Send A Raven

The words "Send A Raven" appear in Gothic red lettering next to a raven (of course) This is printed by hand on lovely Japanese kozo paper, 9.25" by 15" (23.5 cm by 38 cm). I made this print due to a relentless campaign mounted by RJH, who says he's not a raving fan of Game of Thrones, or anything. No, not at all. (Winter is coming.) However, if you've read the books, or watched the show, you'll know that the characters are perpetually sending urgent messages by ravens. The sending of ravens, in fact, seems like one of the major, subtextual messages of the show. (Winter is coming.) That and the idea that no good deed goes unpunished - but the show is marvellously entertaining and strangely addictive (even for those still stunned by the fate of Ned Stark). This print would make a great gift for fans of the books or the show. You can send this Raven to your favorite fan of the show! Even without the Game of Thrones context, the red, white, and black design is very graphic, and the slogan is cryptic in the most intriguing way. The crow or raven is a wonderfully clever bird, common in many parts of the world, and often known as a Trickster. (Winter is coming.)

Soon, there will also be postcards available of this image.

Crow

So, I made a crow linocut. I actually made this before I went away to England. Our lovely hosts in Fredericton collect crow prints* so I was inspired to take on the crow as subject. They are amazing animals, which made it more challenging. I think really to capture a crow, I'd have to do a whole series of prints. So, think of this one as the flying crow. We saw lots of crows in the maritimes, to I asked RJH to photograph some for me. This print is based on a crow he photographed in Peggy's Cove.





I also made a proof with chine collé papers for the eye and feet:


I was sort of torn whether accuracy of colour was more important or whether the graphic nature of black on white made for a more interesting print. I'm going to frame this in the frame my brother made for me.**

Printmaking in the summer here in Toronto can be problematic due to humidity. It really hampers the ink viscosity. I kept this first edition small, but I'll likely print a second edition when the weather is better. There is also one proof which was ahem, embellished by Minouette. She added black pawprints to my original. I'm not sure what to do with that. I'm considering selling it at a big discount.

*Yay! It's always great when the appropriate thank you gift is obvious. For instance, I was really flummoxed by what to get my emergency cat-sitter because if I give her more linocuts, she'll have to start wallpapering her ceiling with them.

**I LOVE handmade gifts. Just sayin'