"The Wedding" Re-created

 

I re-created "The Wedding" print from my book "Owl and Cat In Love" recently. Click here to see the original. This new version is a 5 layer reduction and only an edition of 2. It was special made for a collector. It's also the mirror image of the original because I drew the image directly on the block.

It was definitely an interesting experience to re-create a print I first made 7 years ago. When I started, I really didn't want to do it. It felt like forcing myself to do something that I'd long moved on from. But about halfway through I kind of got into it. It felt a bit like visiting a place from my past that I don't go to anymore and that has changed, but of which I had very fond memories. 

Not that I want to do this again. It took a long time, and I am generally way more interested in finding time for my current projects, especially since my studio time is so limited. But yeah, glad I did this once just for the experience. 

"Love At First Sight" Art Card for Owl and Cat In Love Pre-Sale Campaign

This is the third of four 2.5" x 3.5" art cards I am creating for the Owl and Cat In Love Pre-sale Campaign. Here's a link to the post featuring the first two cards. Anyone who pre-orders the book before its release will receive his or her choice of one of the cards.

This card is hand-printed in water-based black ink on lime green card stock. My inspiration for illustrating Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat originally came from the image of the owl and cat first looking deeply into each other's equally large, round eyes, so this seemed an appropriate phrase to include in one of the art cards. 

Fans of Words On Woodcuts Press can also support the publication of this second book by lending money through my Kiva Zip business loan campaign - which as I write this is up to 96% funded! 

Pre-Order Owl and Cat In Love Today

I have just launched the presale campaign for my second book to be published by Words On Woodcuts Press. Here's the link to the campaign.

My regular readers know the project Owl and Cat In Love well, but for new readers, check out all the postings about the artwork as it was being created here.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported this campaign in any way over the years, even simply through your encouraging words and thoughtful critiques of the work. You all helped keep me going pursuing these artistic dreams. After seeing how beautifully Cats A-Z turned out, I can't wait to see Owl and Cat In Love in print.

Owl and Cat In Love: End Pages

I just finished the end pages for Owl and Cat In Love. I decided on a tessellation pattern of their faces in order to emphasize the similarities in their facial appearance, despite being a bird and feline species. Love at first penetrating gaze into each others' eyes.

I am pretty happy with this.

"Flora and Fauna"

8" x 10" (image), 10.5" x 13" (paper)
Artist's proof
Oil-based ink on Stonehenge paper

Now that I've published Cats A-Z, it's time to gear up for publishing Owl and Cat In Love. I'm about to start a pre-sale campaign for the book, and I made "Flora and Fauna" as a promotional print for the campaign.

It's a still life with two of my daughters' toys that I particularly love, and which are of course also an owl and a cat. I wanted two different types of flowering plants to parallel the animal pairing. I selected black-eyed Susans because I see so many of them this time of year and cherry blossoms as a quiet nod to Japan and its rich history of mastering woodblock printmaking.

Indiegogo Campaign Art Card #1: Portrait of Edward Lear

2.5" x 3.5" art card
Oil-based ink on cream-colored, 90" smooth paper
Open edition

This is the first of 8 original woodcut art cards being created during my Indiegogo fundraising campaign. These will be thank-you gifts for all funders who contribute $20 or more. Funders will get to choose their preferred design to receive.

All 8 will also be for sale at my Etsy Store. This card can be purchased now by clicking here. All proceeds from Etsy sales between now and April 24th go directly to fund Words On Woodcuts Press!

This is a portrait of Edward Lear, the 19th century writer/illustrator who authored The Owl and the Pussycat.

Here's one of my favorite limericks also penned by Lear:

There was a Young Person of Smyrna, 
Whose Grandmother threatened to burn her; 
But she seized on the cat,
And said, "Granny, burn that!
You incongruous Old Woman of Smyrna!" 

Owl and Cat in Love, Cover

"Owl and Cat in Love"
Woodcut (reduction)
11.75" x 11.25" (image)16" x 15" (paper)
Oil based inks on Sulphite Block Printing Paper 
Limited edition of 3

After over a year and a half, all the art for my visual re-telling of Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat is complete! Now it's time to put together a proposal package and begin seeking a publisher. 

Words can't express how much I've benefited from the encouragement of my friends, family (especially you, mom), colleagues, and this blog's readers. Even if you never comment here or on facebook, seeing the number of pageviews increase over time, and increase the most when I've been posting the newest images from this project, have kept my confidence high when I've felt overwhelmed  by other responsibilities and when I was slowed down by illness. Thank you all so much. 

I'll be taking about a 3 week break from studio work, and then I plan to maybe do some highfalutin serious art before diving into the next book. Not sure where the muse aims to take me, but no doubt it'll involve wood blocks and chisels. 

Owl and Cat in Love, "Dancing Under the Moon" (final image, page 29)

"Dancing Under the Moon"
Woodcut (reduction)
11.25" x 11.75" (image)15" x 16" (paper)
Oil based inks on Sulphite Block Printing Paper 
Limited edition of 3

After their wedding, Owl and Cat dance on the beach under the moon. I have to wonder just what kind of mincemeat is in that bowl. 

Now that the story is all told (although I do have the cover, which I'll post tomorrow) I'm thinking about the role that color has played throughout this whole journey. It seems the whole story is really about this couple holding on to the primal glue that binds them together as everything else, including their own bodies, constantly shifts in tone, distorts, or dissolves. While the colors and types of setting (field, interior, seas, forest) might drastically change from page to page, the protagonists are always woven into their environment. Here, too, they almost melt into the chaotic sky. They fit in wherever they go and make it seem easy and natural. They succeed in changing together, and that is the key to their Love.

Although I've used the emphasized wood grain in most of the images for this book, this is the only image where I use a knot as part of the composition. Given that they just got married, I know there's a bad pun in there somewhere. 

Owl and Cat in Love, "Wedding" (double page spread pages 27-28)

"Wedding"
Woodcut (reduction)
9.5" x 20" (image)
15" x 24" (paper)
Oil based inks on Sulphite Block Printing Paper 
Limited edition of 3

It isn't so much that the Land Where the Bong Tree Grows is the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos Islands are more symbolic than that for this retelling of Lear's poem. All of the animals indigenous to the islands and pictured in this wedding's congregation are famous for having undergone an evolutionary transformation that makes them unique from their ancestral cousins on the mainland. So, too, have Owl and Cat undergone a transformation through their union (just imagine the kids!) Also, there aren't any turkeys or piggy wigs found on the Galapagos.  

Owl and Cat in Love, "Welcome" (double page spread pages 25-26)

"Welcome" (parts 1 and 2)
Woodcuts (reduction)
Each is 11.25" x 11.75" (image), 15" x 16" (paper)
Oil based inks on Sulphite Block Printing Paper 
Limited editions of 3 each

The pair who have been spying on Owl and Cat for the past three double-page spreads are finally noticed. They reveal themselves as ambassadors of the island bearing gifts of beaded necklaces which match ones they themselves wear. The message is this: We, the natives of this island, accept and welcome you to our tribe.

Up until this point, Owl and Cat have been a nation of two. Now, they have found a whole new community in which they can redefine themselves as a couple. 

Owl and Cat in Love, "Nesting" (double page spread pages 23-24)

"Nesting"
Woodcut (reduction)
9.5" x 20" (image)
15" x 24" (paper)
Oil based inks on Sulphite Block Printing Paper 
Limited edition of 3

Every once in a while I find a picture book that features a vertical double page spread that requires the reader to turn the book sideways. I just love that; the illustrator throwing out something a little unexpected, forcing me to move my hands, shift weight around, and really pay a little closer attention to what's in front of my eyes. I simply had to do it with this book.

Here Cat and Owl are going back to their arboreal roots, having built their own literal love nest on their new island home.

And still they are being spied on by natives who they have yet to meet. That's coming in the next double page spread.

Owl and Cat in Love, "Exploration and Discovery" (double page spread pages 21-22)

"Exploration and Discovery (parts 1 and 2)"
Woodcuts (reduction)
Each is 11.25" x 11.75" (image), 15" x 16" (paper)
Oil based inks on Sulphite Block Printing Paper 
Limited editions of 3 each

Cat examines the scattered skeleton of a lizard. Behind her, a mysterious stone hammer hovers. Owl munches on his latest prey while perched on brick wall ruins, hastily marked with the word "Oust." The dormant volcano which formed the island stands in the distance. Much closer, native eyes continue to watch the newcomers' every move. 

Hopefully this isn't getting too bizarre. Then again, it is a purely visual retelling of an over 100-year-old nonsense poem written for children, so, can it really get too bizarre? 

Owl and Cat in Love, "Entering the Forest" (double page spread pages 19-20)

"Entering the Forest"
Woodcut (reduction)
20" x 9.5" (image)
24" x 15" (paper)
Oil based inks on Sulphite Block Printing Paper 
Limited edition of 3

After watching the sunset on the island where they are now stranded, Owl and Cat enter the forest in search of food and find fluttering delicacies. Unbeknownst to them, the natives are still watching... 

Owl and Cat in Love, "Watching the Sunset..." and "...With Company" (double page spread pages 17-18)

"Watching the Sunset..." and "...With Company"
Woodcuts (reduction)
Each is 11.25" x 11.75" (image), 15" x 16" (paper)
Oil based inks on Subi paper
Limited editions of 3 each

Finally safe on dry land again, Owl and Cat take a moment to enjoy the setting sun. However, this island is already inhabited, and some of the natives are taking a moment to watch them.

Are there any silhouettes you, dear reader, recognize?

Owl and Cat in Love, "Finding the Island" (double page spread pages 15-16)

"Finding the Island"
Woodcut (reduction)
20" x 9.5" (image)
24" x 15" (paper)
Oil based inks on Subi paper
Limited edition of 3

Our protagonists have survived the stormy seas. After having lost their boat (thank goodness Owl can fly), they thankfully discover a welcoming shore, where the bong tree grows... 

I've been keeping to the formula of a four-layers-of-color reduction for this project. But you'll see that here the hues have dramatically warmed. It's not just because of the sunlight at this time of day. Things are (perhaps) looking up for Owl and Cat.

Owl and Cat in Love, "The Wave" (double page spread pages 13-14)

"The Wave"
Woodcut (reduction)
20" x 9.5" (image)
24" x 15" (paper)
Oil based inks on Subi paper
Limited edition of 2

Yet another installment of the Owl and Cat in Love project. Here the lovers' peaceful ocean voyage is abruptly disturbed by a threatening wave. 


Anyone out there familiar with woodcuts probably knows that with this print I'm a making small tribute to the Japanese master Hokusai's most famous print, The Great Wave of Kanagawa, often also referred to as The Wave. Although my image puts far more emphasis on the couple's panic, while in Hokusai's, the boats and their inhabitants are enveloped in the great wave that dominates the image. 

Hokusai did many wave prints, and I find that my wave print has more in common with a couple of his others. In his "Ocean Waves" print (right), the boats, especially the one in the foreground, are what mainly draws the eye. As in my print, the waves are more of a threat that surrounds the subject.  

My overall composition and color palette has more in common with Hokusai's Mount Fuji Seen from the Sea (left), though the main subjects are reversed, where in Hokusai's a cracking wave rises up on the right side, seeming to burst into dots of white, which are actually a flock of birds flying in the distance. In mine that compositional space is taken up by the owl, boosted up by the tilted boat, his wings dramatically unfolding against rushing blue. 


All of these prints incorporate stripes of blue and white to describe moving waters, although my print distinctly departs from the Japanese tradition when instead of the water breaking into claw-like curves (a decorative motif which apparently influenced the designs of Western silverware), the crest of my wave continues the lines in a row of spirals. I was going for a somewhat playful association with wheels or spinning machinery, as if my protagonists are being sucked under a steamroller. The closest Japanese print from the ukiyo-e tradition that I can find with a somewhat similar feeling is Totoya Hokkei's Mekari Festival (right.) Run, guys, run! 

That's enough about woodcuts and waves for now.

Owl and Cat in Love, "Above and Below" (double page spread pages 11-12)

"Above and Below"
Woodcut (reduction)
20" x 9.5" (image)
24" x 15" (paper)
Oil based inks on Subi paper
Limited edition of 2

I've really hit my stride with the Owl and Cat in Love project. I've actually finished the next double-page spread as well, which I'll post about here tomorrow. 

Daytime on the open seas shows the nocturnal lovers asleep in their boat. They and the impressive pile of remains of their many aquatic kills are described in burning hues. The piled carcasses are trophy-like; after all, why haven't they simply thrown the bones overboard? The heap of death grows with each passing day of their long journey. 

Below them, much cooler colors describe the many creatures who lurk and surround them just below the water line. Some of these might become the Owl and Cat's next meal. Others appear more threatening to our protagonists. The lovers quietly occupy their own private, tiny, floating island, above an entire other world. 

Owl and Cat in Love, "Sailing Away" (double page spread pages 9-10)

"Sailing Away"
Woodcut (reduction)
20" x 9.5" (image)
24" x 15" (paper)
Oil based inks on Subi paper
Limited edition of 2

This is the next in my Owl and Cat in Love project. Here the new lovers sail away in their famous pea-green boat. I imagine them leaving the city for the wilderness. Eventually the wilderness of the island "where the bong tree grows," but first the wilderness of the open seas...

Owl and Cat in Love, "Provisions and Pawn" (double page spread pages 7-8)

"Provision" and "Pawn"
Woodcuts (reduction)
Each is 11.25" x 11.75" (image), 15" x 16" (paper)
Oil based inks on Subi paper
Limited editions of 2 each

Finally finished another double page spread in Owl and Cat In Love. This is of course from the line "They took some honey, and plenty of money" in Lear's original poem. I wanted to give a sense that at this point the owl and cat live in a rather developed world, but they are about to take off on an adventure into a more wild and primitive existence. A little foreshadowing of their future adventures on the sea and in the forest are suggested by the patterns on the arches.

Owl and Cat in Love, "First Date" (double page spread pages 5-6)

"First Date"
Woodcut (reduction)
20" x 9.5" (image)
24" x 15" (paper)
Oil based inks on Subi paper
Limited edition of 4

The holidays are over, it's a new year, and I am definitely back on this Owl and Cat in Love project.

Having met while hunting the same rabbit, the two decide to share dinner. A little foreshadowing of their voyage with the guitar, sea, and green boat, and their future tropical island home with the wallpaper behind them. I designed the composition in a way to echo the dramatic love-at-first-sight gaze from the previous double-page spread, with the double arches on the right side and round window and moon on the left, both of which resemble eyes.

I'm going for a minimal effect with color. I plan to stick with the same limited palette - dominated by orange-brown and ultramarine blue - throughout the book. I'd also like to have some of the wood grain visible in just about every page. I love how both of these techniques can be used to make objects seem ethereal. The wallpaper melting into the blue of the sea, the animals camouflaged against the wood floor.

We shall see what happens on the journey. I always have a plan, but the muse is the boss.