I decided to take a short break from painting this week and work on this small woodblock print project. Also I figured that working on a "creepy crawly" would put me in the Halloween spirit. This print depicts the endangered Cobblestone Tiger Beetle that can be found on the Green Island and Arthur Kyle preserves near home. I am also hoping to display the print in the Andrew and Laura McCain Art Gallery's Small Works exhibition next week. The Green Island preserve is just a few kilometers from the gallery.
Another unique feature of this print is that it was carved out of the wood of a fallen Butternut tree -- another of New Brunswick's endangered species. The wood was donated to James Buxton and I from the Meduxnekeag River Association and Southern Carleton Elementary School. James and I are preparing to begin a new collaborative sculpture project that will make use of the majority of the salvaged wood. In a way, completing this print was also a guinea pig project to test out how well the butternut wood carves. I decided to complete a two-colour print using the same block -- first printing in yellow, then in dark brown. You can see the progress of the carving and printing below.
Happy Halloween!