New Progress Report

While reporting on old books for the last few days I have not been idle behind the scenes: some of it has not been particularly visually interesting - the repetitive bookbinding....

endless fools disappearing into the distance......

the cartoneras are in their covers now and just need a spine covering, and a title to paste on the front - I didn't like the woodcut title I tried - its a funny collection of letters ; so I have now re-cut as a cardboard stencil to try - it looked ok on the Map of Cuckoos book, gives the right manilla files in obscure government department look.....fingers crossed; fiddly though so have been putting it off

the cutting is fiddly too - no room for mistakes...

As a relief I have also been drawing and cutting more playing card images - can't seem to stop ; they are good for trying ideas out, although they would look very different larger, and I am not sure they will all work together, so they may split into different sets 

the drawing plan , drawn on block , final cut - 

or maybe not so final as there are so many possible ways of cutting these particular blocks for example that I might try again a few times out of interest....

I cut the 2 tree and fool  holding The World  facing two different ways - the Fool's World seems heavier and he will face backwards when printed - the Tree's World seem more buoyant and hugged rather than clasped - I hope....and it is facing forward.

I am nor sure about Fortitude - whether she is quite what I want in my forest, perhaps I will turn her more into a tree - I solved the lion problem by making it her head-dress and breastplate - I found a nice old reference and removed some of her martial aspects and replaced them with a branch of green shoots, but I liked the saucy eye and use of her bosom for the lion's mouth....

and I am also working on more larger images for Fool Gets Sick but they are too fragile to show yet...

Ah it is all so therapeutic..... 

as it gets hotter I have started taking my graveyard walk early evening; The Dance of Death takes on a new meaning as the evening walkers take evasive action , up and down the rows with sudden 90% turns, having to wait your turn to get a good clear trot up an extra wide one; it is extraordinary how quickly we have been programmed to think of each other as potential sources of contagion. I am so lucky to have this big municipal graveyard right across the road but it is strange to spend my 'out time' now with all these careless people who 'fell asleep' - so, so  careless - enough to make one even more of an insomniac; salutory too to see the young ages recorded, makes you think you have had a good innings already when you feel you are only just beginning.....

Such lovely weather though - temper, wind and shorn lambs springs to mind...