A few weeks ago, I pulled out my last sheet of Arches hot press, my gelli plate, and some cardstock with which to make some new-temporary stencils.

My fundamental way of creating and composing gelli prints has changed; they're no longer layers of full-plate stencils, but pieces of art in and of themselves, another way to paint & and express myself. I was chatting with a friend about this idea, of taking gelli printing to another level, going further with them. Creating fine art, not just fun layers and papers to cut up for collage. It's so enjoyable, so fun to see what you can put together, once you get a composition going!

Landscapes began to emerge as I worked, layering paint and shape and color. I found myself exploring the desert under the many phases of the moon, the shapes of mountains in the distance, the deep red of sand across miles of open land. I explored shapes being repeated and what they could mean.

And all those weeks ago, I used vinyl letters to print words on my prints.

Here are my creations. They're on all different sizes of papers. They have reflections and underground layers and long views and leaves and the moon. Mostly, the moon. I hope they inspire you to begin painting with your gelli plate. I think I'll be taking a couple of these and giving them magical, animal-human beings to live in them. How fun does that sound?