Brains & Owls in Pantaloons

Burrowing Owl, linocut 5.5" x 7" by Ele Willoughby, 2016

One of the things I want to do this year is participate in some new (to me) print exhibits and exchanges. BC based printmaker Lori Dean Dyment and I were discussing on FB the yearly Chinese New Year exhibits and print exchanges held by PROOF Studio Gallery. We weren't sure if they were going to do one this year (the call for submissions for their Year of the Monkey show came one only recently*) and she suggested we both participate in Leftovers, a print exchange hosted by Wigtip Press. I was very flattered that she said she'd love to do an exchange together, because I think her prints are really quite magical and you should go have a look at her portfolio. Also, I had hear of Leftovers which has been growing in size year by year. The idea is that printmakers can make tiny prints, no larger than 5" x 7", and use of all the scraps of precious papers we've been hoarding. They have multiple exhibits of all the tiny prints and auction off prints from hunger relief (with funds going to the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force). They invite printmakers to choose any subject, but suggest that food or hunger might be appropriate.

Thinking of you, linocut by Ele Willoughby, 2016

I thought about that for a while and I had no inspiration. Whenever I thought about hunger, what came to mind were all-too-real images from the news, of starving people in Syria (though there are starving people in many other places too). It was not a topic I wanted to live with intimately, while composing a print. So, I took them at their word that all subjects were welcome and looked for something which was a little more in my wheelhouse, so to speak. Then I saw an image of a juvenile burrowing owl who appeared to be wearing pantaloons. And while fluffy-legged owlets might not be as serious seeming a topic as hunger, I am able to celebrate the beauty and whimsy of wildlife (and perhaps bring some attention to how endangered burrowing owls have become on the Canadian prairie) while helping some fellow printmakers raise some funds to combat hunger in their community.

Every year I print a Valentine. This year I also chose to revisit an old brain block by carving a second block, so a one colour print could become a two colour print. Cause love isn't really about hearts at all, is it? It's about our minds and brains. Plus, brainy Valentines are great for zombie (or anatomy) lovers.

If you're reading my blog, pretend to look surprised on the 14th, husband.

Hou: The Monkey, linocut by Ele Willoughby 2008

 
I do enjoy the PROOF Chinese New Year prints shows and plan to submit my Monkey this year, and perhaps select a few random Chinese Zodiac animals for their print exchange.

*Due date for submissions is February 15th, 2016 for their

15th & FINAL International Print Exhibition and Exchange

Celebrating The Chinese Year of the MONKEY 2016

Did you say park?

I made a custom order pillow for the husband of a lovely customer, of their delightful looking dog. He really did appear to have the sweetest nature in all the photos. So, I wanted to use the block with the dog's portrait, and I could only imagine I'd captured that moment the dog heard the word, "park".

Lately, I've been printing second editions of popular prints, if I've run out of stock. Like my Vixen in the Snow, Aurora Borealis with the polar bear, and screech owl. Next, I plan some quail and maybe portraits of Minouette, herself.

Screech Owl

Oh hey! My Screech Owl is on Etsy's front page right now. :)

The Owl and the Pussycat - pillows

The Owl and the Pussycat are now together in my shop. My namesake cat, Minouette's portrait is blockprinted in mauve on gold silk fabric, and a western screech-owl in is blockprinted in brown on gold silk. The reverse is a wonderful print fabric illustrating their tale. (The set: ocean as turquoise, knit, throw blanket, boat, sky & sun as Japanese washi paper. The Owl is about 22 cm or 8.5 talls and Minouette is 7 inches or 18 cm tall)



RJH photographed Minouette and her mini-me.

Mr. Otus Kennicottii

I think he's squinting at you in disbelief, this Western Screech-Owl (Otus kennicottii). He's pretty well life-sized. The Western Screech-Owl, common to woodlands throughout western North America, grows to be 8.5 inches or 22 cm tall. This one is the nourthwest coast type I would have seen when I lived on Vancouver Island. You can tell because he's more brown and less gray. All the raptors out there were very impressive. They gave the impression that they were just tolerating our presence and the Island really belonged to them.

I carved Mr. Otus Kennicottii in linoleum and printed him in water-based block printing ink, on Japanese kozo (or mulberry) paper, in an edition of six prints. Each print is 6 and a quarter by 12 and a half inches (15.9 cm by 31.8 cm).

I think I'm going to name owls Otus from now on (though their name in the other official language, le Petit-duc des montagnes kind of rocks too).

The Owl and the Pussycat (pillow)

The owl and the pussycat: The owl, asking, "Who?" is blockprinted in black on purple cotton. The pussycat is a block print of my namesake, Minouette (the cat) and the French slogan, 'Méfiez-vous de la contrefaçon!' Inspired by a peculiar but endearing vintage French ad, you might translate the slogan as 'Accept no substitutes' if you wanted to be snappy, but it is more like, 'Be suspicious of counterfeits!' The front also features a swath of pin-striped burgundy wool and dark blue faux-bois print cotton with an ampersand '&' printed in white with a vintage letterpress letter.

On the reverse, however, the owl and the pussycat appear much more relaxed. The owl serenades the pussycat, as they sail beneath the benign moon, on a very sweet print fabric. This is combined with a stripe of a great, colourful print, block printed with the minouette flowers and tentacles label.