A woodblock print on Japanese paper. Twenty four inches by nineteen inches. The first one I've done in three or four years, which was intimidating to undertake. It also (once I got started) was something I flew through, borrowing a nice chisel from my job to remove the large areas.
I was looking at a book of women artists of the Wiemar Republic, specifically Kathe Kollwitz woodcuts. She has one in there of a solitary figure who looks dead. There is a very minimal atmosphere around the figure made by minimal noise from the block. I wanted to try something like that, and figured what better thing to beat the hell out of than a piece of wood. And who better to beat the hell out of than soldiers? I use them a lot in my work. I like drawing people who are weary, the lines stand out on them more. The archaeology of their faces and bodies is closer to the surface. I like them because I can find more character in people like that, they've been around the block, and have the stories to prove it.
I want my pictures to tell me a story, and hopefully you as well. Or to look like someone who could narrate to you.
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