Beth Curtin's New Lino Prints

Boy Playing in Puddles

It is a gray and rainy day, and a boy wanders dreamily through the puddles. The rain is pouring and playing a staccato tune on his umbrella. Big drips fall off the edges of the umbrella. He watches the ripples and splashes the rain and his boots make. He looks at the shadows and the reflections in the water. It is a rainy day, a peaceful, quiet, beautiful rainy day.


Girl Making a Fairy House

When you are making something and using your imagination, things can be any way you want. You are the architect and designer of your fairy house. You are the builder. Then you are the homemaker, creating cozy places to eat and sleep, places to store water and food, places to play and be together with the fairy family. You are the artist, decorating your house with feathers, acorns, sticks, flowers, nuts, leaves. And then, you are all the people who live in your little house: each fairy, each fairy's voice. So you are an actor. And you make up stories. So then you become the playwright or novelist. You can make your own little world. Just you!


I love to watch children play, and for the past six months or so, I have taken many pictures of children playing. Sometimes I am taking pictures for acorn pies, and some of these lino prints will be recognizable if you have been following my blog. At other times I am adding to a large collection of photos as references for a new direction in my art. Drawing children at play brings together my fascination with children's games and imagination and my portrait work.

I also want to create some art which is more accessibly priced. Most of the art in my studio takes months to draw. When we have open studio in my building, I want the average person to be able to take some of my art home with them if they want. I have also been wanting to make some art which would be affordable enough to decorate children's rooms.

But I also want each of my pieces to have my hand in it. Each of the pictures is printed by hand from a hand-carved lino block, and hand-colored with watercolor. For this reason, each one is a bit unique and there will some variability between them. You can see them on etsy soon.

Copyright 2009 Beth Curtin. Please help me protect my art. Do not copy.