“In Those Days (A Quei Tempi)" by Marie Weaver

Image posted with the permission of the artist. More of Marie Weaver's work, which includes sculpture and artist's books as well as woodcuts, can be found on her website, here. 

I first discovered Marie Weaver's woodcuts in 2010 when they were featured on McClain's online gallery. I was immediately struck by the lyrical compositions.

In this image, sheep trot along and red birds deftly soar. Plowed fields seem to course like a river and the foilage of a nearby tree bursts up and out from its trunk like a fountain. Though on the move, the shapes of these living things interact so gracefully with the ground and sky, like puzzle pieces perfectly arranged. 

When I wrote to Weaver asking for permission to write this post, she told me that she did the drawing for this print while in Tuscany to teach a workshop. She described the landscape as "a magical place":   

We were located on the property of a 12th century tenuta, Spannocchia, a farm with a villa and sharecroppers' houses sprinkled across the acres. Current owners operate it as a farm and educational center. They farm traditional crops and animals, hence the olive trees and sheep, among other things.

Certainly Weaver has caught some of that magic in this image. You can also find a slightly higher resolution version of In Those Days (A Quei Tempi) on Weaver's website here.