I’ve finally completed the block prints I’ll be sending to the miniature print show in Vancouver, Canada. Two of the three I showed in Proofs and the Past have either changed or been eliminated. The blue print called Dreamscape is the one that remains. Here it is printed on Japanese paper:
The print I thought of as a skull or mask changed when I experimented with repeating it and liked it better than the original. Here it is also on Japanese paper:
And I eliminated a tiny third one I had quite liked but felt it didn’t quite hold up. Instead, I carved a simple design in a lino substitute taken from a painting I did a couple of months ago. Just at the point where I had pushed the carving to where my back was starting to hurt, I stopped. The next day, though I had doubts about the outcome, I thought I might as well take a proof of the block. I liked the results. Here’s photos of the block in progress and the single print.
I continued experimenting and liked the effect of printing the block upside down on itself. This led me to try ten different versions. Here’s nine of them:
And here’s the tenth version that I’ve decided to send in. It’s printed red first with yellow on top, which I only thought to do after trying several the other way round with the light layer first. This was all a lot of work, but very intriguing in that sometimes I had no idea what the outcome might be. That’s where the fun comes in.
Arts of May 
These are lovely – good luck with your submissions!
Thank you very much. I’ll know later this summer if any get accepted.
These are gorgeous. I’ve only dabbled in lino cuts, but these are making me think differently
Thanks so much. I love linocuts as you can see. You can do a wide range of work with them. These were all done with lino substitutes—there’s all kinds of rubbery & vinyl materials out there that cut easily and still give a crisp line.