fully finished.

I got in town last night just long enough to take a sunset walk before dinner. I'm here again doing illustrations for the Cape Resorts group, which own Congress Hall Hotel, the Virginia, and others.

I was greeted in the lobby by a poster for their fall harvest festival featuring one of my watercolors. And they've really got my work everywhere now -- brochures, calendars, their Concierge magazine, and their website. It feels great to see it so widely used.

On a purely personal comfort note, they've put me in my nicest room yet. It's a lovely hotel, and the perks of this job are highly enjoyable.

I spent much of the day running note cards for WKNO fm, our local NPR station. I had fun getting the slightly battered, large wooden type out for the project.

Here's a short video of the press operating. I had to hold it myself, so it's a bird's eye view from the printer. It's also a little slower (not too much) than my usual press speed, since I was trying to handle the camera as well.

Final results.

I finally got the second harvest print finished carving and scanned in. I seem to work best with a deadline, and this is due for the month of October. First Presbyterian in Holley, NY commissioned a set of three for their fall bulletin covers, and the minister there chose a whole list of hymn lines with the harvest theme for me to choose from.

I'm moving a little slowly around here. I spent more time dancing and playing music this weekend than making art, but it was lovely to have a real break, and I got to learn the Mazurka! Now I'm kicking it into high gear, getting ready for another trip to Cape May starting on Wednesday, and then the Pink Palace Crafts Fair the following weekend.

Here's the first harvest print in case you missed it earlier. I'm still tinkering with what I want to do for November.

I went to a concert yesterday that was lovely. Sometimes it's a treat to listen to live music and sketch at the same time, so practiced my people yesterday.

I've been struggling to figure out what kind of work to do from my small watercolors of Paris. I tried both color monotypes and acrylic paintings on paper and wasn't happy with the results from either.

Working on two different black and white print projects clarified my mind. I've enjoyed the color, multi-block prints I've been doing lately, but if I'm not restricted to staying exactly on my original drawing (so the other colors can match up), there's more fun and freedom to the carving process.

I also just like the strong graphic nature of the black and white, and I think a series of B&W prints would make a nice contrast to the watercolors. so I started this one yesterday, and I'm really enjoying the process so far.

I recently unearthed these two sketches of a dinner I had with Elizabeth Alley. We had fun visiting and drawing over dinner and comparing recent sketching journeys we had taken. It was fun to have dinner with someone else who also enjoys drawing through a meal.

I'm looking at a lot of pine trees lately and enjoying the bark patterns.