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The Nicest Comment Ever
What’s a Gallinero? And why would you want to stay there?
Cathy Naro and her husband, Mike, were here for two weeks last month and when they got home Cathy wrote a comment on Maureen’s Printmaking Courses in Spain blog which was the sweetest thing anybody ever wrote about Maureen and her workshops. Let’s share it here:
To any painters and writers, as well as print-makers – if you are considering a creative holiday at Maureen and Mike’s, DON’T HESITATE! After a 2 week stay last summer, I brought my husband back with me this April, and he couldn’t believe I didn’t rave about the experience more (actually I did, but seeing is believing!) Both Maureen’s light filled studio and the workspace in El Gallinero are perfect for inspiration and production. Maureen is an inventive, creative, supportive teacher and, in short, is my favorite art collaborator (I miss you already!) Yet it’s not all about the work, there are buses to transport one to Granada or the mountains, there’s the full moon over the uninhabited mountain view from the terrace, and there’s a sleepy little village a 5 minute walk away. A favorite last memory is a long (4 hour!) lunch in the sun there by the river… Come for a stay with your projects, your music, and your ideas and you will be glad you did. Best, Cathy and Mike Naro, Chicago, IL
So, our thanks to Cathy Naro, lover of the siesta, the salt-water spa and the four-hour lunch!
Regime Change in the Cypresses
What’s a Gallinero? And why would you want to stay there?
Spring Again, Already?
Granada’s inspiring springtime is here again. It always takes us by surprise, first with the almond blossoms then in quick succession the Chinese quince and loquat flowers and then the songbirds returning from Africa to nest in our fruit and cypress trees.
Politics in the Cypresses
There’s been a regime change in the cypresses this year. After years of grudging coexistence between the plump wild pigeons and the predatory magpies, the former got tired of defending their eggs and their chicks from the latter and have nested somewhere else. The nests of the pigeons have been taken over by pairs of smaller, apparently more docile birds. We always think of doves as pacifists but that turns out to be a myth. They defend their nests tenaciously and are keeping the larger, more truculent magpies nicely at bay.
Other birds are appearing, as well: blackbirds, European robins, big streamlined black-and-gold orioles, friendly songful finches, wrens and the magnificent (though very plain Jane in appearance) nightingales that nest in the willows down along the river. It only takes two rival nightingale males to form a glorious all-night singing contest which is directed at The Gallinero, and in stereo.
Is My Husband Clever or a Lunatic?
What’s a Gallinero? And why would you want to stay there?
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Or Both? Which is Most Likely the Case
Mike has made me another blog. It’s called Maureen’s Printmaking Videos and you can see it here: http://maureensprintmakingvideos.com. “But I already have a blog for my videos,” I protest. “No matter,” he says, “you can never have too many.” He always says that. To him websites, blogs and social networking sites are like store fronts; the more you have the more doors are open where clients can walk in. “Besides,” he says, “I discovered a new WordPress theme (Sundance) which is specially designed for displaying videos and it has some cute little buttons.”
The Cute Little Buttons in question: 
So, your guess is as good as mine. Why has he created me yet another blog? Is he an Internet-strategy genius? Or was it the cute little buttons?
The Story of This Print: El Último Día/The Last Day
The last day of waiting for Reyes
This is a very simple little print but I’m fond of it, perhaps because it’s based on a sketched portrait of my dear friend, Reyes Hernández, perhaps because it came back to life after 35 years. I did the sketch in 1975. Reyes was visiting me at home. She was nine months’ pregnant, and found herself uncomfortable sitting at the kitchen table where we were drinking tea, so she stood up and walked into the dining room where the window light illuminated her gently. “Don’t move,” I said, and went running for a sketchbook. Reyes gave birth to her first son, Raúl, the following day. And then that sketch lay dormant for more than three decades.
A couple of years ago I was flipping through the drawings in a drawer in my studio when I came across the Reyes sketch and decided to make a small edition of solar prints of it so I could give her one. In the end I added some dry point to give it a bit of texture. The color is a mix of magenta and primrose yellow, with a touch of black.
The Story of This Print: “El Patio del Harem”
What’s a Gallinero? And why would you want to stay there?
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Back at the Alhambra
I’ve started on a series of medium-sized liquid-metal prints on Alhambra themes. Granada’s medieval fortress and palace has been for centuries a source of inspiration for artists, writers and photographers, so much so that today it’s difficult to get an original take on it. This time I’m relying on the inherent looseness of the liquid-metal technique to try to achieve Alhambra images with some originality.
I had one of those wonderful printmaking experiences at the beginning of this project. The first proofs I pulled from the first plate, El Patio del Harem, looked frankly great and I thought, “This is it, I’ll print up an edition.” But before I could start, I took a close look at one of the plates from which I had just pulled a proof. In the ink residue left on the plate I could still see beautiful detail. So I rubbed a light layer of yellow ink into it, rolled some fresh silver ink on top and put it back through the press, making a “ghost print.” I was shocked to see how superior the ghost was to the live one. I have placed the original print at the top of this post, the ghost below. See if you don’t agree with me.
This print was done with liquid metal on an old, previously-etched copper plate, a still life with fruit. I put the cold solder on with a palette knife and when it was still quite sticky I drew into it with a stylus. I didn’t press any texture elements into it until about an hour and a half later. I left it overnight to harden and printed it on 600 gr. handmade paper. The ghost print was printed on 375 gr. Paperki handmade paper. I like this one better.
Have a Look at Our Village, Pinos Genil (Granada)
What’s a Gallinero? And why would you want to stay there?
An Album of Snapshots
These snapshots from the past few years should give you an idea of what our village and its environs are like.
Chicago Girlz Set New Production Benchmarks for Work in Maureen’s Studio
The Chicago Girlz (our affectionate nickname), an extraordinary trio of printmakers made up of Deborah Lader, founder and director of The Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, her mother Carol Lader and Carol’s sister (Deborah’s aunt) Janet Imerman, have set new benchmarks for printmaking zeal in my studio. These remarkable young people stepped off the Chicago-Granada flight (Janet was actually coming straight through from Los Angeles) at midday last Monday, put down their bags in the Gallinero, rested for a whole hour and then proceeded to my studio to begin making prints. And that was the pace they maintained for the rest of the week, till we put them on the bus to Madrid this morning. I never saw such printmaking joy and fervor. Most nights they were in the studio until past midnight. It was a challenge to keep up with them.
They had never done solar-plate prints before, and were anxious to immerse themselves in the techniques and get a grip on them once and for all. This was particularly true for Deborah, who wanted to determine whether solar plate was something she should be offering in her Chicago Printmakers Collaborative open studio at home. She concluded that it was. Read more…
Maureen Featured in California Society of Printmakers Newsletter
Barbara Milman, an ex president of the California Society of Printmakers was here recently making solarplate prints with Maureen in the studio. When she got back home she published this report on the society’s newsletter. Thank you Barbara, for the plug! Here’s the link: http://caprintmakers.wordpress.com/
Barbara Milman Leaves Today
Granada, April 29, 2011–It’s 9:00 a.m. and we’ve just finished signing the last of her prints. She and I are both delighted with what she’s achieved over the past week. Barbara, a longtime resident of the San Francisco area–and ex-president of the California Society of Printmakers–had never done any solar-plate printmaking before, but it didn’t take her long to see the light.
An exceptionally focused artist–“I came here to make prints, not to do tourism.”–Barbara dedicated the first couple of days to mastering the basics. Then on the third day she produced an exceptionally lovely solar print, then another, then a whole series of them.
We’re going to miss her as, besides being a fine artist, she’s good people with interesting ideas and charming conversation. I’m including here an album of photographs which Mike made during Barbara’s stay in the Gallinero.
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"El Gallinero"--An Artists' & Writers' Refuge in Granada 