A WOOD ENGRAVING IN CHANGIN' TIMES

After the struggle to get things moving in the studio again, it's here at last. The new Alien of Planet Earth, Wolf Spider.

WOLF SPIDER © wood engraving (ed.18) image: 5 x 7 in. $100.00 (You can click on the image to enlarger it)

TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'

Times are changing, as Bob Dylan said in the lyrics of his song. The restrictions brought on due to the COVID pandemic have certainly reinforced that. My work in the studio has slowed to a crawl and my ambition and motivation have slipped nearly out of sight. I'd like to share with you how it has been for me. I have been finding moments, here and there, to do some sketches of "Aliens of Planet Earth". Eventually I decided to try a wolf spider, a unique species with excellent eyesight. The reason for the good eyesight is that they have eight eyes! So the series of sketches began, until I arrived at one I wanted to engrave. I drew it on a block and began to engrave. When I reached a point where I thought a proof was needed I printed one. I knew that, with my inacivity and lack of regular axercise, I didn't have the ability clean the press without wearing me out. So I inked the block with a hand roller, then printed it on the press. I was able to get a fair idea of what it would look like and scanned the proof when it was dry so I could use the computer prints to try out different alternatives by drawing on them. I finally reached a decision to print an edition. I started this morning and finished this afternoon. I knew that printing an edition the size I usually print was a bit over my ability to handle now and press clean-up would be a task that would take a lot out of me. So I ran a small edition. My most recent edition, Poodle Moth, was an edition of 33. Wolf Spider is an edition of 18. When the prints are dry I'll scan one and share it with you here.