I have not posted anything since returning from Australia and New Zealand. Now, in late April, I am finally getting around to posting my newest engraving, Apotheosis at Marston Mall. Because it was a commissionesd work for Iowa State University's College of Engineering, I did not write or show progress reports on LJ. But now that the edition is printed and delivered, I think it is alright to share it with the world. I drew on site in October, made the engraved plate in January to early March. The edition was printed in Venice in March and April.

The building is Marston Hall, completed in 1905. The facade featured the four Muses of Engineering, the four divisions of the college at that time. I brought them down to earth, and added eight additional Muses to reflect the current number of engineering divisions at ISU.

Flowers at Judy and Richard's beach house. Agapanthus is an amazing flower, and an interesting challenge to draw. Also, the pohutakawa, which I had never encountered before New Zealand, is remarkable.

Yellow, pink, white, and purple lupin were growing wild all around Queenstown and in the river valley on the way to Milford Sound. I picked this one to draw when we were on our hike up in the hills behind Queenstown.

Clouds over Lake Wakatipu and mountains, Queenstown, New Zealand.

I recently spent two glorious weeks in New Zealand. I will begin to post drawings from the trip.

These are more drawings from the same trip to the Dolomites in August. The drawing with lots of Stella Alpina(Edelweiss) is the same as before (see below, right) but is now watercolored.

We spent five days in the Dolomites, at friends' home near Pieve di Livinallonga di Col di Lana (Arabba). On our hikes and walks, I made drawings of flowers. Compared to our stay there two years ago (we were there in mid-July then), this year there were fewer flowers. And I recall being in the Dolomites in the month of June, a number of years ago, when the wildflowers were far more abundant.
In the middle drawing, top right, the small figure is owlfish, walking down a trail.
When I was changing out of my hiking books at Lago di Fedaia, my camera slipped out of my pocket and crashed on the parking lot asphalt. I discovered that I can still take photos, but the hard fall ruined the display screen circuitry, so I can't actually see what I am taking until I hook the camera up to the computer. I will try to take a better photo, but am literally shooting blind.

Shells at the Lido, drawn after a long swim (I exaggerate, a lazy float) in the warm waters of the Adriatic at the spiaggia della marina militare.

I never finished engraving the sea monster and lace plate. I was at a loss how to complete it. Today, I tried printing a proof in white ink on this marble paper. I like it but have to let the image sink in. You can click on the photograph to enlarge it.

Here is the plate in its current state, as of March 27.

I have started working on a new plate, or rather, have resurrected an old one. A couple of years ago, I made some drawings of carved animal figureheads on historic Venetian boats at the Museo Storico Navale, and drypointed them on a piece of copper. But I never did anything else with it. Now, I have brought out the plate again and have some ideas about what to do with it. The star-like design is the center medallion of a some lace I found in MFW's house in L



ittle Rock.