Fox
in the Dunes. 12. 5 x 16. 5 on 18 x 24 paper. Edition :15. Five
colors. $100.
Fox
in the Dunes. 12. 5 x 16. 5 on 18 x 24 paper. Edition :15. Five
colors. $100.
Thanks to the digital camera, I have been more successful recently than I was in the past in being able to give reasonably good representations of my prints on the computer. Some of the earlier images were scanned, however, and since I have never been right up to speed on computer technology, some distortion is inevitable.
If you feel you have been cheated and tricked by the way these things look on the screen compared to the actual thing, however--no problem. Return it in good condition, and I’ll refund your money.
Ordering info.: Speaking of which: I am not geared up for on line or credit card purchases, so payment will have to be by your check, sent to me at 27 Stockwell Rd., Hadley, MA 01035. You can contact me in advance, however, at robert.abel@the-spa.com .
NEW--you can now view my prints by subject rather than by the chronological list below. Start with CATALOG and negotiate from there. (Why didn't I think of this before?)
A note on my techniques: years ago I gave up silkscreening (serigraphy some call it--to me an ugly sounding word) because I didn’t like the chemistry of it. I am doing it again because I have found there are some environmentally friendly materials to work with. I use simple water based inks, and for the most part paper mats or stencils. One limitation of paper mats is that I never make very large editions--15 prints is common, sometimes more, sometimes less if something drastic happens along the way. I also feel free to experiment and learn as I print so that sometimes even within the same edition, some of the prints will look different from the others. Printing may be a mechanical process, but I am not a machine. In recent years I have learned how to make some fairly large prints, and to print one color over another with intriguing results--a little less flatness in the shapes, even some texture. I make my own screens, cut my own mats, mix my own paints, pull my own prints, etc. I have no vacuum pumps, no photo lab, no assistants. (Want to volunteer?) The process is primitive, some would say; and I am probably a primitive, too. I hope the child in me never dies.
Another thing digital photgraphy has done is to pretty much obsolesce the need for a catalog. I'm aware that what I have on my web site here can be downloaded and even printed out. There is no substitute for the real thing, however, and not all of my prints are displayed online. For those who would like to view my prints in better detail, I'll be happy to send you a CD for $10. (robert.abel@the-spa.com)
Beach Buddies, edition of 30. Image is 8.5 x 12 on 11 x 17 stock. $30.
Friends Laughing, edition of 25 on 11 x 17 paper, $30.
Millenium Tiger, on blue or greem stock, celebrating the Year of the Tiger. $15.
Capt. Mike's Encounter with a Great White. Image is 11 x 15 on 15 x 22 paper, 7 colors, edition of 20, some better than others. $50
The Comeback Kid II. Companion piece to Comeback Kid (below). Image is 18 x 22 on 22 x 30 Paper, edition of 15. Six colors. $60. Buy both Comeback Kids for $100. (Side by side viw here.)
Contact: robert.abel@the-spa.com
Winter 2009:
Thank God for Darwin--my contribution to the culture wars, celebrating the scientist's 200th birthday. 13.5 x 17 on 18 x 24, 12 colors, edition of 17. $75.
The Comeback Kid--my version of a hovering osprey. 5 colors. Image is 18 x 23 on 22 x 30 paper. Edition of 15. $60. Pair with Comeback Kid II above--$100.
Morning Leap--this is the largest print I've ever made, even larger than "A Heron" (below). I built a special screen for it, too big to clean in my little studio, so I had to take it outdoors and use a hose between colors. The image is 2 x 3 feet on 30" x 40" 120 lb. stock, deckle-edged paper. Edition of 10. That's all I could handle! $120.
Contact: robert.abel@the-spa.com
Night Landing--image is 13. x 17 on 15 x 22 stock. 7 colors, edition of 14. Some brushwork was involved to shape this up. $30.
contact: robert.abel@the-spa.com
Comet Joy--Comet being a kind of goldfish apparently bred for its ballerina tail. This is a greeting card with matching envelope. 36 are 6 x 4 inches; another dozen are 8.5 x 5.5 inches. $2 each, 12 for $20. Other cards: Showoff (a blackbird); and dragonfly. Same prices. Any combination of 12, $20.
Double Play--image is 10 x 14 on 12 x 18 paper, edition of 15, 5 colors. $25. Baseball fans see also, Shot to Left (14 colors, 16 x 19 on 19 x 22 stock. $75.)
Poppies--11 x 14 (manila colored paper) and 11 x 17 (bright white paper), 5 colors, edition of 20. Craft Fair Special--$10.
Blackbirds--15 x 22 paper, image is 11 x 15 or so, nine colors, edition of 17. $25.
Contact: robert.abel@the-spa.com
Oystercathers--with their penny whistle beaks and white suspenders. Two versions of this print. Oystercatchers at Nauset, 7 colors, image is 16 x 10 on 18 x 12 paper, edition of 24, $35; and a simpler version, Oystercatchers, on 19 x 14 gray stock, edition of 8, $25.
The Upside Down Girls--wonderful grand daughters on a swing set, showing off that great girl power they have. Image is 18 x 15 on 22 x 19 and some on larger stock as well. Edition of 20, but 15 remain. $75.
Contact: robert.abel@the-spa.com
The Real Emily Dickinson--here she is, running from a storm, through the buttercups, in her bloomers, with a basket of wild strawberries and her real friends at hand. Image is 15 x 13 on 24 x 18 paper, 11 colors, edition of 21. $75.
Dragonfly II--a greeting card, 51/2 x 8, 5 colors, edition of 50 on white stock; another dozen 4 x 5 on textured brown stock. The former $2 ea., the later $1.50.
Fat Fluttering Bluebird--a dozen kites, 22 x 14 with blue ribbon tails, whch so far I have not been able to fly, so until I become a better aeronautics engineer, these are strictly for decoration. Any advice on getting them airborne will be appreciated. 3 colors. $20.
A Leap--a sperm whale breaches at sunrise or sunset. 11 x 17 on 18 x 24 paper. 8 colors, edition of 15. $45. The Leap--very simplified version of same, black and white, on 11 x 14 paper, with a small Chinese chop mark, edition of 8. $15.
Solstice Dance--image is 11x17 on 18x24 stock. 8 colors. Just in time for spring, but obviously far removed from New England. Don't view this if you have issues with portrayals of nudes. $75. Contact: robert.abel@the-spa.com.
Atlantic Whiteside Dolphins with Terns--14 x 17 image on 18 x 24 paper, 8 colors. $60. The Atlantic Whiteside Dolphin is a shy cousin to the more well known Bottlenose, and in my view a much more beautiful animal.
Contact: robert.abel@the-spa.com
The image is 23 x 26 on various sizes of paper, the best being 30 x 42, which can be trimmed (one only, $150); 8 on excellent quality paper ($120); 4 on good quality book paper ($90); and 6 on 25 x 30 china finish, antique paper which I found at a barn sale, and which I have reinforced by gluing them to a good quality barrier paper ($75). This is the biggest image I have ever essayed.
After Wrecking the Country and Inflaming the World, The Beknighted One Ascends to Glory in the Rapture--will give the impression I am fed up with evangelical activist politicians. This is 15.5" x 21" on 18" x 24" paper ($60); on 19" x 25" textured gray stock ($75); and 3 only on 22" x 30" cotton rag stock with two deckled edges ($100), total edition of 25. The end is near!
The Drum and the Dance--something to liven up gray days. I think this one has a "poster art" feel to it. The image is 12.5 x 16.5", in an edition of 20. Ten of these are on 14 x 22" poster stock; ten are on 18 x 24" 90 weight paper. 13 colors. $40.
Mr. Pheasant--this may be the Year of the Rooster, but after just a little looking around, I realized there are probably a gabillion images of chickens and Roosters in particular, and none done so well as by Chinese artists. (Here's my current favorite by Hu Lingling, "Chickens Playing.") So I opted for a wilder bird. The pheasant image here is 17 x 13" mainly on 18 x 24" paper, with 5 on 19 x 25" paper, and 3 on poster stock. Edition of 20. $50.
Down the Deerfield: Rainbow Pool--Flyfishing on the Deerfield River one beautiful morning, I saw two old fellows glide by in a green canoe. Both were wearing big yellow straw hats. Wonderful sight. Tried to capture some of that spirit. Just in time for the Big Brother/Big Sister arts and craft fair, July 10, Amherst Common. Image is 13 x 16 3/4 on 18 x 24 paper. 9 colors, edition of 20. $50. If anyone can tell me who the fellows were I saw on the river that morning, I'd like to send them a print.
Pond Koi: Summer Rain--a variation on a previously popular print, two koi fish sporting in rain-dappled water. The image is 16 x 12 on 15 x 20 Stonehenge paper. 8 colors, edition of 15. $40.
Big bad bluefish on poster board, 22 x 28 with little margin. Ink is very thick. Two versions: one with a yellow band on top, one without. Both are pictured here. $40.
Green Tea--2004. A sunny window and some hot green tea. 10 colors. Edition of 12. 13 x 17 on 19 x 22.5 paper. $75.
In some flower shop of the mind, maybe? Image is 12 x 15 on 14 x 17 paper. $35.
Contact: robert.abel@the-spa.com
Old Peppermint--The Famous Leaning Lighthouse of Old Cape Cod--Day View/Night View. Visiting some Cape Cod galleries with friends this summer, I was told I should "do lighthouses." Lighthouses "are flying off the walls," one gallery owner said. I noted the prices of some of these watercolors, nicely framed and matted, and technically well done, to be sure: $975 at a shop in Orleans; $750 at a gallery in Edgartown; $350 or so for a Giclee print (edition of 300) elsewhere. One view I saw often was that of the Stage Harbor Lighthouse. Since I have fished the Stage Harbor channel many times, I know the lighthouse there up close and personal. Mainly, it has been abandoned, and the lighthouse section itself, the top of the tower, is gone--long gone. But all the views of that lighthouse rather coyly replaced that section. Ponder that. What are people buying when they buy a painting or print of a lighthouse "restored" by the artist? Perhaps an idea of Old Cape Cod which no longer really exists? Cape Cod nostalgia? A hoax? Personally I think Cape Cod has been overmarketed to the point that it is almost impossible to find what it is that people want to find, and are promised they will find, when they visit. There must be something at the end of those traffic jams. It is in the spirit of these reflections that "Old Peppermint" was created. Two views of the famous leaning lighthouse for the price of one! 22"x15" on paper with a nice weave; 3 on posterboard; edition of 15. 10 colors. A free print will be given to the person who supplies the most interesting explanation for why Old Peppermint leans the way it does. (robert.abel@the-spa.com) $75.
Dr. Gravity's Kite Shop--A jaunty little shop in Harwichport, MA caught my eye. In response to some requests for some smaller pieces, this is on 14 x 17 paper. Image size is 12.5 x 15; 11 colors; edition of 17. $60.
Dry Dock--This is a more formal "drawing" than I usually do, but who can resist boats? And I didn't want to fool too much with the dignity of these Ryder's Cove (Chatham, MA) working vessels up for repairs. I was lucky to find some really brilliant "oyster shell blue" paper for this print. The print is 18 x 13 on 22 x 16 stock. 9 colors. $75.
Getting Together--a kind of wild party. 14 colors and some hand work. The image is 14 x 17 on various sized papers, from poster board (22 x 30) and some very nice cream-colored paper, appropriate to the candle-light feeling (approx. 22 x 19) and some "bargain framer" sizes, 16 x 20. The smaller ones are $110; the larger ones $150.
Three Mackerel--12 x 14 on 14 x 17 paper, very stiff; five colors. My black mat broke apart after just 15, so that is the size of the edition. Boo hoo! $50.
Attack of the Butterflies--don't ask me where this one came from! Maybe it's a dream, maybe a parody of those epic paintings in which Adam and Eve are driven out of Eden. Don't look if you don't have a sense of humor. 16 x 13 on 24 x 19 paper. Eight colors. Edition of 20. $40.
For some reason, I find myself obsessed by owls this season. Here are two: The Moon in the Owl's Eye, just four colors and 9 x 11 on 11 x 14 paper, edition of 17. $20. And Barred Owl at the Quabbin, 12 colors, 12 x 15 on 15 x 22 paper, edition of 17. Editions of 17? you ask. Well, the world is full of little accidents, especially when you are trying to print in a comparatively confined space. $35. To order: robert.abel@the-spa.com.
The Hikers--a portrait of good friends, the scene here a lookout in Acadia National Park, Maine. Image is 13.5 x 16.5 on 19 x 22 paper (or larger, in some cases). 12 colors, edition of 15. $100.
Shot to Left--a baseball fantasy. 14 colors. 16 x 19 image on very nice 19 x 22 paper. Edition of 20. $75.
Suits and Ties Talk War--this is the first time I've done anything visual that might be called "political." I wish we were as good at negotiating as we seem to be at bombing. 10 x 14.5 on 14 x 17 paper, edition of 15; and five others on colored or special paper. The image as reproduced does not show that the suits are an eerie blue. Make a donation to the peace organization of your choice and I will send you one for the price of shipping, approximately $10.
A Boy and His Cat--Based on the memory of a pleasant summer day in the late 70s when my son, Charles, climbed up on a fence and chatted with my wife and me as we worked in our tiny vegetable/flower garden. Chuck's cat, Tuesday, joined in and actually had quite a lot to say that morning--in a cat kind of way, of course. 12 x 16 image on 19 x 24 paper. Edition of 20. $100. robert.abel@the-spa.com
Cape Cod Keeper--winter dreams of the fishing season ahead. Nothing like a nice striped bass. 16 x 13 on 19 x 24 paper. Edition of 15. $120.
And Rush Into the Stream--"Throw off thy silken clothes/ And rush into the stream" Wm. Blake begged Summer. This is a frolic. Doesn't everybody try his/her hand at the old "bathers" theme? 8 x 15 on 12 x 19 paper. Edition of 18. $50.
The Tragic Waitresses at the Old Maverick Diner--Back in the 70s, the poets used to leave the bar at closing and drive out to a truckstop diner near the freeway called The Maverick (still extant). The poets, for reasons of their own and never corroborated by the women themselves, thought the waitresses "tragic." Wisely, the women kept their own counsel, and hence their mystery. Perhaps the only really tragic thing about them was that they were working the late night shift for minimum wage and tips. But the poets would have none of this. 13 x 10 on 17 x 14 paper. Edition of 15. $35.
Snow Peas and Lemons--This print scanned much darker than it is, I don't know why. Another waitress waiting, waiting, waiting . . . . 13.5 x 13.5 on 19 x 22 paper. Edition of 20. $40.
Laughing Gull--This is just a simple greeting card, blank inside, 5 x 5 and 4.5 x 5. $1 each; 12 for $10.
Firefighters, 9/11/01. On 19 x 23 paper, 14 x 17 (approx.) image. Proceeds from this print (edition of 25, 12 of which have been sold as of 5/5/05) will go to the Red Cross or Cornell Burn Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital, as you prefer. $100. Order: robert.abel@the-spa.com .
Oak Bluffs Umbrellas . New, as of August 29, after a visit to Martha's Vineyard and "The Inkwell," one of the country's most happily integrated beaches. Image is 18 x 14 on paper sized 26 x 20 (ribbed); 24 x 19 (textured); and 22 x 19 (smooth). 12 colors. Edition of 20. $150.
Cinderella Dressed in Yella Ran Upstairs and Kissed a Fella . Based on a visit to Miami where I saw my grand daughters and their neighborhood friends give meaning to the word "energy." Image is 12" x 14", 10 colors, on 15 x 20 and 14 x 17 paper. Edition of 20. $60. robert.abel@the-spa.com
Dragonfly --Two versions: an almost 5" by almost 7" card on fine cream-colored, decaled paper with matching envelope, $3 each or 10 for $25, edition of 50; and an 8" x 8.5" version on stiff yellow paper, edition of 30 at $5 each. My model was a "Common Whitetail." But I like Chinese name better: "Qing Ting."
From the archives: discovered this print while in a frenzy of reorganizing and trying to get ready for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters craft fair (Amherst, MA) in June. Woman with a Red Bow is probably 20 years old and was an experiment in using glazes. Six survived the learning process, and I have three left. Image is approximately 17" x 8" on 24" x 18" paper. $60.
From Winter 2000-2001:
We've had some sightings of eagles locally, which my son, Charles, has got some stunning photographs of. I tried my hand at eagles, too.
Eagles Over Hadley (1) and Eagles Over Hadley (2) --These are the same basic print but I started to add some pink into the sky about halfway through the run of 15, so the sky in the early numbers are bright blue and become increasingly pink as the run progresses. The photos here show the beginning and end stages. 17 x 22. $60. robert.abel@the-spa.com
Maybe because we had so much snow this winter, but also because I saw some stunning Hokusai prints with snowfall--so romantic!--I tried some snowfall prints of my own. (No match for Hokusai!) Eagle Falls Like Snow Falls Like Feathers and April Fools. Both prints are black, gray and white,12 x 18. $50.
Because a friend brought back from China some beautiful big sheets of rice paper, I did a series of drawings in ink (black, yellow, green, red), all of which resemble each other, five of them, 27 x 54. I titled them The Wall, one through five, and yes, each drawing has three women on it. $100.
A watercolor drawing: 
Manila Jitney, 14 x 17, $35.
A couple of drawings using colored pencil: a nude, Xing (14 x 17), $35; and a beach scene, Waterwar, 14 x 17, $50.
From Winter '99/Spring '00:
*Mom's Magic Laundry--Ten colors, based on a childhood memory. 11.5 x 17.5 image on 18 x 24 paper. Edition: 15. $150.
*Wilson's Petrels--dancing seabirds over a dark wave. 16 x 12 image on 15 x 20 paper. Edition: 20. $50.
*Great Gannet--soaring seabird over sunset/sunrise ocean. 16 x 12.5 image on 15 x 20 paper. Edition: 15. $75.
*Fishwish--nine gaudy fish, with some "silver" paint. The background changes from dark blue to marine green, six each. 11.75 x 17.5 on various sized papers, from 12 x 18 to 14 x 22. $30.
*Lines Out--a 16 page chapbook of poems and drawings on the subject of the open sea, silkscreened, one color on colored paper. 6 x 9 pages. Edition: 25. $10.
To order: robert.abel@the-spa.com
Single color prints:
*Night Train to Urumqi --one of a "lurid novel" series, sort of comic noir? Some calligraphy; in some prints the text changes; some are white paper, but some are on tinted charcoal paper for a second color effect--from pink to dark green to gray. 13 x 17 in. on 18 by 24 in. paper. $50 white paper, $75 tinted paper. Edition: 30.
*Old Pajamas--refers to striped bass. I put a litte red chop (Chinese stamp) mark on it because it has a little Asian feel to it, maybe. 11 x 16 on 14 x 17 paper. Edition: 24. On some I experimented with a marine green background. $30. If your computer shows the image with any splashes of color, that is the fault of my copying process and won't be found in the actual print.
*Crow--one of a series of prints on birds. Just a bum of a crow. About 14 x 16 on 18 x 24 paper. $15. Any color but black and white seen here is again the fault of my copier, except for a tiny red chop mark. Edition: 24.
To order: robert.abel@the-spa.com
Multicolor prints:
*Dancing Fools--12.5 x 16 on 18 x 24 paper. 7 colors. Edition: 20. $150.
*Beautiful Bluejay with a Rude Bluejay 'Tude--another in the bird series. Five colors. 10x12 inches on 14 x 17 paper. Edition of 20. $75.
*In the Garden--seven colors with some handwork for details. 10 x 15, some on 11 x 14 paper, some on 14 x 17. Edition: 20. $100.
*Hong Kong Strut--six colors. 10 x 13.5, on 14 x 17 paper. Edition: 20. $100.
*I Remember Beijing--five colors, very simple and stencil like. 10 x 8 on 12 x 18 paper. In fact, the image likes a lot of space around it. Edition: 10. $50.
*In the Stream--five colors, 13 x 16 on 14 x 17 paper. Edition: 15. $75.
*American Jam. This is a 12 color print, a tribute to the music I love. The image is 14 x 18 on 19 x 24 , 80 lb. watercolor paper, or slightly larger posterboard. $125.
robert.abel@the-spa.com
Drawings:
Big Face; Woman With A Smile; Why Do We Need Imaginary Lovers? All are on 18 by 24 paper, done with Chinese brush. $50 each.
Watercolors:
Mom's Wonderful Laundry--18 x 24, $75; Dave's Bangy Dory--11 x 14, $50.
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