More on Vermont and Adrirondacks Vacation

Still getting back to the real world after our vacation. We three love road trips so we drove north using small old roads going through old towns and rural and woodsy stretches. Otto had his nose going a mile a minute.

Two things we noticed that were really interesting...the more north we went, the more beautiful the gardens got! Maybe because the flower growing season is so short? But it seemed EVERY town we went through, each outdid themselves! They were about a week behind us and so the daylilies were absolutley at their peak. As a daylily lover, I really enjoyed seeing the unusual cultivars, and how everyone used the ubiquitous orange road lily to brighten some part of their front yard garden!

The porches were gorgeous with hanging planters, too. Some small towns really did those up big with huge planters filled with flowers hanging from every lamp post. It seemed so catchy, the more flowers the town had, the more the businesses did. It somehow made modest sandwich shops look quaint and must-stop here-ish!

The other thing we noticed, John having been a sign painter years ago, was how many gorgeous hand painted signs there were! These were so much more enticing that the inexpensive, merely identification signs, of computer generated and cut out vinyl! Many many hand carved, hand painted, with lush colors and eye catching appeal. They ADDED SO MUCH to the "curb appeal" of the shops, and told a story in a second that made you want to hit your brakes and go in.

We went out to dinner with our cousins in Vermont and assumed they were taking us there by the scenic view. But it seems every view in western Vermont is scenic! With the Green Mountains as a backdrop, every little farm and the grazing cows begged to be turned into a landscape painting! Same with the mountain drives in New York.


When we camped on Lake Champlain, the wildflowers blew in the breeze serenaded all day by the multitudes of birds. We took a very early morning hike, and the little islands of pines surrounded in the morning mist were a woodcut printer's dream. Except I forgot my camera! We vowed to go back the next morning, but that's when we got rained out.



It's funny when you vacation as an artist. It's hard NOT to see a painting or drawing everywhere you look! Here's Otto enjoying the Adirondacks. Be back soon with my latest woodcut print, this one of a rabbit.

I'm American Artist, Robin Zebley. I am a printmaker and portrait artist, specializing in pets and animals. To read more of this blog, click on the banner at the top. To be notified when there's a new blog, click on "following" to your right. You'll be in great company, my follwers are some of the most interesting people on the web! To see my pet portrait site, click HERE, it's http://robinzebley.com. There's a link on the top right of my blog to see my woodcut prints. Thanks for visiting, please pass my links on to anyone you think might be interested. I depend on word of mouth, so I really appreciate it! And please, feel free to comment! Robin

The Award Winning Kitty and ME!

As my regular readers know, I recently won the Printmaking Cash Award at Fleisher Art Memorial. Imagine my thrill when the check came from the Philadelphia Museum of Art!

To me it was just as thrilling that my woodcut print of a feral cat, "Kensington" was bought by another artist! That's Maria on your right, my print...now HER print... in the middle and me on your left. Of course, I signed, titled and numbered the print, which was #1 of my still-open edition. If you'd like to see my series of animal prints, click HERE If you're interesting in purchasing your own print of "Kensington" or any of my other animal prints, just email me at robinzebley@gmail.com.

So I should be busy printing more Kensingtons and other animal prints. Instead, we took Otto to the Open Studios at the 915 Building in Philadelphia. Here's Otto enjoying the art!


October is when the huge, all - city open studios tour is, so if you're anywhere near Philadelphia, keep that in mind...it's so huge, that it's split into 2 weekends, one east of Broad and the other west. It's a great time and you can buy fabulous pieces right off the easel and often score somewhat of a deal before they hit the galleries. I'll keep you posted on that.

Finally, today I'm working on the background of my Yorkie portrait, it's a very detailed, meaningful background, incorporating the Yorkie's mom's love of the beach and even a sentimental small portrait of her with her mother when she was a girl. So this is more time consuming than my usual background, but soooo meaningful! I enjoy doing human portraits, but my dog work takes most of my time. Same with horses, as much as I enjoy them, it's mostly dogs for me!

Kensington Woodcut Print Wins Award!

Remember "Kensington" the life-sized woodcut print I created from a photo of a rescued feral cat? She's now an award winner! I am thrilled and humbled...my print won the "Printmaking Award" at the annual student show at the Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia!

She is on display in the gallery, along with my reduction cut sheep. I hadn't seen the show hung yet because the "big day" is closing day, not opening day. I stopped by last night and there it was! She won over all of the prints entered from woodcut printmakers created over the past year. Incidentally, the winner for the non-woodcut prints was a gorgeous dog...animals rule!!

How encouraging for me. I am currently working on a woodcut print of 4 boxer puppies.

Now the good news is that as a woodcut print, there's more images of "Kensington" available! If you'd like one of your very own of this award winner, just click on "Etsy" at the top right corner of my blog. She'll come to you signed by me, titled and numbered.

If you'd like to see my pet portrait website, it's robinzebley.com. TO get updates on my blog, just click on "Follwoing this blog" to your right. And if you found this post and want to read my whole blog, click on the banner at the top. Thanks for visiting!! Come again!

Animal Woodcut Prints for Sale at Penn State Brandywine!

Preview! What I'm showing at Penn State Brandywine show on Sunday, March 8 from 10 - 4. Route 352 just above Route 1 in Media, PA. Besides portrait samples, I'll have my woodcut prints and doing demos. Here's my small series of original handpulled woodcut animal prints. If you can't make it...you can purchase directly from me online and I'll take care of the shipping. Prices are between $20 to $45 for the life sized feral cat which is about 10" x 19". All prices and full descriptons on my site: http://robinzebley.com






If you'd like to read my whole blog, just click on the banner at the top of the page. And if you'd like to know when I update it, just click on "Follow this blog" on your right. Thanks for visiting! Robin

Back to Fleisher!

Tomorrow night I start my next series of woodcut relief printing workshops at Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia with teacher, Jeff Dentz. This is the third time I'm taking this class.

First time, I learned the basics.

Second time, I learned to do a reduction cut.

This time, I'm planning on learning to do multi-plates combined with reduction cuts. My squirrel woodcut will be this and I know Jeff will be a real help with crits and with his excellent suggestions to make me think of possibilities!

Most of all, I miss the comaraderie of fellow printmakers, and I have been told that several of the talented printmakers from last workshops are also coming back for more fun! It also pushes me to work, and I need those deadlines to get more pieces ready. I know I can't really offer prints for sale until I have more than a few...and I'm hoping I'll have a really nice series of urban wildlife after the finish of this class!

My pet portrait website is at robinzebley.com, if you'd like to read more of my blog, just click on the banner at the top. If you'd like updates on this blog, just click on Follow This Blog to your right. Thanks for stoppig by! Robin Zebley

Pitbull Puppies Woodcut Print - Step by Step Demonstration

Welcome to my demonstration of my printing day on Tuesday..or welcome back if you're one of the many who are stopping by my blog often! When I last left you I had just finished...or so I thought...cutting out my piece of pine, but after a couple of test prints, I refined it and cut out more. It looked too busy to me. But finally I was happy with my cut and began the printing part.

First, I laid a line of oil based printmakers ink on the top of a large piece of palette paper, which I have taped all around to keep from slipping.

Next, I roll my brayer through the ink, bringing it down the palette to get it even. Then, ink up the block. See how the ink hits the part I didn't cut out and doesn't go into the grooves of my design?

Sorry for the photo lighting ... my second story studio faces west, not nice even lighting ... but I enjoy it because it's up in the sycamore leaves and I actually enjoy the afternoon light changes. The table I'm using to print on is right up against the window. I don't use it for drawing or painting, but for other art activities, it's fine.
Earlier in the day, I had ripped all my paper to size on this table.

Now that the block is all inked up, back and forth, turning the block to ink, I'm ready to lay my block into place. I've made up a jig to hold the block in the same exact place, with the paper being laid in the same exact place.

Now, I gently lay my paper in place, press it to the plate with my left hand, and with the back of an ordinary kitchen spoon, begin rubbing the back of the paper to transfer the ink. VERY important at this stage to keep the paper in place so the ink doesn't smudge into the white parts.

Look closely! Can you see the puppies design coming through the paper? Next, we'll peel off that paper and see the completed print. But that's for tomorrow. Got run.