Super scary huh? Self portrait, a face only a mother could love... well, maybe not.

The inspiration for this was Picasso's "the Village Dance". I had not seen the painting for many years, but I had been thinking of a trip to Paris where I had seen this painting maybe 20 years ago. I remembered the heaviness of the eyelids and the solidity of the stares away from each other. Although the painting was the starting point, I had only that vague rememberance of the style and was trying to capture that as a memory, along with the nostalgia of that visit.
One of my favorite forms of printmaking is relief carved blocks. I generally use soft blocks such as linoleum, for the simple reason that it is easier on my hands. The last time I carved wood I ended up with 3 herniated discs, so I might make wood a special occasion choice! Carving wood can be an almost spiritual awakening of sorts, as the consious mind is on full focus of the task of the hands and the subconsious is resting on the creative nature of the image being formed. Once the block or blocks are carved, inking and printing requires a rhythm of motion that brings a level of peace. Here is a Japanese master printer at work printing, just watching him at work in his studio has me taking deep mediative breaths!
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