Printmaking – Rhonda Horton Artist

November 28, 2023March 27, 2024

November 2023

From Rhonda at Horton House Press, Alaska

Dreaming Red Currants hand-pulled monotype printing

Following my drawing of the red currant bush and process photos of the monotype printing on plexiglass, I am pleased to give you a look at the final outcome of layering some greens, yellows, and reds to get my hope realized on paper.

Shown below are a few more process prints, as well the finished original print and the unfinished ghost print. At about this stage, the original and the ghost prints take on their own callings and become separate unto themselves. A dialogue takes place to be resolved between artist and each print (hence: original prints–original hand-pulled prints–not reproductions).

The printing of the berry clusters became more work than expected. Through a somewhat crude printmaking process, it is very easy for these clusters to end up as red blobs–not what I want– 😬. So I am very thankful for the use of a pouncer–a round sponge on the end of a wooden dowel just the right size worked great for the berries along with freezer wrap paper for stenciling.

Reflection: next time try working larger or smaller for berries.

If only I found such a cluster in our yard! More than anticipated, the currants here are a bit brilliant in their reds. I will work on finishing the ghost print next.

A little more of what is going on inside Horton House Press – Alaska

Sojourning to a past adventure with an idea, I put one of my pieces of art on a “T” shirt. There’s a real-life story behind this pastel drawing Coming into Alaska, July 4, 2018, 12:22 am.

As the title implies, we had just past the Alaska-Canada boarder and made our way down the Tok Highway. Bound for home, and literally busting at the seams, we had secured the backend of our travel trailer from top to bottom with duct tape.

I began to take pictures through the window of the midnight sun setting over the land, catching just a glimpse of Mt. Denali as it disappeared behind the rushing landscape.

There before us, we were awestruck – clouds appeared as our Old Glory Flag lain across the land! It was a welcoming sight to say we made it safely home, and then we noticed it was just after midnight on the 4th of July!

I am offering these limited edition “T” shirts signed and numbered. With several responses for the sleeve art, I decided to make this variation. I invite you to take a look, offer opinions in the comments below or email, and consider purchasing one for yourself or a loved one. I may offer them again summer of 2024.

These fine “T” shirts on a cotton blend fabric use pigmented ink and contrasting black thread. The image Into Alaska is from the original diptych (consisting of two drawings framed together to make a whole).

To get a better look and/or purchase, click any choice link below and you will be directed to the store.

Events – Past and Upcoming

The Alaska State Fair 2023

Showing for a second time at the iconic Old Colony Church now the Alaska State Fair Wine Bar. It was a pleasure to exhibit once again along with fellow artists and catch up on all that was happening.

State Proof

Thursday – Sunday

January2024

International Gallery of Contemporary ArtState Proof – A curated exhibition of Alaska Printmakers

Opening Reception – First Friday, Jan. 5, 5-8pm

1:00pm-4:00pm427 D Street • Anchorage, Alaska 99501

". . .in the midst of the unknown. . .I am grateful now, before all is well. . ." Allen Arnold

– always with thanksgiving 😊

Please feel free to contact me with any questions at my email: [email protected]

You may leave a comment in the space provided below, which is very much appreciated. Thank you for visiting Horton House Press Studio Insider.

June 7, 2023June 10, 2023

June 2023

From Rhonda at Horton House Press, Alaska

A Late Spring

We are having a very late spring here in Alaska. The roses have yet to bud. Google reminded me the other day of this, while showing me one of my photos of some Alaska Prickly Roses taken at this time of year, 2016. With this late spring also comes my late newsletter I wanted to get out in May.

Vision and Imagination

Along with my expectancy of spring flowers, I have been imagining a bounty of our Northern Red Currants growing in our yard. We have some every year, but far and few in between. They pop up randomly, but never in the same place. When I came across this photo of a Red Currant bush so lavish with its fruit, I decided to claim this as a vision for my own.

One day I hope to have some Red Currants growing in our yard just as abundant. For the meantime, I will settle on this picture and enjoy this bush from here along with some creative transformative printmaking to steward my hope. Taking this vision with imagination together begins my spring seed for a fall berry harvest of printmaking.

Taking a closer look at the red berry bush and focusing my attention to one particular area, I started with a drawing for a monotype print (monotype is a type of monoprint/a one-of a-kind print). I added some Northern Red Currant leaf shapes I had pressed and photographed a few years back. I will have to wait and look for these wild Northern Red Currant bushes in our own yard to get a good photo of the flowers to work with also.

Sketchbook drawing of a portion of the Red Currant bush with some added leaf shapes.

I am not done yet, but look forward to more layering of colors to bring out the unfinished areas, add some shapes, along with some red for the berries.

I will be gathering photos and drawings of the flowers and fruit of other berry bushes that grow naturally in our yard. These include High and Low-bush Cranberries, Watermelon berries, and Rose hips. I also have a Cherry tree/bush and a new Blueberry bush. The Cherry tree is suppose to be a tree, but it looks more and more like a bush, such as a Chokecherry bush. It has a lot of flowers this year, so we will see.

On the Horizon – A Food Journey into Slovenia, Croatia and into Italy

This summer my husband Rich and I, along with my sister Marina (Chef Brancely), have the wonderful opportunity to go on a culinary arts adventure, or as our host Active Gourmet Holidays describes it, a “food journey” throughout Slovenia (our Grandfather’s homeland), the Istrian Peninsula of Croatia, Italy and back to Slovenia. We had this all set in 2020, but had to put it on hold due to the pandemic. Now we are able to resume our plans.

We will spend 9 days visiting family vineyards, orchards, small farms and kitchens for simple homemade dishes–like wild boar goulash and cold meats–kobasice and prosciutto, local specialities, while sourcing local produce, honey, wild asparagus and herbs.

We will visit cheesemakers, gourmet food shops for pastries and take part in cooking along with local chefs in making traditional dishes to these areas.

Our journey will take us into the woods to experience hunting for truffles with dogs that sniff them out and then to a country cottage to make pasta with the fresh truffles.

We will also have the opportunity to visit an artist colony with galleries and jewelry shops, a castle, medieval hill-towns, and seaside villages. I will garner all I can throughout this food journey to bring inspiration back to my home studio for my next big idea.

Local Events

– Alaska Biennial 2022 -2023

The Alaska Biennial has extended this years exhibit through Fall of 2023.

My monotype print Winter Glacier will continue to be a part of this show and can be seen throughout the summer season.

On view between now and October 16, 2023.

Please see info below, as well a link provided for more information.

Alaska Biennial 2022

November 4, 2022 through October 1, 2023 2022-2023

Alaska Biennial 2022 at the Anchorage MuseumContemporary artwork by Alaskan artists celebrating the meaning of “place.”

DailyAnchorage Museum 625 C Street Anchorage, Alaska 99501

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."  Albert Einstein

Until next time! Have a most wonderful summer!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions at my email: [email protected]

You may leave a comment in the space provided below, which is very much appreciated . Thank you for visiting Horton House Press Studio Insider.

October 10, 2022June 8, 2023

October 2022

From Rhonda at Horton House Press, Alaska

Art, Fear, Awe and Abundance

Please allow me to introduce you to something very new to this world and new to our home. Pépin and Talulla are baby Diamond Doves we brought home to Alaska all the way from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina after attending a Gathering of Artisans conference.

The names Pépin and Talulla came to me after learning about walking in creativity. I am celebrating living in awe and abundance, which became more real to me these past 30 years or so as I worked on numerous art projects.

I have learned to step out of the old and step into the new–to go forward and not backward–when it came to putting anything down onto blank paper, or making the first cut into expensive materials, fear had to leave.

To counter fear I have learned to not succumb to the thought of “lack,” which would have me believing there is not enough–to not allow fear to cause me to put materials before the making. There is abundance, and I will walk in awe and inspiration when making art.

A Journey into the Blue Ridge Mountains

Not very often do we Alaskans make our way to the lower 48 during our short summer months from June through August, but this year was an exception with travel credits for the art conference in August.

We had the fortunate experience to visit two thriving art communities with gallery and studio tours in the Blue Ridge Mountains and take a one-day stained glass workshop together, which we don’t usually do–Rich being more of a musician, mechanic and craftsman–not so much into the visual arts. So this was new territory for him, as well I hadn’t done stained glass since 1981.

Rich and Rhonda working on stained glass ornaments using pre-cut glass. “This Way” (left), by Rhonda and “That Way” (right) by Rich

Ashville’s River Arts District and the town of Leicester were filled with artists who shared their history and love of the land, along with their arts and crafts, demonstrations, studio work and gallery exhibitions.

From shared spaces in old red brick factories, renovated storefronts, community centers, farmlands and vineyards, as well private homes and generational family businesses we made our way to see all that was possible within two days.

Everything from fiber arts to wrought iron hooks, metal sculptures, enameled light switch covers, pictures, hand built ceramics, pottery and all that could be imagined were found for our muse and purchase.

Clockwise: Giant metal sculpture of a knight and local art; outdoor metal wall sculpture; a massive art store; a small slice of items in the art store; The River Arts District renovated building for artists; a fiber artist explains natural materials.

Clockwise: View of the Blue Ridge Mountains; home studio and gallery of a potter; wood burning potter’s kiln; view into the potter’s gallery; porcelain bowl by late 1960’s potter and iron oxide finished vase.

Clockwise: Grapes outlined the parking area at the vineyard; wrought iron artist market tent; broom maker putting the finishing stitches on our whisk broom; a room full of brooms made from “Corn-broom;” wrought iron Ginko leaf hook displayed with whisk broom.

Clockwise: View leaving the Vineyard; home studio of printmaker of enameled light switch covers; light switch cover in our home entryway; hand-built ceramist’s home studio entrance and studio.

The “Come to Leicester 17th Annual Artist Studio Tour, 2022” was only a third of the art community we met, but getting a glimpse of their life of artistic practice was awe-inspiring with exhibition of an abundance of skill and creativity.

My hope is to see studio tours as this in Alaska. I was inspired to buy several items shown above including the enameled light switch cover for our entryway. I am glad I bought these–they bring a smile to my face.

Recent Work Exploring Shapes and Lines

I like shapes and lines and enjoyed exploring them within a Wild Iris photo I took at Reflections Lake, one of our favorite places for walks.

These are monotype prints using water based ink and colored pencil. Monotype is a term used to describe a print taken from a one-time printing matrix–never to be repeated again (except in the ghost print–but still it is never the same). The second print is a ghost print, which is made from taking advantage of leftover ink on the printing matrix. It is always a nice surprise.

Photo-screen Ornament Making – A Gift for You

A few years ago I was one of ten award artists selected for ornament design and lesson plan for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, 2015. Alaska provided a Lutz Spruce tree from the Chugach National forest on the Kenai Peninsula.

These ornaments below, along with community members who participated in an ornament making workshop I taught in the first colonial school building at the Wasilla Museum, were sent to the U.S. CapitoI Building to decorate the National Christmas Tree and surrounding areas within and around of the Capitol Building.

I would like to acknowledge my dear artist-friend Melissa Hesselbach for showing me this process to create an ornament from one’s own photo.

I am including my “Illuminating My Life in the Great Land – Alaska Photo-screen Ornament” Lesson Plan with instructions to make your own ornament using your own photos. Enjoy for this coming season!

Photoscreen-Ornament-Lesson-Plan-2015-Horton-R-revised-20222 Download

Local Event – Alaska Biennial 2022

I am excited to share Winter Glacier has been selected to be in the Alaska Biennial 2022 exhibition at the Anchorage Museum from November 4, 2022 through March 5, 2023. Please see info below, as well a link provided for more information.

Alaska Biennial 2022

November 4 through March 5, 2022-2023

Alaska Biennial 2022 at the Anchorage MuseumContemporary Artwork by Alaskan Artists celebrate the meaning of “place.”

DailyAnchorage Museum 625 C Street Anchorage, Alaska 99501

"Let us live in awe of the Lord our God... "
Jeremiah 5:24 NLT

Thank you and enjoy the season of harvest!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions at my email: [email protected]

You may leave a comment in the space provided below, which is very much appreciated . Thank you for visiting Horton House Press Studio Insider.

March 1, 2022June 22, 2022

March 2022

Welcome

to Horton House Press, Alaska— an artist’s home studio and a place where you will be sure to discover an exciting adventure into the world of fine art printmaking. Thank you for joining my newsletter—a studio insider! You will be first to see new work and hear about online workshops. I will give you a glimpse behind-the-scenes into processes and techniques in printmaking, papermaking, mixed-media, assemblage, upcoming shows, fun-facts, an artist’s life and more.

A little about me and my work

As a child I began to capture the world around me through drawing and photography. I involved myself with arts and crafts, sewing, music and poetry. As a self-taught artist, I worked on many art projects—from posters to murals, set designing & props, building floats, teaching and art administration. Responding to an invitation into the fascinating world of printmaking, I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art, University of Alaska, Anchorage, with studio emphasis in printmaking and drawing. I am a teaching artist on the Alaska State Teacher Artist Roster (STAR artist).