a burst of woodland creatures

Inspired by my wanderings in and out of the Oregon wilderness and backcountries. Inspired by spring. Inspired by warm tones and the joy of carving lino and having some fun once in a while.

Half Price Cuts on Tuesdays, Free Mai Tais All Day Saturday

Waaaaaay back in December I showed a preview of a print I was working on of a mobile home with dueling hair cutting shears floating above it. I'm kind of ashamed to say it's taken me this long to finish it.

The trouble was, I got to a point where I didn't know what exactly it need to be finished. Typically I plan my work in advance, I just feel better that way. I try to sketch the entire layout, however roughly, so I know basically how the various elements will play together on the page. Yup, I'm a planner. I'm meticulous, and well, tedious.

But in this case, I was in a hurry to get something down in print in order to make the deadline for the OCAC Print Portfolio exchange. As it was, I barely slipped under the radar, and the print I included in the exchange felt unfinished to me.

Another element to the story of this print, is that it comes from a very specific point of inspiration. Let me tell you a story.

Several years ago I worked for the City of Portland Archives and Records Center. My job there was utterly unglamorous. For up to eight hours a day I sat in between a computer and a microfilm reader transcribing, one ordinance number at a time, the entire Portland City Council Calendar. Day by day, year by year, starting from the middle of the 1950s and working toward the present day, I entered data so that one day, all of Portland's city council agenda would be online.

The ordinances from the 1950s were ordinary enough. Lots of street improvements and rights-of-way issues, the usual civic stuff. But something subtly shifted when I finished the '50s and began entering the records of the 1960s. Easements and sewers were still dealt with, but a new element began creeping into the record more often - that of the ordinary citizen - requesting permits, filing claims, demanding monetary reimbursement, that type of thing.

To break up the tedium of my day, I kept a little notebook at my desk and would sometimes doodle during breaks. The notebook came in handy when I began noticing that not only were some of the ordinances involving more and more of the citizenry, they started becoming funny, and quirky, and sometimes downright weird. So, did I copy some of those down for my own personal enjoyment? You bet'cha!

The more quirky ordinances I collected, the more the idea grew in my mind that I would one day create a project around them. The exact shape and form of that project has never become really apparent to me. Maybe one day it will all come together. In the meantime, I thought I'd start with this print.

What inspired me was the fascinating intersection between civic policy and citizenry, and during the 1960s and 1970s the city record began reflecting a more colorful characterization of the city. I was offered a tiny glimpse into ordinary people's lives through public record.

This print is being offered in a limited edition of 23, #1-11 are printed on tan paper, and #12-23 printed on grey. The illustration is linocut, and the text is handset in Caslon Openface 14 pt and Deepdene 12 pt. They measure 11" x 14 " and are signed and numbered on the back of the print.

The text reads: "Ordinance No. 134577 5/18/1972 Granting a revocable permit to Ronald R., Mary E., and Jo Ann to continue a beauty shop in a trailer at Portland Mobile Home Court at 9000 Union Avenue."

Note: I made the decision to omit the particular individuals' last names. Although these are public records, and anybody can access them, I felt a little reluctant to "call out" individuals whom I don't know.

Also: The title of this post "Half Price Cuts on Tuesdays, Free Mai Tais All Day Saturday" is an idea I've been kicking around for a title for this print.

Available in my Etsy Ephemera shop very, very shortly!

good monday morning to you!

*A couple of things keeping me busy in the Tiger Food Press studios this week*

New journals on their way to the nipping press.

I'm calling this one the 'Keen Observations' book. A journal with the perfect amount of heft in just the right size. Easy to slip into your bag to take along wherever you go, but substantial enough to write and draw without feeling cramped.

The Red-Tailed Hawk is one of the most common predator birds seen in the Portland area. I see them frequently during my walks in the natural areas near my house. Often they are keenly scanning the landscape for little creatures as I am scanning the landscape for inspiration.

I hope to have these ready mid-week. They'll be available in at least two cloth colors, with a silverish-gold hawk printed from my hand-carved linoleum block on the cover.

Last week I started working on new prints. I'm really excited about them - I've been meaning to create more small prints for the ephemera shop, and I have several sketches in place and type set for more after this. These are in progress. There are two more press runs and colors to lay down on these before I can call them finished, but I wanted to show them in progress since I'm really pleased with how they are turning out.

There's also a story behind this image, and hopefully {hopefully!} this print will be the start of a short series of prints inspired by the same theme...I'll tell you all about it when I have this print finished and ready to show.

Well, I'm taking the last sip from my coffee now. I'm off to OCAC to assess the damage finals brought to the book arts studios. I'm sure it will seem awfully quiet up there with most of the students gone for the holidays.

A little later today I'm going to announce my first ever Tiger Food Ephemera giveaway, so I'll see you later!