Block Printing - A Redo

 The last time I tried block printing I used a plastic knife on air-try clay, and it led to disastrous
results.  Now that I have the right tools, the prints came out a little clearer.  The recommended tools to use are Lino blocks and a Lino cutter.  You can find block printing kits at arts and craft stores. I drew Christmas patterns on top of the block print for Christmas cards.   ~ JM

Lino block and cutter.

Block print practicing.

Painted a tree on top of the block print design for a Christmas card.

Architecture: A Study (Part 2)

 I read the book "Between Silence and Light: Spirit in the Architecture of Louis I. Kahn" by Louis Kahn and John Lobell. 

 For Kahn, the study of architecture was the study of human beings, their highest aspirations and most profound truths.  To me, this book reads like poetry - it captures the spiritual ideas of architecture.  This includes themes of order, knowledge, joy, touch, sight, wonder, the unmeasurable and the measurable.

I explored the city and photographed buildings that I thought captured some of the themes of the book. ~JM

Joy | Wonder
National Academy of Science.  This building has rich Hellenic, Byzantine, and Egyptian architectural influences and touches of Art Deco. 

Order
Amazon's HQ2 states it used sustainable architecture and design. The two buildings are designed to integrate into the surrounding neighborhood while providing a sustainable environment for employees and the community.  

Touch
"Queen City" confronts the 1941 seizure of Black-own land by the federal government for the construction of the Pentagon.  There were 903 displaced residents of the Queen City neighborhood.  17 Black ceramists made 903 ceramic teardrop vessels that signify the displaced individuals. Queen City: The lost Black community swallowed up by The Pentagon

Knowledge
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization. This Midcentury Modern architecture was designed by Uruguayan architect Roman Fresnedo Siri. The building features a triangular site, a curved glass curtain-walled office tower, and a circular glass building housing the council chambers.  The building's design reflects the humanitarianism that dominates PAHO's endeavors.