Honey Bee

So I'm continuing my bee series with the ever-popular honey bee. Did you realize that there are no honey bees native to North America? They were introduced from Europe in the 1600s. This one is Apis mellifera, the Western or European Honey Bee.

This is a linocut with two sorts of (collaged) chine collé Japanese papers (a patterned pale yellow, and a translucent Mizutama tissue for the wings) on Japanese kozo (or mulberry), 9.25" by 8.25" or 23.5 cm by 21 cm. There are 12 prints in the edition.

March: in like a lamb out like a lion?

So the Trans-Canada Etsy team has a challenge for the month of March: in like a lion, out like a lamb. In fact, I'm hosting. So, I knew I had better get on it. I half want to carve a lamb block (that sounds all wrong - out of lino, I mean) but I'm not really feeling it. So, I made another lion pillow.. This one is backed not with a lamb, or with an elephant, but with the zebras. I like yellow and turquoise.



I do like how the lion is sort of confrontational. I mean, this is the apex predator and my Mom, the photographer, was in his 'hood. I'm happy that that expressiveness of his face comes across in the print. The lioness looks more shrewd - like, "I see you there, but I haven't yet decided what to do about it." Cats. They watch, and consider.

It's very hard to get good photos when it's so dark and gloomy out. While the balmy 19 C weather is long gone, at least there is no snow. I can deal with light rain.



So it's a stripe of wild paisley with the dotted turquoise fabric with the leopards in the corner.







I was looking at the fabric, and you know, I think, I need to stop buying fabric.

There. I said it.