produced in jacksonville, florida

creation date  june 2018

artist  johanna lawson

technique  monoprinting + hand drawing

INSPIRATION

inspiredbyfathers (and steinbeck)

 

“Why do men like me want sons?” he wondered. “It must be because they hope in their poor beaten souls that these new men, who are their blood, will do the things they were not strong enough nor wise enough nor brave enough to do. It is rather like another chance at life; like a new bag of coins at a table of luck after your fortune is gone.”

— from Cup of Gold by John Steinbeck

 

John Steinbeck is one of my spouse’s favorite authors. Cup of Gold was his first novel. The book is about a man who becomes a pirate and goes on adventures at sea — sounds like becoming a new father. So many new, exciting adventures!(Like learning to walk, as our daughter started to master in recent weeks!)

As I set out to make this batch, I wanted to create a seascape that represented a steady ship in turbulent waters. My father has always been a steady and dependable person in my life. As I have grown older, he has been by my side, ready to listen and offer advice. He has shown me what it means to be open to change, confident in my abilities, and someone that other people can count on. 

I follow through on my commitments.

I feel compassion and empathy toward others.

I stand up for myself as well as those who have no voice.

These traits I learned from my father.  He taught me to be strong and reliable and solid. This batch is dedicated to my dad (as well as the new “dada” in my life). Thank you for your steady and consistent strength in an often turbulent world.

happy father’s day!

 

TECHNIQUE

For this batch, I created the seascape, by masking parts of the Gelli Arts® 5 x 5 plate as I layered and layered. I used supplies from the Gelli Arts® Card Printing Kit to create the background of the cards.

For the sky, I used blue paint mixed with white to make a light blue. Bubblewrap and a cloud stencil were used on various prints to create the clouds.

For the sea and horizon, I decided to go with a dark blue. I then used self created masks to block various sections of the print in order to give the prints a wave effect.

Then it was time to bust out the viewfinder and find the perfect 4 x 4 squares for my father’s day cards.

Once the squares were chosen, I worked to design the right look for the ship/boat. I kept sketching again and again until I worked out the final design.

CREATION

For the final cards, I kept majority of them blank so that they could be used for father’s day or a variety of other occasions. I love the whimsical look of this card. 

**exciting news**

When posting the picture below and using the #inspiredbyfathers, I unknowingly entered my piece into a Gelli Arts® printing competition. I won a $25 gift card to Gelli Arts®!

woo hoo!

Be sure to enter into July’s printing competition by using the #sunnyseason when you post your own beautiful monoprints!