DC monuments printmaking project

It was really hard for these girls to concentrate on their art projects today when there was a puppy under the table. Enzo fell asleep and then spent some time in the main house, so the girls did finish their works -- and they look terrific. They drew a D.C. city scene, onto "scratch foam", creating their own printing plates. They then printed them with block printing ink, over previously watercolored backgrounds. Although the D.C. buildings and monuments (all cut out as one piece for ease of printing) don't reflect symmetrically in the water, the overall effect is of a cityscape reflected in water. Making them really BIG gave the finished works extra punch.

Summer teen art camp

I am in the middle of a week-long summer art camp for young teens (11- to 14-year-olds) at the Arlington Arts Center. My class is big. Huge! 15 kids, which makes it hard for me to get around to everyone as often as I'd like, and yet they are doing some wonderful things. They've made handmade stamps from foam and printed mottos, sayings, or just words. They've made a square stamp and tried making a repeat motif. These were used to make covers for hardbound books. And then they've made grid collages ... still to come is rubber stamp carving and scratch foam relief printing.