Mysterious Birthday Boekie

[David Stafford]

The tables are turned! For once I'm the one searching out an anonymous donor (though I have my suspicions.) This print on fabric was only the cherry on top of a boekie filled with diversions and detours including a list of medications and their dosages, some slides of architectural carnage which may or may not be transmuted into art at a later date, numerous collages, artistic experiments, diary page, Peacock Asparagus label with rubber band attached and on and on. Thank you, anon as well as Diane Keys, Nadine Wendell-Mojica, Thomas Brown, Dean Marks and someone named Anne? Arne? Ame not to mention Facebook wellwishers and IOUMAers Val, Angie, Dean (again), Susan M and Carina who sent me some Finnish catalogue cuties from my preferred era: the fabulous 60s and everyone who has put up with my lackadaisical blogging despite having received stellar work from all and sundry. Perhaps today is the day when I put my nose to the blogstone and wear it down a size or two. Or maybe not. I spent my 64th birthday in California visiting my 98-year old mother. The telling anecdote: we decided to wash my underwear at the end of the visit and when I went to see how it was progressing I found them sitting calmly in a tub of water in the washer. I thought perhaps she'd forgotten to turn it on but no, she was bleaching them before she washed them. My smalls, yellowed with age and other things, still concerned her. You can't keep a good mom down. Thanks again to everyone, boekie maker and all ye with great patience. I remain solidly in your debt.

[Carmela Rizzuto]

Love the acid green and hot pink of Dan's print--quite a combo. 

PS: Your comments about your mom made me chuckle.

[David Stafford]

Thanks for the explanation, Dan. I like the fact that you move back and forth in time with your stuff. What printer do you use for the substrates?

[Dan Mouer]

This is actually pretty typical of my style of artmaking, David. I combine and blend images from my own photographs and drawings and/or traditional etching and other printmaking techniques using Painter, Photoshop and other software. I then make prints in a variuety of ways often on unusual substrates (metal, wood, ceramic tile, or, in this case, fabric). If you turn the image 45 degrees counter clockwise, you may discern two bellydancers. The prominent one I photographed in an Egyptian cabaret (Port Said) in NYC in 1968. The second is from a bellydancing student show here in Richmond from about four years ago.

[David Stafford]

wow....didn't see that one comin'. Okay...Dan, you got me good. I'm glad I didn't say who I thought it was cuz I was wrong....Thank you and Robin (I'm assuming) for your efforts. Give us some insight into the process of this particular print. Please.

[Dan Mouer]

Gotcha!