Hand-colored Version of "Fireflies"

Linocut, hand-colored with watercolors
Printed with oil-based ink on 120 lb Arches 9" x 9" (image)

After making this black and white print for a paper lantern I'm working on, I decided there also needed to be a hand-colored version. 

Proof of "Fireflies"

Linocut
8" x 8" (image)
Oil-based ink on Subi paper

Last year I made a couple 1" x 1" stamps to print in a circular pattern such as this (view those attempts here and here), but they weren't really going anywhere, so I moved on.

Last week I heard about a call for entries into a show at the University City Arts League where I teach. The exhibit is called "Waiting in Hades" and is open to all ages. The only requirement is that the works of art emit or reflect light. The lights will be turned out in the gallery for the opening on February 8 from 6-8pm.

This opportunity sounded like great fun, especially since my two daughters can enter their own pieces in along with mine. My eldest has created a Sharpie drawing on glow-in-the-dark coated paper. My youngest is creating a ceramic candle holder. I mulled the idea over in my head for a while since there was initially a flood of ideas, but as I'm mainly a printmaker, I decided to make a paper lantern with relief printing. It is going to be a small, square, box lantern, and this is a proof of the print I made for it. I like it quite a bit. I'll post more images when the piece is finished and after the exhibition opening.

"Tigerfly"

Tigerfly
woodcut 5" x 27" (image) 10.5" x 31.5" (paper) 
Water-based inks on Rives BFK
Available for purchase here. 

I finally finished this print for my youngest daughter, Eulabee. The poor girl is going to have "bee" themed stuff probably her whole lifetime, so I hope she likes them. At least the bees aren't central here; they and the fireflies share second fiddle with the Tigerfly, a fantastic creature from my imagination. Coming up with the idea and drawing this was a lot of fun. My favorite aspect of this image is that I can't decide if the Tigerfly is tiny or if the other insects are huge.