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! : )

Voices of the Trees

This is an 11 by 17 linocut. It is also a prayer for Mother Earth. May you all have a wonderful week! :)

Similar yet...

Of course, from a distance, people can appear generic. Yet get a little closer (and if we could get really close, we could observe another's inner world), and our individuality and personhood is startlingly. These birds were carved in this spirit.
The linocut is 7 by 7 inches and splashed with Photoshop colors—something I resort to when black and white just doesn't seem enough! Thanks for stopping by! : )

From Vacant to Occupied

A topic like "vacant" reminds me of clutter clearing (via feng shui or vastu) and the principle of clearing out to allow new ideas and energies in.
And so it can be in mental life: "emptiness" as something beautiful, a vacancy just prior to a flood of new movement and life.
So here is my 5 by 7 linocut, handprinted both on "empty" and "lively" paper. Actually, the "lively" paper is from a 1961 AA handbook with perfect-sized maps for explorative printmaking! Have a great week! :)