Friday, September 29, 2006

Illustration Friday: Quiet



My submission for Illustration Friday's "Quiet" is from my 2002 HomeMade calendar and the title is "Homeward Bound". Some of you might recognize the pooch to be my Rat boy. I am in Seattle today and I am celebrating my Mom's 69th birthday with my sis and my Mom's sis and we are having a party! 69 is mighty fine! This is why my post is incomplete as I don't have access to my stuff but I got my picture off the internet and will fix when I get home. My addiction to IF is pretty obvious and if I don't post on IF I might explode! Have a great weekend!!!

Back from Seattle today and I had a wonderful time with my family! Updated the picture, this is a bit bigger and want to add the usual info: This painting was for the month of August and the quote is "Life''s a voyage that's homeward bound" ~proverb

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Wasserman SilkScreen Company

I mentioned last Friday that I would like to talk about my printing adventures, but first I must introduce you to a brilliant printer and the men that I worked with at Wasserman SilkScreen Company. My printing experiences surely changed the course of my life because it introduced me to many types of art and artists that were the cream of the crop during that time period in 1980's Los Angeles. These printers and artists helped to shape me into the artist that I am today and of course you know by now I love colour and blends (gradations of colour) in my work and that is one of the better parts of Serigraphy, a good printer can make a gorgeous blend and each print is uniquely different so they are like originals on paper. I love the smell of ink and paper in the morning and I will never forget those days with the boys printing, reading the paper and Playboy magazine (the years before sexual harrassment in the workplace) and in all honesty I loved being one of the boys, getting your hands dirty and making art. Jeff would always say "Let's kick ass and take names" and I still smile when I think of that phrase! Please read this amazing article about Jeff Wasserman, me and the guys when you have some free time and I promise it will inspire you.

Wasserman Page One
Wasserman Page Two
Wasserman Page Three
Wasserman Page Four
Wasserman Page Five















Article from ScreenPrinting Magazine November 1988

Friday, September 22, 2006

Illustration Friday: Phobia


My submission for Illustration Friday's "Phobia" is the first print in a series of three that I handprinted into a portfolio of limited editions. Printing was my life for over 15 years, I printed many pieces and I promise when I get some good time soon I'll post about my amazing printing adventures. This is an 9 colour silkscreen and for any of you that have hand printed, the more colours the more registration issues. This is a tight fit too so for my first personal edition it was ambitious. I created a transparent glaze with a little white that turned all my colours from one to two. So for instance I printed the purple lady than I cut out just her face and printed the transparent white and it turns the purple into a softer lavendar and now it looks like 2 totally different colours, I did one pass of transparent white over all of the print and it looks like 14 colours now! My whole reason to print was to stretch the boundaries and be a self sufficient artist. You don't want to do whats been done you want to pioneer new techniques. This print helped me land a job with a master printer and I worked as his assistant for 5 years. In April I wrote a post called "I never forget a face" that is the 2nd print in this portfolio, it was 10 colours and the 3rd print is almost 20. The guy in the picture is Bob and the name of this print is "Strangers in the Night". This is about show businss and that subject is rife with phobias. Stage fright is a major phobia.

Strangers in the Night copyright 1980

Friday, September 15, 2006

Illustration Friday: Change

My Submission for Illustration Friday's "Change" comes from a painting titled "Hanging Around". If dry cleaning was sent through your home, you'd always be ready for a change!

I made this painting in 1997 and hung it in a gallery on Main Street in Santa Monica and within a few days a naked person came in and bought it. Just kidding, they wore clothes. Have a fun weekend my friends!
Hanging Around is Acrylics on masonite, wood, foam, paper, prismacolor pencil, and cord. copyright 1997

Friday, September 08, 2006

Illustration Friday: Farm


My submission for Illustration Friday's "Farm" is from a greeting card I created for Marisol's everyday line and the title is "Farm House". I love painting farm houses and farms and barns and rolling golden fields. The recipient of this card gets the gift of time with someone they care about. What a great idea! Have a wonderful weekend, I need to finish painting the walls of my studio.
copyright 1995 Valerie Walsh

Friday, September 01, 2006

Illustration Friday: Safe


My submisson for Illustration Friday's "Safe is from my 2001 HomeMade Calendar and the title is "Bird House". For years I have observed the birds in my little neck of the woods and they always seem to feel safe when they are in their little houses and nests. They seem to sweep a lot too, they are always making sweeping sounds and moving the leaves around and gathering tidbits to bring home. It makes me feel safe listening to the sounds they make. This illustration is for the month of January and the quote is: "The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it" ~Emerson.