I’ve been working and not working on this linocut since March or April. I put it aside after seeing the first proof. In it, the creature’s body was not working right for me–it was not defined enough. The rough print has been hanging folded on my bulletin board since then. I had intended to print the smaller version, but hadn’t done so.
I owe the completion of the block to my husband who asked why I didn’t send it to the print exchange I was thinking of entering. (I have since abandoned that plan and am focusing on other prints.) The folded part of Mercy for the Children which you can see in the Amended Lino post was too large for the exchange. That prompted me to take out the original block. I was in a relaxed mood and decided to carve the body further without any carefully worked out plan. This could have turned out to be foolhardy, but, thankfully, the adjustments added more energy to the print. Here’s the inked lino block and the print.
Arts of May 