Three "Little" Pigs!

Saturday morning I visited Bagaduce Farm right here in Brooksville where the Deborah and Spencer Evans raise English Large Black & Tamworth pigs. Deborah sells bacon, ham, sausage, and chops at the Brooksville, Stonington, and Blue Hill Farmers' Markets. These three are her breeding stock. Aren't they a hoot! Martha Stewart (left) and Hillary Clinton (right) are English Large Black sows, famous for their EARS! Arnold Schwazenegger (middle) is a Tamworth/ Landrace boar.

I'm going to carve each one into his/her own 10" X 13" birch plywood slab. A triptych of sorts. Stay tuned for "little" pig #1!

Puccini the Poodle

Puccini

8" X 10" pen-and-ink

2008

Here is a commission I just finished yesterday. Puccini, or "Cini" for short, is a gorgeous apricot Standard Poodle. Doesn't he have the sweetest, most wistful look on his face? He suffered quite a bit as a pup at the hands of an irresponsible breeder. He had parasites, pancreatic problems, and digestive issues. When he was three months old he looked more like he was six weeks old. However, his is a happy story. Now he not only has a good home, but good health and great looks as well. I think he’s a real hunk! Can't you just hear Madame Butterfly singing his praises?

The Good Shepherd

Nickie

12" X 13" woodcut

2006

Those of you who are familiar with my children's book, How to Catch a Lobster, will recognize Nickie -- the salty sea dog who really knows the ropes. Nickie is just getting back to work on the Anne Elizabeth after a long recovery from knee surgery. Captain Ed and his stern woman, Anne, are happy to have her back on board. We hope they're catching lots of lobsters on Penobscot Bay!

Woodcuts and Summer Guests

Incentive Package

12" X 13" woodcut

2008

Although my blog has been quite quiet these last two weeks, I haven't been idle. I've been busy carving ever bigger woodblocks. This donkey is a native of Sirince, Turkey, a tiny farming village in the hills above Ephesus. I'm going to submit him and Kate, the Border Collie, to the Common Ground Fair poster contest. You can read all about the fair on the Maine Farmers and Growers Association website.

I carved my donkey and his dangling carrot during the week my niece Bella was visiting from New Hampshire. Bella, almost 9 years old, keenly observed each step of the process. May be another woodblock artist in the making! She and I also read a book aloud together -- The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron (a great story!) -- and I helped outfit Bella for the Friday Fashion Show at Nichols Day Camp when she bemoaned the fact that she didn't have a THING to wear! Note the Italian "designer" dress with the maritime motif, the frog earrings, the Korean silk scarf, and beaded bracelets from French West Africa. The purple Crocs are hers! Such a fashionista!



Stay tuned for another woodcut that I'll post as soon as it's been gifted.

Kate Strides Again!

Kate, a Border Collie

6" X 10" woodcut

2008

I had the privilege of watching Kate in action the year I volunteered at Overlook Farm, the Northeast Learning and Livestock Center for Heifer Project International, in Rutland, Massachusetts. During a year’s sabbatical from teaching high-school English (1993-1994), I spent one day a week happily slopping hogs, fattening turkeys, milking goats, and admiring Kate. I also drew a calendar of farm animals and Kate was Miss December.

Miss December

8" X 10" pen and ink

1994

Kate was a canine cyclone of centripetal force. She was absolutely focused on her efforts to keep Overlook Farm’s diverse flock in line—sheep, goats, cows, a team of water buffalo, llamas, a camel, even the occasional errant hog, who probably outweighed her by a good 300 or 400 pounds. Kate executed her duties with determination, intelligence, and aplomb. Few of her furry charges could withstand the intensity of her unwavering stare. Neither could many humans. When she wasn’t busy bossing the farm animals around, Kate insisted on playing soccer with any two-footed minion she could corral. She was a fierce competitor! No mere two-footer ever scored against her.

I carved this woodblock of Kate thinking I’d submit it to the Common Ground Country Fair poster contest. Then I read their size preferences and realized that mine were way off. So, back to the cutting board! I’m about ready to embark on a new idea. Stay tuned for future woodcuts!

An English Beauty

Ceiligh "Girl" MacLeod

8" X 10" pen and ink

2008

Ceiligh “Girl” MacLeod is a pure-bred English Setter. Isn’t she gorgeous with her black ticking, her white feathers, her luminous eye, and her elegant stance? I understand that her personality was every bit as poised as her physical presence. What a joy she was to draw! Happy Birthday, Scotty!

Black Bear Song

Black Bear Singing in the Dead of Night

6" X 12" woodcut

2008

Stuffed full of suet and sunflower seeds from the Blacks', the Snows', and the Moores' bird feeders, this bear has got plenty to sing about. He must still be digesting all those high-calorie treats because he hasn't made any repeat visits to our feeders.

[I spoke too soon! Last night at 7:00, Keith Snow called to say he'd just scared the bear out from under his bird feeders. Had he come down to our place? Lo and behold he had! There he was, right under our feeders. Tom, Kinsey, and I all got a good gander before he galloped away, past our vegetable garden (He didn't stop to check the gate this time) and through the woods to the Blacks' feeders. I called Anne to warn her. She almost got a photo of him, but the flash reflected off the window screens. All our bird feeders came inside for the night!]

This is my biggest woodcut to date. I carved it out of a piece of birch plywood and printed six copies this morning using a wooden spoon and a lot of elbow grease to hand-rub each print. This is the sixth and best print of the batch. I'm going to have to work on my printing techniques. Maybe get better ink (I'm using Speedball water proof) and better paper (I'm using Sumi "Kozo" plain rice paper). I got both ink and paper cheap at the local craft store. I'll have to go online and order some higher quality stuff. Any recommendations?

I get A Word A Day online, thanks to my tennis buddy Allen. Not only does it teach me a new and useful word each day, but also provides a thoughtful quotation. Today's seems particularly appropriate to my night bear woodcut.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

"How hard to realize that every camp of men or beast has this glorious starry firmament for a roof! In such places standing alone on the mountaintop it is easy to realize that whatever special nests we make -- leaves and moss like the marmots and birds, or tents or piled stone -- we all dwell in a house of one room -- the world with the firmament for its roof -- and are sailing the celestial spaces without leaving any track."

-John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914)