Songs of the Right Whales

On December 5, there is a celebration at the Jacksonville Sea Pavilion; the North Atlantic Right Whales are returning! They are coming back to calve and enjoy the gentle North Florida coastline. These graceful creatures are intriguingly mysterious; looking into their eyes, as they appear on film, gives me the sense I am meeting them face to face, soul to soul. "Songs of the Right Whales," a block print, is my humble attempt to honor them.
So, if you are in the area, pop by in person! Or, if you are far away, check out www.rightwhalefestival.org
Have a great and festive week! ; )

Worn

I carved this 7 by 9 inch linocut outdoors yesterday. And still today, there are villages where every household parades beautiful, flowing washing lines. Here, where most of us have a choice (we have driers), perhaps beauty can be a trade off for the extra work. Have a great week! : )

Unfold

I have a penchant for folk portraits. This piece was painted in that spirit. It is also a meditation on unfolding processes; sometimes things are hidden even to ourselves and we have to dig deep to learn something. An 8 by 10 oil on canvas, painted in two sessions. Have a great week!

Blessings for the New One

Perhaps it is something about the unusual amount of rain we have been having recently, but today I went on a stamp-making marathon and I really couldn't stop. : ) Relative to linoleum and wood carving, using soft material like "Speedy-Cut" is, in the sense of speed, sketching. Have a great week!

Ratha Yatra Parade

The famous Ratha Yatra festival takes place annually in Jagannatha Puri, Orissa, India. On this day, the Deity of Jagannatha rides on a chariot, surrounded by flowers and devotional chants. The English word "juggernaut" ("relentless, irresistible force") comes directly from the Sanskrit word "Jagannatha." I remember my intrigue whenever my father referred to anything as a "juggernaut."
So here is the original Jagannatha, encompassed by flowers and festivity. This is a 4 by 6 linocut, splashed with *live* watercolor! : )

Poised

This 8 by 8 inch piece includes collage (using Japanese "Nori" glue), a handpulled block print (the bird), and watercolor. Canvas works well as a backing--no bubbles or warps. : ) I love the physical work of pasting the pieces together--Nori glue is *so* friendly!
A beautiful quote from The Nectar Glory of Sri Vrndavana: "I meditate on limitlessly beautiful Vrndavana forest, filled with limitless trees and vines, limitless deers and birds, limitless splendid groves, limitless charming lakes and streams, limitless jewel mountains, and the divine couple's limitless nectar pastimes." Have a great week!

Tree of Endless Branches

An 9 by 12 inch linocut printed on beautiful Lokta paper, used for centuries in Nepal. Many great epics were recorded on this strong, yet delicate paper. May the traditions of the devotional ancients bless my humble printmaking attempts. Thanks for stopping by!

Instinct to Protect

Emotions like the instinct to protect are often explained via genetics/ biological functions. I'm fascinated by the banyan tree analogy as described in ancient India's Bhagavad-gita. There it describes the tree of material existence as an upside-down banyan tree, a reflection of the real tree, and emotions can reflect something deeper than physical survival.
I carved this 4 by 6 inch piece last night, printed it this morning, and got carried away in photoshop a few minutes ago! Have a great week!

Once upon a time...

The story behind this 4 by 6 inch linocut is really the *process*: carving, trying out ideas, and the usual joy of printing small pieces by hand. Perhaps the story of the woman and the bird reflects traditional tales of the hens laying golden eggs. I don't know. But it was carved outdoors, in a mood of celebrating the present moment.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Flawed

I've wanted to carve another cat for quite a while now, so a topic like "flawed" was perfect for this piece. Carved last night, put together *early* this morning (I was inspired!).
However, the scenario above is not entirely impossible; try googling "how to pick a cat friendly bird" for intriguing suggestions!
Thanks for stopping by and have a great week! : )

Climbing the Musical Scale

A visual representation of the diatonic and chromatic scales are featured on the top left hand side of this 6 by 9 inch collage/linocut. I love hearing violin scales (especially when they are at a perfect pitch!), and when I went through a brief stint of attempting to play an instrument, I enjoyed the non-pressure of moving up a scale, faithfully following one note at a time.
Bird notes always soothe my heart. Here is a beautiful verse from a biography of the 15th century saint, Sri Caitanya: "Birds like the parrot and cuckoo all began to sing loudly on the fifth note, and the peacocks began to dance in front of the Sri Caitanya....the trees and creepers of Vṛndāvana became jubilant. Their twigs stood up, and they began to shed tears of ecstasy in the form of honey."
Thank you for visiting! :)

Contained

Contained within our bodies, our cars, and our houses. I carved this house as a sketch/ study for a bigger piece. Then a few hours ago, it occurred to me to have fun and not be so serious about the process! So I played around with collage, my block print, and photoshop. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week! : )