March's Print and an extra little lily pad print (Patreon)

March's print is done and will be sent out asap (most likely tomorrow)! Along with this little lily pad piece in blue and yellow gradients (inspired by my friend Lily Padula!<3), perfect for an oversized bookmark or a long card to slide into a present.

This weaver print is the second piece in this series I'm planning about creative disciplines and makers. The original print that inspired this one was much more personal but I didn't feel like I was finished with this concept yet. I love the idea that I might be a drawer/maker/artist because I am an accumulation of generations of women who have lived and birthed so that I could be here pursuing my creative passions now. Like they were all the perfect recipe for who I am and that maybe those ancestors are looking down on me fondly and watching over my creative pursuits with pride. That's a comforting thought, right? On top of that these prints are examples of our ancient drive to replicate our world through art in various mediums, and that's pretty magical in itself and worthy of a celebration. 

I'm working on 5 prints in all and hoping to be done by the middle of April. The other prints I'm planning are a woodworker/interior designer, a cook/baker and a jeweler/dressmaker. I like combining two similar disciplines together, like how the first print is painting and sculpting and the second is basket weaving and tapestry designing. I've been talking with a local coffee shop owner who's interested in putting these prints up on the walls for a season, which is pretty cool! It's a small shop but I've developed a relationship with the baristas and the owner so I just blurted out wanting to make work for their walls once...and now it's happening! If you're in New York it'll be in Brooklyn at Little Roy...sometime in April when I'm done with all the pieces. 

Each print has a little Latin in it thanks to various kind people on twitter who have helped me with translations and Erin's mom (thanks Mrs. Lux)! This one reads 'Aedifex Fabulas Stellaria' which means Builder of the Star Stories. I want all the phrases to add magic to the maker's craft in an ancient language like classical paintings would feature stories from antiquity...I think it elevates both Riso and being a craftsperson in a way which is sorta funny. 

On top of everything I like adding birds where they shouldn't be, interacting with the craftsperson, to connect the makers to nature and their biological instincts to create. I also like adding bugs or scary creatures that I have a hard time being comfortable around, like snakes and lady bugs (they're cute but have you ever been in a house where they're EVERYWHERE?). The next print I'm exploring putting spiders everywhere!

This was printed in Riso blue, green, pink and yellow, a combination that I think does it all for a full color spot cmyk process. I've been printing these on 8 1/2 x 11 paper with about two inches of empty space at the bottom of the print that I cut off after printing. That way I can feed heavy blue and green inked paper back into the machine without worrying about paper feeder marks. Because the paper feeder grabs the bottom inch of the paper it tends to grab the color on the print as well because Riso ink never fully dries (because it's soy based!) and then as the rest of the print runs through the feeders they deposit that ink onto the rest of the print, which is something we call feeder tracks. I hate them! Adding an empty space at the bottom is just a small, though wasteful imo, hack. 

Thanks for reading, please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
-Natalie