Answers

The soft white bellies pictured in the Under post were, to wit, Tyler periscoping and Amelia with paws on the fence.

Harriet 04/19/2011

Harriet may not have a white belly, but she is assuredly the softest bunny of the bunch.

PS if you are not already a follower, go ahead and join the throng! It's a rabbit party for The Year of the Rabbit!!

Print Progress

Today 03/02/2011 I finished 17 or so of the at least 28 prints that were to be finished on the 28th of last month for the Baren Forum Year of the Rabbit Print Exchange. Since I have only received four prints myself, I think I'm not the only one taking the deadline as a guideline. The print shown does need an eye, but otherwise it is done, I may put one of my studio chops on it, or not, I'm not sure yet if that would detract from the simple bluish ambience. Maybe I'll do the chop in blue or some relative of blue. For my printing readers you may be interested to know I printed the white first, then the blue, then the white again and finally the dark Prussian Blue. I will admit here in public, that I'm going to "cheat a bit and dab the eye in by hand. It's place is held by a tiny shape cut in the white block. I have in the past printed tiny pink eyes.....a challenge, doable, but not, I think, crucial.

Here's the Rub

02/18/2011 Year of the Rabbit Print test rubbing

Before actually printing a test proof I like to do a rubbing from the blocks using colored pencils. What doesn't really show here is that there are two blue tones. One that is straight up and one printed either on white or that has white printed over it, depending on what works best (maybe both). The paper I plan on using has a slight neutral tone, this paper is grey, but the general effect is, hopefully, getting close.

Three Shall Turn Into One

The three woodblocks for the Year of the Rabbit print....done being carved today 02/16/2011

Today a Plan

02/10/1011 Metal Rabbit Plan (Amelia as model)

Today's rabbit is, as you can see, a drawing; a stylized Amelia, AKA the Great White Zeppelin, demands her due pet. It is a plan for a print for the Baren Forum Year of the Rabbit Print Exchange. I'll print in my usual Moku Hanga method; carving and printing each color separately by hand; each print will be slightly different because I am human, not machine; but each one individually special, packed with the Qi of the all moments that went into it from the papermakers, to tool makers, to the tree, the pigment and the brushes. Really as the artist, carver and printer I play a small part and feel humbled by that. For some art is self expression, I do not find this to be true for myself. I ask each print from start to finish "what do you want to be? how can I help? what is right for this print".

The Year of the Rabbit Starts

The Qi Papers and 4 Buns express wishes for Good Fortune for all in the Year of the Metal Rabbit.

Gung

Hay

Fat

Choy

Interim

The Year of the Rabbit is being highly anticipated around here. It appears to require doing double guard duty to be sure all is in proper order.

Unlike our friends in the eastern US and pretty much everywhere else we have been having balmy XTREMELY pleasant weather, perhaps the summer we never had last year. In this pic a big Victorian catches the sunset on it's face.

Although it seems like summer, there is a still, reflective quality from the Yin of winter.

Out Metal Rabbit is in place. We visited some artist friends who work in metal so DS could check out that world. I was induced to take plasma torch in hand and cut, OF COURSE, a Metal Rabbit who now sits on the house numbers above the mailbox.

From The Time Capsule

Regulation postcard size 4.5 x 5.75 inches.

Set of four for $10.

For 12 years these Year of the Rabbit cards have been waiting for a second chance, and now they have it. A little surgery to remove the now inaccurate 1999, some glue and stack of cut price manila folders to provide a solid back bone and these bunnies are ready to party again like never before. Corners have been rounded with a punch to avoid any of those terrible domestic accidents you read about. The backs have been stamped and hand lined to provide a touch of the hand, some whimsy and another rabbit.

The Moon Rabbit design shows the rabbit in the moon as he pounds the elixir of immortally made from bark of the Cassia tree which also lives on the moon. Rabbits are reputed to derive their origin from the essence of the moon and are highly influenced by that celestial body.

Over sized postcard 6.5 by 4.5 inches, requires a first class letter stamp.

Set of four for $12.

The Ginkgo Rabbit design is based on an ink painting I did of big girl Bandit (ATB) and some leaves from a potted Ginkgo that lived outside my apartment door. I currently have two pots with it's children. Custom orders are welcome (i.e. blank backs, large quantities, special message) just, as they say, convo me. If you would like to buy a set of these fine reincardnated postal pieces you can click HERE to go to my Etsy shop.

Cycling Around

Twelve years ago for the last Year of the Rabbit I had a bunch of cards printed up, thinking they would be terribly popular and I would make a lot of money. I took them around to local book stores and card shops to no avail. I even went up to San Francisco sure that I could get some card shop, some boutique, some sort of Asian store to carry them. After a day of not so much luck my car broke down and I didn't try that again. I did get a listing with an Internet distributor which was not terribly successful, but it was nice to be listed. This was all in the days before Etsy and easy DYI websites and pretty much everything, though not in the days before rabbits. The rabbit depicted, especially the Rabbit and Ginkgo design, is the magnificent and still much loved Bandit. She lived free range in a no pets apartment with my son and I and ruled the roost between life threatening illnesses. A big girl, 12 pounds, with a big heart.

Rabbit with Ginkgo Leaf

The images were created with my ink paintings and digital help of a graphic designer friend, Toni H. Because rabbits tend to breed if not checked the printers made a mistake and printed twice as many cards as I had ordered. they didn't charge because it was their bad, but now I have two thousand of each design. Not thinking I included the date, 1999, so as a card they are un-usable for the coming year. However clever cropping, as I've done with the posted images once again makes them useful. My plan is to crop some down to postcard size, maybe mount them on a backing so they are sturdy and sell them through Etsy. Have I told you how much I love Etsy? Keep you eyes open, I'll have them up before the Rabbit Year starts on February 3rd. Maybe I'll sell a few here and there this time !!

Rabbit in the Moon