House Project part 9

In the early afternoon I drove up to the Studio with the plan of finishing the cutting of the block, and perhaps pulling a proof or two. In about an hour and a half I finished cutting the three figures and the rest of the stuff around them. I made the decision to leave the banisters and railings as solid black, instead of completely cutting them out, figuring it would help them stand out better against all the clutter. Since the deadline is coming up quick on this, I decided to keep going and print it. I have a supply of partial sheets of okawara that are a good size for this block, and the thin Japanese paper prints very easily with hand rubbing. The image above shows the ink going on to the block. I pulled two proofs- as usual the second one being a little better than the first. The photo below shows the second proof and the block side by side.

I can't do anything for a few days while the ink dries, except think about the next step. I have two options for the upcoming Gimme Shelter exhibition. My original plan was to use the carved block itself as my entry. That's assuming that the ink is dry by next weekend. With that option I would likely not try to add color, but rather just figure out a way to add a hanging wire. The down side is that it ends my involvement with the block, since this show is a fundraiser and the plan is to auction off the pieces in the show. The second option is to color one of the proofs and come up with some way to present it. I could just put it in a frame, though I'm not sure how it will look in a rectangular frame. I have thought about attaching it to a piece of wood of similar shape, giving it a similar presence to the wood itself, which would fit in better with the rest of the work in the show. Like I said, I have a few days to think about it.