I set out to print 25 of these but ended with only 17. It started as eight blocks, and after block four I decided it wasn't working and I abandoned it with little hope of ever getting back to it. As things go, it didn't last long. The next morning I walked into the studio with coffee in hand and realized it only needed a couple more blocks that weren't part of the original design. As I progressed through that day, drawing and carving and experimenting with different methods, it was as if I were creating a hybrid between painting and printing. It was dang fun! I lost my attachment to the original vision and allowed it to become what it needed to become. Artists are temperamental beings largely because of the gap that always exists between the vision and the finished work. After a few decades of daily highs and lows I've become more flexible with the vision. The benefit is the unexpected surprise further down, waiting for a piece of the surface to be taken away.
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NOTE: No animals or block prints were injured in this blog post.