Global Footprints Artwork part 2

I spent all morning with the Belmar Arts Council helping with a big clean up at the Boatworks (those interested in the details of that can find them here) then drove up to the Studio around noon. After lunch I got to work on the Global Footprints project. Of all the things that I had done already, I was leaning toward using the color version Texas Birds print, since it can fit the theme and it had been created for an event at the Printmaking Council anyway, but I'm wondering if I can't make something more interesting. Either way, I'm going to send something in the frame that currently contains a copy of that Birds print, so I started box construction today. Did the inner box (top photo) and set it aside.

Of all the ideas that I've been considering over the past week or so, I think the best one is something related to the great efforts that the typical homeowner goes to in order to keep his home and yard free of undesirable life forms- bugs, weeds, vermin, etc. Pests they may be, but they still are a form of wildlife, each a piece of a functioning ecosystem. And the use of poisons over the last half century has had far reaching effects on unintended targets, including ourselves. (Been rereading John Brunner's 1972 science fiction masterpiece "The Sheep Look Up" this week to put myself in the mood.)

What I came up with is a square compostion, which will have some 50's style young children in the center on a background of a perfect green lawn. Surrounding them on all sides will be examples of various things used by homeowners (past and present) to defend that square of perfection from all the critters that would seek to enter it. Bug sprays, weed killers, mouse traps, etc. Some objects were (temporarily) drawn from memory, others were found in workrooms around the basement of the Studio building. First I did a quick sketch on paper, then started transfering it to a 9" square block. The block as seen here will require some minor changes, and the addition of lot more details, but I think it can work. I'll continue it tomorrow. It pretty much has to be done in a few days if I'm going to make the deadline. Otherwise, I'll ship the print that I have.