Forest Primeval II

Here's the two-color version of the image, just dry enough to scan this afternoon. I had a nerve-wracking time making them yesterday; the studio was really hot, and I had a difficult a time positioning the second (black) block in register with the already-printed green image. But it worked out well, in the end, and I am learning a lot with each one of these that I do. The black-and-white version pleases me just as much; they're simply different. I made a small edition of these on white Japanese paper.

It's funny...while I was working on these, on one side of the studio, J. was making high-tech photographic prints on his Epson roll printer on the other side. He looked over at one point, holding a print in one hand; I was standing there in my apron, covered with ink. Look at us! he said, laughing. So typical of us...you doing this medieval process, and me, on the computer.

I laughed too, but it's not entirely true. I used the computer a lot in the development of this image. It fascinates me that we have so many tools now to aid the creative process, and to be able to share work with each other across huge distances. The monks in their scriptoriums and the pioneers of relief printing couldn't have dreamed of that, but what they did still amazes and inspires me, and I love the tactile nature of this process -- carving the blocks, rolling the ink, and watching the magical transfer of ink to paper as a print takes shape. It's wonderful.