My newest linoleum block print is of an airplane window seat view at dusk. It's printed with Schmincke Aqua Linoprint Ink on 250 gsm Stonehenge paper. I was playing with that feeling of flying over a city and looking out at the sprawling, lit up urban landscape below.

I remember that great 1990's Liz Phair song, "Stratford-On-Guy," which starts off with the lyrics, "I was flying into Chicago at night...." That song's video on YouTube is definitely worth a watch. And, for a deep dive into that track, check out PopMatters' take on it.

Here's a little video I made while printing the final layer on my small press, which is a Blick Econo Etch Model II Press. The linocut is part of a series of airplane window view artworks and is now available in my Etsy shop. If you have any questions about how my prints are made, please feel free to email me!

Printing an airplane window view linocut on an Econo Etch Model II Etching Press

I spend a lot of time listening to music and podcasts during the week while I'm working. Many of the podcasts are related to travel (and airports, when I can find them). A great travel podcast is one that allows me to feel connected to travel - feeding my wanderlust between trips. Often this is while I'm deep in an art project or just daily family life.

The two best all-around travel podcasts, in my opinion, are Zero To Travel and Extra Pack of Peanuts. I've been a fan of their shows for a few years and they continue to put out great, engaging episodes.

Zero To Travel

Jason, host of Zero To Travel, is clearly passionate about travel and it comes through in his show. He does wonderful interviews with international travelers and shares a lot of useful tips along the way. He also talks about digital nomadism and location independence and, together with Travis of Extra Pack of Peanuts, runs Location Indie. The show covers a wide range of topics, from trekking episodes to quitting your job and affording to travel. Along the way, he introduces us to a passionate community of travelers.

Extra Pack of Peanuts

Travis interviews travelers, creative folks, and entrepreneurs on Extra Pack of Peanuts, but also does "Best of..." shows and destination specific episodes. Do yourself a favor and check out some of his old shows where he talks to adventurers who accomplished some amazing feats...like the two-part Dave Cornthwaite series, for instance. Want to start an adventure travel company or open a hostel, well Travis has interviewed people who have done just that.

Dots, Lines & Destinations

Dots, Lines & Destinations is a travel podcast with a small group of hosts that talk a lot about airline and airport news but also give some time to destinations (like the country of Georgia recently). One thing I like about it is that they include international travel - routes, airlines, tourism and airports. It's a fun, and hard to find, mix of aviation business and travel.

The Dirtbag Diaries

For those interested in adventure and the outdoors, I highly, highly recommend The Dirtbag Diaries. This professionally produced show features stories, mostly set in the US, focused around rock climbing, camping, kayaking, hiking, vanlife, and other outdoorsy topics. You get some really great storytelling on this podcast.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

One specific airport podcast episode I'd really recommend is To The Best Of Our Knowledge's show on Airports that they did a while back. Alain de Botton, author of A Week at the Airport, and Christopher Schaberg, who wrote The Textual Life of Airports, were amongst the guests on that show.

The Terminal and The Travelers

Finally, I have a couple recommendations for podcasts that seem to be either on hiatus or stopped altogether. The short-lived aviation podcast, The Terminal, centered on airport management and it might be worth going through the archives to see if a subject catches your eye. And, the stellar podcast, The Travelers, has an interview-based format and I'm always in a great headspace after listening to it. Alas, it only comes out with new episodes sporadically these days.

I've got a long history of exploring airplane window views in my art, as no surprise to many of you. For instance, I use this aerial view from a plane window linocut a lot online for marketing purposes and it was also used as a book cover. I did a black and white airplane window seat print, too.

I always try to snap some photos from the window seat as references pictures, though, these days, I'm often sitting in the middle and leaning over my son or daughter who are enthralled with something else. Here are a few photos of the sky, land patterns, clouds and airplane wings that I used for my newest art project.

Some references photos for my new airplane window seat print

I wanted to do something a little different with this new print, allowing for more spontaneity and experimenting. First, I did some simple illustrations to play with compositions and colors. I came up with a rough plan and used masking tape to block off areas of a linoleum block while inking the plate for the background sky. I printed several different layers on top of each other. A separate lino block was used for the black layer. Here's a shot from Instagram that helps illustrate the process.

Airplane Window View Linocut Work in Progress

Since I peeled off the tape before printing, I can't print an edition of identical prints but I used some of the lighter ghost prints that I got from the same block. As a result, no two prints are exactly the same.

These are two early versions that I printed on my Blick Econo Etch Model II Press and I'm continuing this series of window seat prints. The new linocut prints are available in my Etsy shop where I have numerous travel and airport prints for sale. 

Two versions of the new airplane window view print. Printed on my Blick Econo Etch Model II Press.

Square Throw Pillows and Covers on Society6

I have a lot of new linocut-based designs featured on decorative throw pillows on Society6. Here's a photo of some of the square throw pillows I currently have on offer.

They include mountain landscapes and Bay Area icons such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the old Bay Bridge, which connected Oakland and San Francisco before the new span was built. I also have some airport code throw pillows, a camping one, Yosemite and Lake Tahoe designs, and a popular abstract woodcut pattern.

The square throw pillows come in various sizes and you can choose between a pillow cover or one with a pillow insert. And, if you didn't know, I have a Boarding All Rows Pinterest page where I've pinned many of my linocut designs.

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Some of you might remember the linocut print of Northern California's Mt Tamalpais I did a few years ago. Mt. Tam, as it's usually referred to locally, is a classic San Francisco Bay Area hiking spot. It has one of the best day hikes around called the Dipsea - Steep Ravine - Matt Davis Loop Trail, which can include a stop at Stinson Beach.

I'm thrilled to say that this Mt. Tam design is now available on t-shirts, tote bags, iPhone and Galaxy phone cases, pillows, stationary cards for gifts or friends, and other items through Society6.

Mt. Tam Stationary Cards

Mt. Tamalpais Tote Bag from Society6

Mt. Tam T-Shirt (also in v-necks, long-sleeve shirts and women's tees)

Mt. Tamaplais Throw Pillow from Society6

Society6 Phone Case Featuring Mt. Tam

Last year, the publisher Uitgeverij Van Oorschot approached me about using one of my aviation-themed linocut prints as the cover illustration for a new book project. It's for their Dutch translation of the Antoine de Saint-Exupery book titled, "Pilote de Guerre" ("Oorlogsvlieger" in Dutch). You might know the French author (and aviator) from his classic book, "The Little Prince."

They chose my block print, "On the Way" for their book cover design. The print is made from three hand-carved linoleum blocks. In the photo below, I'm preparing to print the final block with the airplane wing and engine.

Airplane linocut print used for the book cover

Here's how the publisher used my print in their book cover design. I'm absolutely thrilled to have played a small part in this exciting project!

Nu verkrijgbaar! Oorlogsvlieger van Antoine de Saint-Exupéry #oorlogsvlieger #antoinedesaintexupéry

A post shared by Uitgeverij Van Oorschot (@uitgeverijvanoorschot) on Nov 24, 2016 at 2:41am PST