This was my first really “big” illustration attempt, posted not long after I started Illustrated Poetry. It was my first try at block printing and it wound up involving about a dozen trips to the art store (First day: “What do you need a $20 roller thingy for? I don’t need that.” Next day: “One rubber ink roller, please.”), a complete set carved with the letters backwards, and near asphyxiation by fumes (“non-toxic” ≠ odorless!). But this piece holds a special place in my heart, maybe because the “art mountain” I had to scale seemed so high. The excerpt is from “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath: read the whole poem here. All four women saints are Linocut prints, designed, cut, inked, and printed by me.
Abbreviations (with links to wikipedia, if anyone is curious about what is known or traditionally believed about each saint): St. Lucy = Saint Lucy, St. Cath = Saint Catherine of the Wheel, St. J.d’Arc = Saint Joan of Arc, St. M. Mag. = Saint Mary Magdalene
Perhaps my favorite poem of all time! Loved the story of your early process.
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Thank you, Alice! I agree with you – “Lady Lazarus” is one of my favorites too – every time I read it (and that is now many many times!) I discover something new or find another layer. Have a great weekend!
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Love Plath’s poem. And your prints are a perfect pairing.
Ha! Been there with the $20 roller-thingy. You can see our family’s attempt in my post about San Francisco’s Center for the Book. http://jilannehoffmann.com/2014/10/02/san-francisco-center-for-the-book-roadworks/
It was fun, but I failed the “mirror image” test. 😀
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Thank you, Jilanne! Yep, I too failed the “mirror image” test. I pulled the first print and had a hand on forehead moment. Luckily, re-carving them took much less time.
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I know those trips to the art store and how you ask a question
And they look at you as though you have two head
Great piece
Words and all
As always Sheldon
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So true…in the big box art supply stores, good luck even finding someone!
Thank you, Sheldon! I am always eager to see your new poems and collages!
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I’ve been considering trying block printing…yours are quite interesting…I’m a fan of Sylvia Plath’s words 🙂
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Thank you so much! I do recommend it and lino blocks are small-scale friendly. Once I ironed out my rough start, it was a blast to do the carving and inking – pulling the block away to see the final result was thrilling. Each print was a little different and unique. “Lady Lazarus” ends so powerfully that the block print style felt like a good fit.
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Fabulous 🙂
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Thank you! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
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Very effective. And more block prints…(?) Yes, I know, I was going to do more too. (K.)
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Thank you! I do want to do more block prints – I (re)posted this partly to inspire myself. I was at the art store this last weekend to buy a new newsprint pad and wound up bringing home a lino block too! It is currently sitting unblemished on my desk. I will change that! 🙂
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I have one I bought about 6 months ago…now in a bin with rollers I had from high school. Now I need to find the cutting tools…
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I think we’re on a vibe. 🙂 I just reposted this poem with some commentary attached; it nods toward two of Plath’s poems, including this one.
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I agree! That is a beautiful poem. There are so many layers. I smiled big and wide when I saw “Wallace Stevens” and “Red Barchetta” in the same line – well done! And I think the question you pose at the end is an important one. Personal history as history (or what even constitutes it?) is becoming more important, more accessible, more ever-present yet intangible with the internet and social media. Thank you so much for sharing!
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Thank you! That poem took years to make its way into the world. It was important for me as a poet because it was my first time grasping within my own work that poetry doesn’t have to have the answers to the questions it asks. I think some of the best ever doesn’t.
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Your Linocut prints are wonderful. “Lady Lazarus” is such a strong and powerful piece, and your choice of medium, (the gouging and cutting of the blocks), along with subjects, (women saints), are a perfect compliment. Spot on fantastic. Thank you for sharing this treat.
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Thank you! I had always been an admirer of block prints, but I had never attempted one myself. But, as you said, “Lady Lazarus” is so strong and jarring, I felt it demanded something equally radical from me. The technical difficulties definitely made the moment when I pulled the block off the paper and had a decent print all the sweeter!
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Wow! Great work on your block printing! The red really caught my eye! Enjoyed hearing your art process too. :-)))
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Thank you so much, Jill! I was inspired by your blog and how you so joyfully share your creative process. I think the frustrations and the successes combine together to enrich our oeuvre!
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I agree, Marcy! So happy that I could inspire you! 😊
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