Greek Myths Told in Woodcuts (Student Work)

This winter I worked with 30 students at Roman Catholic High School and their art teacher Shannon Gallagher, through the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Delphi Art Futures program. The students carved and hand-printed actual woodcuts, with the more experienced class doing color reduction prints. I've never worked on a project this technically challenging with this age group, and it was truly gratifying to do so. The students (and their teacher!) worked hard and produced so many striking images.

Here are some highlights from the exhibition, which will be up in the PMA's student gallery for one more week. The color images are double-page spreads from a collaborative book telling the story of Achilles by six Art III students, and the black and white images are from a telling of the story of Icarus by four Art I students.

Cats A-Z: G (Grimalkin)

"Grimalkin" 
Woodcut
6.5" x 8" (paper) 4" x 4" (image) 
Oil-based inks on bright white printmaking paper 
Artist's Proof 
Available for purchase here. 

Grimalkin

Scratches mark all surfaces, and a buzzing sounds all around. The feline fiend has emerged from the shadows and sits perched like a gargoyle. Though her ears are back, she is not apprehensive. Her glare is impudent, her bat-wings outstretched, and one foot is poised to step forward.

The term "Grimalkin" was first recorded in the novel Beware the Cat by William Baldwin, which is both the first English novel and the first horror novel. It refers to an old, ugly, and devilish cat.

Cats A-Z: F (Freyja)

"Freyja" 
Woodcut
6.5" x 8" (paper) 4" x 4" (image) 
Oil-based inks on bright white printmaking paper 
Artist's Proof 
Available for purchase here. 

Freyja 

Twin cats furiously leap and bound to pull Freyja's chariot. Though I cannot see her face, her stance is stalwart, one hand firm on the reins, the other gripping her staff. She has come to gather the souls of the fallen. From this view I cannot tell, are the twins as large as lions, or pint-sized and imbued with supernatural strength? Either way, the goddess will arrive.

Freyja is a prominent goddess in the pantheon of Norse mythology, ruling over the heavenly afterlife field of Fólkvangr.