the Yukon

The symbols of the Yukon, its official bird, the Raven and its flower, fireweed cover the hand-carved map of the Yukon in this linocut. The block was inked 'à la poupée' (with different colours, pink-magenta and black in different areas) and printed by hand on lovely Japanese kozo (or mulberry) paper. Each print is 23.5 cm by 31.8 cm (9.25" by 12.5"). The print is one of a variable edition of six.

This is the latest in the series. I have two provinces to go (PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador) but I moved on to my first territory, with great symbols. Ravens are such marvellous birds and I've long loved the bright cheerful fireweed, the common first flower after any forest fire.

OOAK Prep

This week in OOAK prep:
We went to Home Depot and found a inormous lock box. Basically, it's a large, sturdy, plastic trunk with hinges, latches and a place for a padlock. I can place my packaged prints inside, and if I need to go somewhere, lock my valuables inside. The whole thing will fit under my table. It isn't large enough for my oversized prints, so we also got a transparent plastic box which is meant for under-bed storage. This box fits on top of the first box and can also fit under my table. Then, I spent the better part of two days packaging prints. I have a collection of cellophane envelops in various sizes, so it was a question of getting a large amount of foam board, cutting it to size, and stuffing the envelops with print, foam board, and business card. I've packaged dozens and dozens. This also involved trying to convince Minouette that there was no cats in packaging prints (like crying in baseball), but she really thought this activity would be improved by a cat's involvement in all aspects. Things I've learned: I have a large number of prints. I need more cellophane envelops and foam board and maybe another storage box. My cat does not understand the use of an xacto knife.

Next, I've been working on my profile for the OOAK site and answering questions for Etsy - writing things like artists statements and so forth.

Lastly, I've been scheming about displaying my prints and researching how other people display things. The photos are two shows I did in December - the Wandering Winter Craft Show at the Gladstone and the Movies and Makers show at the Fox Cinema. These were different shows with really different tables and issues. At OOAK, I'll have a large rectangular table, and I'll only be selling art (no pillows or textiles) but I don't want to go with my usual retort stand and ribbon with suspended prints trick. My bamboo stakes on top of retort stand trick probably wouldn't fly either. It's a more formal sort of show and I'm hoping RJH will build me a display. I've found some examples of the sort of thing I have in mind.

Things I still need to do: research smart phone plans so I can get a smart phone credit card reader. There are a number of different products available which are a great solution for small business people who couldn't invest in a regular credit card reader. You just stick them in your smart phone and then you can swipe credit cards and process payments.

Nova Scotia

I've made another in my provincial series. The shape of Nova Scotia is covered with its provincial symbols: the osprey and the mayflower. The block was inked 'à la poupée' (with different colours, green, pinks, yellow and gray-brown, in different areas) and printed by hand on lovely Japanese kozo (or mulberry) paper. Each print is 23.5 cm by 31.8 cm (9.25" by 12.5"). The print is one of a variable edition of eight.

This print was troublesome for me. Firstly, I had the opposite issue as with Saskatchewan. As all schoolchildren know Saskatchewan is the hardest to spell, easiest to draw. I mean, it's basically a rectangle. Sure, Canada is so large that you can see the small-circle curvature fo the latitudes marking the north and south boundaries, and there's been a correction to the original purely rectalinear area, and there are some notable lakes, but basically, its shape is so simple that the viewer might not recognize it was a map. Nova Scotia and for that matter, the remaining Maritime provinces, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador are so irregularly shaped that it's a challenge to avoid having the shape of the map dominate the design. How was I to squish an Osprey into that space, unless I incresed the scale, or, my solution, I did not attempt to show the entire animal.

Lastly, the inks themselves gave me trouble. Inking 'à la poupée' is an acquired skill, but I think that the other trouble was the dryness of the air. It's pretty cold out there and no amount of ink retarder seemed able to keep my inks nice and viscous today. But, here we are. Province print number 8 with two more provinces and three territories to go.

I was tempted to sneak the Bluenose in there, but that would just confuse matters.

Maybe it's appropriate to make a Nova Scotia print on Robbie Burns Day.

Alberta

The symbols of Alberta, its provincial animal, the big horn sheep and its famous flower, the wild rose cover the hand-carved map of Alberta in this linocut. The block was inked 'à la poupée' (with different colours, green, pinks, yellow and gray-brown, in different areas) and printed by hand on lovely Japanese kozo (or mulberry) paper. Each print is 23.5 cm by 31.8 cm (9.25" by 12.5"). The print is one of a variable edition of eight.

It was obvious, despite the various symbols of the province from which to choose, that I needed to include the wild rose¹; the licence plate of every car in the province proclaims it to be 'Wild Rose Country'. While the provincial bird, the Great Horned Owl is a wonderful subject, its range stretches far beyond the province. The mammalian emblem, the Big Horned Sheep, on the other hand, gets its very name from Canada: Ovis canadensis. Also, I liked the idea of using the shape of the province to micmic its topography. So, I imagined a scene of looking through a wild rose bush on the prarie at the base of the foothills, west towards the mountains of the Rockies and the Big Horn Sheep.

I've had the great priviledge of having seen much of this country and having travelled from coast to coast. (I am still hoping to visit the third coast). I have visited Calgary several times, and flown over the province more times than I could count. I hope one day to be able to explore more of Alberta. I know there is much beauty yet for me to discover. One Week, for instance, convinced me that I need to go to Drumheller, "Dinosaur Capital of the World"! Plus, hardy friends keep moving to Edmonton.<sup>2

1</sup> No political overtones intended. I won't hold the, shall we say less-than-gay-positive party with the unexpectedly poetic name against the flower. The flower came first.

² Did you know they have summer and winter electrical tape there? Do you know why? Cause regular vinyl tape can freeze solid at -40^oC and cut like a knife. Or, at least so I've been told.

1700 hearts!

As is perhaps apt in a girl with a serious cinnamon heart problem, I adore seeing people ♥ things from secret minouette places. Today a ♥ milestone: 1700! (Somehow I neglected to mention the 1600 milestone, but there we are). Thank you very much to each and every one. For that matter, thank you to the 525 fans of the things from secret minouette places facebook fanpage, 696 twitter followers and 582 minouette Etsy followers! I really do appreciate it. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ to you.

Heat-sensitive Valentine

I wasn't sure if I should post this. I mean what if RJH reads my blog? But you see, after I invented the thermochromic Valentine ...just for you sweetheart! Surprise!.... I thought other people might want one for their sweethearts. That's the beauty of printmaking after all! It naturally produces multiples. So, if I was going to share the thermochromic Valentine with the world, I would need to do so long before Valentine's Day... so RJH, if you're reading this, this is really for you. Just act surprised on Valentine's Day. I invented you an interactive Valentine, with love. :D

This hand-printed thermochromic Valentine will respond to your loved one's warmth! If you place your hand as directed, over the pink hand, printed in thermochromic ink, your body heat will cause the ink to change colour! It turns colourless to reveal the message printed below, "you warm my heart". The image shows two prints side by side: a cold and a hot one.

Thermochromic ink changes colour with temperature. If you heat the print above about 30°C ( 86 °F) the ink is colourless; below 30°C ( 86 °F) the ink is pink. Body temperature is 37°C (98.6 °F) so body heat alone should be enough to reveal the hidden message. If it's particularly cold day, or your loved one is has poor circulation, you can always heat the print gently with a hair dryer; that always works!

The print is made on beautiful Japanese cream-coloured paper with silky inclusions. Each print is 27 cm by 15.2 cm (10.75" by 6"). Each print is made in red, pink and rose thermochromic ink, and printed in an open edition.

handmade and the law

The One of A Kind Show is such a large operation that they have extensive paperwork and contracts for sellers. They of course have lawyers and need to protect themselves against liability. So, part of this paperwork includes informing sellers of pertinent regulations. I've been reading through these documents this morning and I've learned a few things. Officially, to be making pillows or stuffed animals (less than 1000 items per year), in Ontario, I am required to have a licence as a home hobby or craft operator, and to label these items with "New Material Only", my license number, and the content of the stuffing (in both official languages, of course). I have almost never seen this from small hand-makers. Perhaps luckily for me, I will only be selling art at OOAK.

The other concern I have from reading all this documentation is whether my lightboxes qualify as electrical devices and would require an inspection certificate. Also, I'd like to know how much that would cost, and whether it would be worth my while. I do know that the risk of fire or electrocution is nil... but I've been reading Electrical Safety Authority website all morning and frankly have no idea. Clearly, they did not design that site with one-person manufacturers in mind. There are CSA regulations for LED displays but it would only cost me $412 to READ them! (Yes, that was a sarcastic use of italics.) It's enough to make me think I should not sell anything powered at OOAK.