Bloody Car Rounding

Many moons ago I was teaching impromptu printmaking techniques to my quilt students and came up with what I called 'Buick Printing' because I had a Buick rental car in my driveway!  I needed some sort of press and there was the car doing nothing so I put it to use.  I sandwiched painted leaves and other natural materials on a plywood backing softened with an old wool blanket.  I covered it with canvas and another piece of wool and the second piece of plywood and stuck it under the rear wheel, stuck the key in and hit R as slowly as I could go.  Whammo, off the car rolled and the print was done.  After unwrapping I hung them to dry and repeated the process.

So today I find that Syracuse has a steam roller printing day now!  The kids work on giant woodblocks for the first part of the  semester, they ink the block (which looks like it could be 4'x8'!) and away the steam roller goes.  All I'm saying is that old 'great minds' thing...  And no, I never did this at Ole SU.  I made it up myself.

Oops, I need to update the flash player it says, tbut no way since that's what they say is passing the Mac virus around.  So instead, go here to the video of the steamroller.  Sorry.

Here are a couple of pillows I printed from SeaGrape and Split Leaf Philodendrum leaves, and a detail:

These are 28" square pillows, printed with acrylic paints and retarder, LOTS of that!, and detailed with machine stitchery.  Many of the leaves are 3-D on the bottom piece.

Off tomorrow for Key West loaded to the gills with all the stuff we need to transport!  More on the wedding as soon as it happens, I am so busy I need an assistant for the assistant but haven't found the first on yet.  Nor have I packed-  the next project.  Should be fun, the weather is supposed to be good and the tent guys won't rent Nate a tent because they guarantee he won't need it.  I simply can't believe this ;laid back attitude.  It will probably take me at the whole week to adjust to thinking everything will be OK whether I meddle or not.  Geesh, it is nerve wracking.   Later-