I’m getting used to thinking in reverse and carving mirror images–a very good workout for the old brain!
This week I decided to try a more challenging block print. I combed through my extensive photo pile looking for one that spoke to me and of course, I settled on a scene of grazing sheep.
These sheep were spotted on Ile Verte, QC, one of our favourite spots to visit our besties Gail and Paul. This small island in the St. Lawrence, just past Riviere du Loup, is accessible only by ferry in summer, and by helicopter in winter. The peaceful, rural island offers everything: beaches, whale watching, forests, open wind-swept fields, fish smoke houses, farms, and isolation. A perfect milieu for walking, cycling, and photography.
We try to make it to Ile Verte once a year, but our last trip was September, 2020. On that visit we had some beautiful walks, changing terrain at least five times as we walked over rocky shoreline, along a wide sandy beach, up through the pine forest, down a long country road, up the spikey shale bout d’en bas, past sheep and smoke houses, and over rosa regosa covered fields.
One of my favourite photos was of three sheep, quietly grazing in the sunshine. I love this picture not only because I love sheep, but because it shows textures, and shades of wool, and variations of light. This would be an excellent challenge to translate into a block carving!
One of my new rules for block carving–or in fact for any interpretational art–is to consider the value of translating the subject into a different art form. If the medium does not transform, improve, or enhance the interpretation of the original, is it worth the work? To achieve this, you need to think carefully as you choose the right material and technique to suit the subject. For example, wooly sheep might not come across as well with fine silk embroidery as they would with fuzzy, thick woolen threads. But, would woolen thread be too close to the original?? That I guess is debatable, depending on your purpose.
For this particular block print, I settled on the sheep, for the challenge of textures, and to translate my photo into a reproducible format that can be printed on paper, collage and fabric. Transforming it again and again into new interpretations –prepare yourselves, there could be a lot of sheep coming!
Knowing how difficult the process is, your sheep are absolutely amazing! I’m contemplating carving a single flower or feather. For those who don’t know the art of BLOCK-PRINTING, that comparison illustrates Elaine’s artistic talent…sigh.