woodblock print set

Living things, from the desert: the finished set. Woodblock print made using the traditional Japanese method, that is, watercolour inks (no toxic chemicals), hand pressed with a baren, and printed on lovely textured Japanese paper.

pinks amongst the living

I've been printing. My hands, especially my knuckles get sore when I do too much. It comes from placing to much pressure on that part of my hand when I use the baren. Last time I printed my knuckles actually bled and where painful for more than a week after :(
I'm experimenting with dusky pinks amongst the pale grey of 'living things' which is what these watercolour washes are about.
I love how the wood, as it ages with use, gets really smooth. Like an old river pebble or driftwood at the beach. So tactile and lovely.

fragments

I really like fragmented artwork, especially prints. And when they're framed well they can look amazing. I've had my 'living things' set (I have 2 different ones actually) for a while but this one above is new. I sold one like it recently so have made another, but each one I make is unique in the design or combination of pieces in the set. Nature is both strong and brittle, whole and fragmented and that's what I was trying to capture with this Japanese style woodblock print. This kind of print looks best when float mounted during framing. This means the pieces are lifted off the back of the matt so they appear to float in the frame. And for this particular print, float mounting emphasizes the fragility of the subject matter in a really nice way.