Jes Lee

Re-newing studio days

Often my weekly schedule changes based on photo jobs, art work projects, and where I spend my studio days when I have them. This spring has been no different in that way. My long studio days re-new me. The days when I can focus on making, creating, and put most of the maintenance work of being a working artist aside for a bit. In many ways I live for the days were I can just create. Today is one of those days for me.

What I’m working on:

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The first task today is to finish printing pages for the new book I’m working on. This is the ink jet printing run for this book, and I’m starting out with three copies. The final edition will be somewhere around 40 copies of this little book, but I am starting with only three to work out the glitches with. There are 28 pages to print 3 times over….each page has to be hand loaded in my printer….you can imagine that this task takes up a lot of time!

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Of course there are two bunnies at my house that are very willing to help with any paper that just happens to fall where they can reach…

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After the ink jet printing is done, each page will have various layers that will get letterpress printed on it. I’m hoping to get to some of that today. This is the linoleum block I carved to give some of the paper for this book a water texture. The letterpress step will involve many test runs, and a lot of press set-up time.

journal square

My last task for today is getting materials measured and cut for making more journals. This is one I made recently for myself. I enjoy blogging and posting online, but I find I need to write by hand somewhere as well. I know I’m not the only one out there that keeps a journal or a sketchbook. I plan to get a few more made similar to this one that I can offer for sale at some of the upcoming festivals. Maybe I will meet a fellow journaler that way!

I have also been working hard on keeping up with my Etsy shops!

Newly listed today:

‘Spring’ print in my photography Etsy shop and a blue colander bowl in the pottery Etsy shop I work on with my dad.

Wherever you are, and whatever you are working on today, I hope you have a lovely and creative one.

~Peace~

I can’t stay mad…

….at the snow when it is so pretty out. Giant snow flakes, sticking to all of the tree branches, covering up the dingy muddy snow we had this morning.

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Especially when it looks like I am living up north and not in the city. Driving to class tonight could be interesting though.

I have been home today working on a new photo book project, and nursing a migraine while curled up on the couch. Other than the headache it hasn’t been a horrible way to spend the day.

I am quite excited about my new photo book, though there isn’t enough quite yet to post here. Soon.

 

The view from here

It has been quite awhile since I have had a home studio day.

I’m already working on printing more books (still trying to finish those editions!), applications that are due soon, and hopefully making some new artwork.

2013 is already different than I hoped it would be. But, I’m not giving up on it yet. It is still going to be happier and brighter than 2012!

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My view today.