I know, I owe everyone part 2 of the DIY bench. With the holidays around the corner, I got trapped in doing other stuff. I’m still playing catch up from my 5,000+ journey for work. My dad recently bought himself a small trailer and I’ve been helping him with home repairs. Plus I started my own remodel project in creating a studio on the second floor of the home.

I got the studio cleaned up and decided to work on my next wave of Christmas presents. I do black and white pieces that are about 8”x8”. Frame them and give them out. This year we are skipping over Christmas as a collective family. And putting gall of our together time on Thanksgiving. This will be the first year without our Mom. But ever since we’ve moved back to Tucson, we’ve never missed the time together. This year is without exception. 

Because we are skipping Christmas, my presents are being moved up, I thought I would share a couple of past pieces. Plus, one that has been on the shelf a little to long. The sketch and then the black ink will be my first wood cut.

Most of my work, OK all of it is black & white. I don't do color any more. Last color piece I did was back in the 90's. Except for my Computer work, those are a mix of color. My daughter asked why, and I said it was a phase. She really wanted a color piece. So for her wedding, I went all out and did the love birds with some color.

I typically start off with pencil sketches. Then I ink them in. This is the one that I've transferred to my wood cut block. I hope to finish it some day, I just have to get my other projects out of the way. In the mean time, I'm back to doing a flurry of 8"x8" images. They each take me about a day. Who knows, maybe the wood cut will be worth something as an unfinished piece. However, more importantly, I really want to finish my time with friends and family. The art is just a perk from my spare time to give back to them.

…and now for something completely different.
A mole can dig a tunnel that is 300 feet long in only one night.