St Dwynwen part 4

No things I had to do during the day today, so it was a good day for a Studio visit.  Had two things to do there- talk to the new director about some show related stuff, and to start drawing the latest block. The print is one I was planning for the East Meets West show, and whatever happens with that it's still months away, but this can also help me with my Belmar woodcut class, which will resume next week.
Week 2 of that class is when they start cutting, which I will demonstrate early on.  Normally I just cut random shapes in a piece of scrap wood, but I think it would be more exciting for them to see an actual block being carved.  Of all the blocks that I'm planning for the near future, this was the one that would be easiest to draw.

The block design is very much like the one I worked out in the waiting room of the car repair shop back in February.  In the center is a wheel, which I think was mentioned in the television report, a symbol of a man's promise to work to support the woman he gives a wooden spoon to.  I had considered basing it on the design of the wheels and hubcaps on my own car, but in the end I figured a wooden wheel made more sense, so this one was based on a covered wagon wheel.  (every day my television brings me dozens of vintage tv westerns, so finding a source was no problem)  Wooden spoons are a major part of the Welsh custom in this case, but they are also significant to my own process of printing.  Combining the playing card format and the romantic holiday associations, opposite corners will have small red hearts, accompanied by the common feast day date.  Horizontal above and below the wheel will be drawings of wood carving tools, significant to the traditional custom of carving a wooden spoon to give to the woman one loves.  I will be carving spoons, but only as relief, not in the round.

I just started on the carving tools when I had to call time and make a stop at the store to pick up ingredients for a batch of meat sauce.  No problem- the woodcut demo will be next Tuesday, so plenty of time to finish the sketch before then.