Tag Archives: block printing

Daily Art Practice

04 Wednesday Mar 2026

Posted by in 100 Day Project, 365 Days of Block Printing

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My daily block printing art practice is going very well with 2 months of printing and posting them on Instagram. I am continuing to print single pages of tessellating torus mandala blocks on old book/magazine pages. I’m playing with black and brown on the aged papers with lovely results. I came across this pink gelli printed book page and printed my spectacles block in pink and black and I played around with varying sizes of square blocks in a variety of colors on a scrap of paper from a large mandala.

I have a trip coming up in May and I have been putting together a travel printing/art kit to take with me. I recently went to a one day mediation retreat and took my kit to give it a trial run. The “Love” print got a Zentangle treatment and turned out nicely. The little sketchbook is new and I am very happy with the paper. The ink didn’t bleed through and it took shading well. I decided I needed blocks that I could layer and play with a lot of different combinations so I created a bunch of one inch squares that are super fun to play with! And I played!

Have you noticed that I have a tendency to play and experiment? Another series of experiments I am working on is combining watercolor with my block prints in a really mindful way. This is bringing me lot of joy and I hope it cheers you up as well.

Grids keep appearing in my art journals. The square blocks I carved in December work so well on them and creating a master sheet that looks like a hot mess then comes together in something beautiful is a metaphor I really need these days. This is a new junk journal I made recently using a wide variety of papers in a cereal box cover.

100 Day Project and Upcoming Zentangle Class

24 Tuesday Feb 2026

Posted by in 100 Day Project, art class

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Today is day 2 of the 100 day project. I have started off printing on very old papers. I love the November 1878 issue of Demorest’s Monthly Magazine. I’m also printing on pages from an old dictionary and a geography book from 1901.

“The 100 Day Project is a free, global art project built around one simple idea: show up to your creative practice every day for 100 days. Anyone can participate! Subscribe to receive updates and daily creative prompts.”

Since I am doing a 365 day project this year I am absorbing the 100 day project into it. There is a sense of community that helps maintain enthusiasm for a longer project. I still have lots of ideas for my 365 day project and am going strong. I will do a blog post about February in the beginning of March. For today I just wanted to share my first 2 days of the 100 day project.

I am teaching a Zentangle class at the Art Hub in Cambridge, WI on Friday, March 20th. Register here. We will use the pattern called “C Knots” as the focal point for our piece. Here is an example

Block Printing Every Day

05 Thursday Feb 2026

Posted by in 365 Days of Block Printing, Art

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So this is my goal for 2026. It is an ambitious one but I’m going to be gentle with myself about it. It is aspirational but I got a great start in January!

I’m having lots of fun exploring the blocks I carved in December and older blocks as well. I have even carved a few new ones, some of them inspired by the Zentangle Fragments of Your Imagination January challenge. I love to use Zentangle patterns as inspiration for my blocks. This one is my favorite.

I used a block printed mandala using some of these Zentangle fragment blocks as the pattern for a screen printing class I took at Polka Press and here’s some napkins and tshirts that are the result!

I printed a cover for the paper bag art journal I used to capture my Carve December work.

Here are individual photos of some of my favorites.

Making art is a form of self care for me. I think it is also a form of resistance against evils such as fascism. I’m surrounding Minneapolis with Love & Love & Love. Let’s make something beautiful today.

Carve December Creativity

03 Saturday Jan 2026

Posted by in Art, carve december

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I carved more than 60 blocks in December. The picture above is missing most of the words I carved. They are posted below. Carve December is an Instagram challenge that helps me in the darkest time of the year. It has been the best medicine for my seasonal affective disorder ever! I’m really excited for this first version of a new, big torus mandala that I designed over the course of the month (below).

I wasn’t happy with one of the new blocks and used an old favorite that I’m still working to redesign. Here’s a gallery of the blocks I carved and the photos I posted on Instagram.

I made another paper bag art journal to capture all the fun blocks I carved and to keep a record of them all together. Now that I have completed 5 years of this challenge I want to be a little more organized about the hundreds of blocks I have! I will post a video of the flip through on Instagram.

Wishing you peace, good health and happiness in the new year!

Carve December Part 1

14 Sunday Dec 2025

Posted by in Art, carve december

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I love Carve December! It is an Instagram challenge started and hosted by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer of Balzer Designs. She provides prompts for each day of the month and people carve stamps (blocks) inspired by those prompts, or whatever. I have generally been one of the “whatever” carvers but this year I am following the prompts and having a lot of fun with it. I am curious if you can guess what the prompts might be based on what I carved. I would love it if you would leave a comment with your ideas.

I have made another paper bag art journal to capture all of the printed goodness.

Happy holidays!

I’m a Teacher at Block Printing Fest

18 Saturday Oct 2025

Posted by in art class

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I’m so excited to be able to share what was keeping me so busy in September!

If you’ve ever wanted to dive deeper into block printing, learn tips & tricks and make fun hands-on projects, or get a behind-the-scenes look at how other artists work — this is your moment.

👉 Block Printing Fest runs from Oct 28–30 and is completely free to attend live.
👉 There’s a mix of pre-recorded sessions (that you can watch anytime during the day) and live chats where you can connect with artists & attendees.
 👉 And if you can’t make it to everything, the All-Access Pass gives you extended replay time + bonuses. I’ll be there teaching a session on using Zentangle fragments in block design, and honestly, the lineup is 🔥.
Don’t wait – grab your free ticket now and come join us! Get your ticket here. I am an affiliate for the Block Printing Fest which means I might receive compensation at no extra cost to you.

I am Here, and Here, and Here

24 Wednesday Sep 2025

Posted by in Art, art class, Art on Exhibit

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This coming Saturday I will be teaching an art journaling class at the Art Hub in Cambridge, WI. We will start out altering a book to serve as our art journals and then we will do some gelli printing. After that we will use a stencil and black or white paint to create a line from stenciled images along the edge of one of the pages. Then we will cut along that line to make an interesting edge. A gelli print will go on the next page that will show off the cut edge. Coordinating papers will be collaged on the main page to create a cohesive layout with pen work to tie it all together.

The class will run from 1-4 pm and the cost is $65. All supplies are included and you will leave with a new altered book art journal for you to continue your art journaling practice in. The Art Hub is located at 145 W Main St. in Cambridge. There’s still time to register if you are quick! Register here.

I currently have art on exhibit at UW Hospital on 600 Highland Drive in Madison, WI in the surgical waiting area. It will be up until October 4. Hopefully you won’t have a reason to see it in person at the hospital so here are photos of the pieces that I will have in the show.

I had one piece, Dane County Garden, juried into the Art by the Foot exhibit at the Center for the Visual Arts in Wausau, WI. This show will run from October 3 through December 20. Here is their description of the show “So much creativity in such little space! Art by the Foot features a variety of artwork that is 12 in or smaller in size. A great show for collectors to visit.” There will be a reception on November 14, from 5-7pm.

Wishing you good health, safety, plenty and peace.

Diversity and Inclusion One Index Card at a Time

14 Thursday Aug 2025

Posted by in Art, Zentangle Inspired Art

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A collection of mixed media index cards created for ICAD (Index Card a Day) 2025.

I used a compass to draw some circles to expand my usual torus mandala to create spaces in between the patterned block prints. Then I added some Zentangle patterns that would unify the piece. After that I cut off an index card sized piece each day or so and worked on it as it’s own discrete entity. Here are some examples of the cards. My last two posts (June and July) also have more examples.

I am so happy to have explored all these possibilities! It demonstrates the value of diversity and inclusion and will hopefully improve the next piece I plan to create. It will be a version of this with my favorite components of these. Which one do you like best? Great news, you don’t have to choose just one.

Wishing you peace.

Published! in UPPERCASE Magazine

11 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by in Art, Publication

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I am beyond excited to announce that my pattern designs have been published in the 6th Surface Pattern Design Guide published by UPPERCASE Magazine.

UPPERCASE Magazine is “for the creative and curious since 2009.” It is published by Janine Vangool in Canada. I encountered Janine in a class during the Sketchbook Revival Workshop last year and immediately subscribed to this gorgeous magazine. I was very excited to see how supportive she is of new and emerging artists. She has a variety of calls for art and I submitted some pictures for her newsletter, The Pattern Journal. I was very excited to have them published in her newsletter and it gave me the confidence to submit photos for the Surface Pattern Design Guide.

“For this edition of the Surface Pattern Design Guide, 790 artist submitted their work for consideration. …The intent of my curation is to present a representative variety of the styles and stories that were shared by designers of all levels.” Janine Vangool

I feel so honored to be selected but also excited by the possibilities that are offered through this guide. One of the artists, Sarah Matthews, was awarded the honor of her design on the cover of this issue of the magazine. There were people who won fabric design offers and classes and the cover of the design guide itself was created by Lisa Deighan. This design guide is used in the surface design industry by companies looking for artist to work with and as such may open unexpected doors in the future.