Union is a part of our intrinsic condition. Our separate identity is also undeniable. Here we have both. There is something immensely liberating in watching a significant other grow and transform, all the while standing respectfully (and emotionally) at the sidelines. We are born to move and extend our branches, to unite with others in moving and melting and surprising ways. Yet our own journey is always our own. And as we grow, aligned to our unique frequency, our own hearts grow larger and deeper.
For a linocut, this size (12 by 18 inches) is significant, and it took me a few months of gradual work and incubation. It's only at the end of all the carving that the artist witnesses the whole, and then, with overwhelming gratitude, thanks the journey into the unknown of the final outcome.
This linocut was hand pulled and printed on rich Arches mould-made paper, all the way from a mill in France that produced some of the first bound books in Europe.
And here is a recent watercolor of a Blue Jay that left us for a while; in the meanwhile, a equally visually intricate Sapsucker is in its place, making lots of squeaky-toy squeaking noises, quite a contrast to the Jay's shrill and authoritative calls.
Have a wonderful 2015, with lots of time to look up at the sky and marvel and marvel!