Featured Artwork: Kelly’s Morning Bath

May 29, 2019June 3, 2019 Bernadette

"Kelly's Morning Bath II", linoleum block print on handmade rice paper, 4" x 11", 2015 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski — “Kelly’s Morning Bath II”, linoleum block print on handmade rice paper, 4″ x 11″, 2015 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

It’s coming around again to spring, and even the little bit of the lilac that’s left outside the big north window has sprouted leaves. The morning sun reminds me of years ago when that lilac was very small and I had an inspiration one morning watching Kelly at her bath in the sun by that window.

And I’m so excited that, now that I’ve had the chance to flip through envelopes of photos from the past decades, I finally found the actual reference photos I’d taken of Kelly at her bath one May morning in 1999. Up to now I’ve substituted with more recent photos of Kelly on the windowsill.

Watching Kelly bathe enthusiastically every morning in front of this window where the morning sun shines through the leaves at a wonderful angle, silhouetting her and the window itself, I visualized a finished work as a block print to capture the stark dark and light and later using various colored and patterned papers to capture the leafy essence outside the window.

You’re probably familiar with “The Roundest Eyes”, a block print inspired by Kelly. She also inspired another block print—the “Kelly’s Morning Bath” prints were the first feline pictorial block print I designed all the way back in 1998, even before The Tortie Girls duo of block prints in 2001.

Kelly bathed frequently and always had the habit of giving herself a complete bath every morning after breakfast in the sun on the table in front of the big casement window, which was then my studio, her every move full of purpose and industry. At some point in the bath sequence, she would pause and look at me, having been so engrossed in her bath she’d forgotten I was there, one of the habits she maintained from her early life as a frightened stray kitty. I couldn’t decide which of Kelly’s positions was the one I wanted to capture so I decided a print with multiple frames would work best and liked it even better than the original single frame, capturing the process of the bath. I caught a number photos of Kelly in the act, though I still needed some more so I pieced the idea together with photos of the window and Kelly in various bath positions.

Kelly's Morning Bath reference, panel 2, with additions. — Kelly’s Morning Bath reference, panel 2, with additions.

Once I decided on the three frames I wanted to use I placed them in various orders, but there was only one sequence that I liked best. Here is my first design for Kelly’s Morning Bath.

Above was my initial idea, capturing only the essential parts of the scene. It was just what I’d been visualizing but it looked a little stark. So I designed and cut one with a more decorative border, added more of the window and eliminated the shading across the middle keeping it stark black and white, and I liked that design too!

How I created the layouts

I chose two of the photos above with Kelly in various bath positions. Below are how the reference photos compare with the finished designs.

I traced her out of each photo, sketched a good outline and then filled in the areas that would be dark according to the light and shadow in the photo. Of course, I had to add some bath activity so I added the paw in frame one. You’ll see below I used another of the reference photos to create a bath position but changed my mind on it because it was too similar to the second panel. To create that third panel I sketched Kelly in action later, when I started designing. Then I also sketched out the window and refined it in Photoshop.

Once I decided on the three images I wanted to use I sketched her on tracing paper, drawing in the window behind her. You can see in the sketches below I had the window closed at first, but decided I wanted that summery feeling of having the window open, plus the visual interest. I also initially had an extra option for position after I’d worked out the three above and played around with that one.

My sketches of the windows and setting once I had the postures finished.

This part of it was so exciting, getting down to the details. I had the idea in my head as I always do, but it’s working out the details that is really the part that makes a piece of artwork speak, like touching up a poem so that every single word contributes to the final piece and makes it whole.

I placed them in various orders, but there was only one sequence that I liked best, the one where Kelly stops to look up at me in the middle. From here I worked out the layouts on my computer, in my graphic design program where I could step and repeat and resize things so easily. I wanted to determine the exact size of each panel, and where Kelly would be placed within it. Should I focus on her, or capture the feel of it by showing more background? Should I change the light and dark areas to make sure you could see Kelly’s silhouette against the background? I had envisioned it with a border and had several versions of square borders with multiple lines to try them out, then I decided I wanted a simple border that was less complicated and let the focus be on the images themselves, and didn’t touch the design because I felt that muddied it, made it too dark, and this both framed and isolated it. After all, cutting a linoleum block is permanent, no hitting “undo” and making changes, or going into Photoshop to touch it up. Best to work out all those details before you spend the time.

Kelly's Morning Bath layouts on my computer. — Kelly’s Morning Bath layouts on my computer.

Kelly's Morning Bath final layouts. — Kelly’s Morning Bath final layouts.

In the end I went with the smallest design, focused on Kelly, and no border at all. I also added scoring lines in the mid background to temper that heavy shadow so that you could see more of Kelly’s shape. Here is my first design for Kelly’s Morning Bath.

Above was my initial idea, capturing only the essential parts of the scene. It was just what I’d been visualizing but it looked a little stark. So I designed and cut one with a more decorative wavy line border, added more of the window and eliminated the shading across the middle keeping it stark black and white, and I liked that design too!

I couldn’t decide which one I liked better so I decided to use them both. They officially became Kelly’s Morning Bath 1 and 2.

Printing these two designs on unique papers wasn’t part of the design plan because I love block prints on snowy white rice paper, but when I began finding handmade rice papers with leaves and flowers embedded I knew I’d found some exciting choices.

Years after the first prints I began printing the design, or individual frames, on gift bags and tote bags and other things (and soon I’ll be making tiles too). I’ve come to use version 1 as a framed and matted print because it has just the essential image and the mat gives it an edge so it doesn’t look so stark, and version 2 as an imprint because it has the decorative border, but both look equally good in a mat and frame.

These prints now capture the memory of sunny mornings as this window in my house faces the side where the cherry tree fell last year, where my lilac and a number of trees filtered the sun, speckling the table with splashes of sun and shadow. They are printed on rice papers with leaves and flower petals imprinted, handmade, fair trade, eco-sensitive paper (could it be any better?) in a dozen varieties of prints with a white or a cream background, and shades of green, rose and rust for spring, summer and fall.

Some samples of the prints on my most recent find in rice papers. Kelly’s Morning Bath I:

Kelly’s Morning Bath II :

About Block Printing

Block printing is a technique wherein the artist carves the surface of a piece of linoleum, leaving raised areas which will become the image. Ink is rolled onto these raised areas, then a piece of paper is pressed against the block and when it’s lifted away the ink remains, leaving the image on the paper. Because of this process, each print is slightly different and therefore unique. Kelly was indeed on my work table to supervise the printing of this block print inspired by her daily morning bath in front of our favorite window. You can see a little demonstration of block printing in this post about my hand-printed Valentines.

Since I’ve been printing them on gift bags and tote bags and other things, I’ve come to use version 1 as a framed and matted print because it has just the essential image and the mat gives it an edge so it doesn’t look so stark, and version 2 as an imprint because it has the decorative border, but both look equally good in a mat and frame.

Order a print of “Kelly’s Morning Bath”

You can order prints alone, a matted print, or a matted and framed print as you can see below in the list under “Options for ordering”. The frames are the same on all prints, a matte-finish flat black.

After that you decide whether you want Kelly’s Morning Bath I, without the border, or II, with the border.

Below that you’ll see a gallery of prints with numbers so that you can even choose the paper you want. The colors in the paper determine the mat that goes with it.

Options for ordering:

A. Framed, double matted print, either design, 7″ x 14″, $55.00
B. Double matted print, either design 7″ x 14″, $45.00
C. Print only, either design, $35.00

Choose your design

Choose from either Kelly’s Morning Bath I, without the border, or II, with the border.

Choose your print

Choose the number of the print from the galleries below.

Kelly’s Morning Bath I choices:

Kelly’s Morning Bath II choices:

Choose your framing

Style of frame and tones of mat may vary, but the frame will always be plain matte black and the mats will always be in either pink/green or tan/green to coordinate with the print.

Order your print

About Block Printing

You can also find these Kelly’s Morning Bath prints and other feline linoleum block prints on Portraits of Animals.

Marketplace

tortoiseshell cat drinking water with watercolors — No project can begin until someone tastes the paint water.

No project can begin until someone tastes the paint water.

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Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.