12 By the Dozen

Still Life Variations

   I had not heard of Lundstrom before, so it was good to discover another artist who was new to me. I especially like his still lifes with their bright colours, especially the blues and oranges, a favourite combination of mine. I decided set up and draw my own still life, using my favourite blue mug, along with a jug and orange.

   For a while I have been wanting to try a multiple coloured lino print and I thought that the simple shapes of the drawing might work for this. I expected it to be more difficult than it was and was delighted when it worked the first time that I tried it out on paper. After trying various combinations, I spent a couple of days making prints on fabric. I have plenty left over after making the quilt to use to experiment with stitch, and some with just the black outline that I want to try colouring with inktense pencils and other methods. The printing may have been less complicated than I thought, but the simple piecing did not go so well: even though the pieces were the correct size, I couldn't get one row to fit together and gave up , leaving it until after the weekend. Needless to say it went together with no trouble on Monday. I would have finished it yesterday, if I had not almost attached my finger to the quilt! Fortunately I missed putting the sewing machine needle through my nail by 2-3 millimetres, though I have a nice groove in the side of my finger! Needless to say, I am glad to have finished it at last.  

   I am quite pleased with the resulting prints and like the way in which each is a little different. The one thing I would change is to make the black outlines a little thinner. I did not want to cut away any more as I was worried about cutting away too much and having to start again. I must practise cutting thinner lines.