A very frustrating day in the studio.

One of the reasons why I love screenprinting is that it works with my impatience. I can get a new screen cleared and re-exposed in less than an hour. Lithography was very trying because of all the waiting I had to do (that and the fact that I rarely felt like I had a grasp on what I had to do to get everything working properly…so many variables!). I mean, graining a stone for around an hour? And then working on the drawing for around the same time if not more? Sometimes I just want to go in to the Dolphin building and print and print soon.

Screenprinting really tried my patience today. The power washer is messed up for some reason (not my fault, by the time I got there, it was already weird) and even after Kyle fixed it, it went back to its state of improper function. I spent three hours trying to wash out my screens and get a decent image exposed. I really don’t have much patience, so that whole experience was beyond irritating. It’s not like the prints I’m working on are very precise, so technically I don’t have to be very nit-picky when it comes to how things turn out when I pull a print. I’ve been working over everything by hand after almost every layer anyways. But I’m more concerned about my screen being permenantly fucked up than anything else. Either way, I’m going back tomorrow to wrestle with these unruly screens again.

I’m just about done with one of my prints (the one that I’ve been posting pictures of). It throws me off a little to have such different prints within the edition because I feel that some of the prints could be considered done right now, and others could stand a few more layers. I’m not ruling out the possibility of working on specific prints (perhaps drawing directly on them, collaging, etc), I think I just need to wait and see how I like them. Usually my artwork turns out better if I don’t rush into it. Very hard to do at this point, as I feel like I have so little time anyway.

At this point I’m debating on what I should do tomorrow. Should I wake up early and go directly to Dolphin and get a couple more layers cranked out on the current print? I almost feel like I should talk to Nick about the halo problem I’m having. I also feel like I should work on a background and more transparencies for the other prints that I need to have done. I can’t figure out which would be better – a little bit of progress on many of my prints or being almost done with one print… Maybe I should just go with Tyler to White Marsh so I can buy more ink jet transparencies (for Alt. Process) and then work on the prints or maybe just work on cyanotype stuff. I’m planning this out too much, aren’t I? Man, I wish I knew how to relax about these things.

Pictures later, when I’m not so spazzy.