The Green Maiden

A new item in my etsy shop! I revised my Christmas card design to carve this reduction linoleum print edition of twenty gift card/prints. Alotta fun!

Here's an excerpt from my description about the print on my shop:

You've heard of The Green Man? Well, this is my feminine version of that mythological character - I call her The Green Maiden. Like her male counterpart, she heralds the return of spring and rebirth of the earth at the time of the vernal equinox. The Green Maiden is a limited edition handpulled relief print. The image was created using a time consuming reduction print process - just one plate was used to create all the colors. I carved what was going to be white first, then rolled the plate with yellow ink and printed the 20 prints. Then I carved what was going to be yellow, and rolled the plate with the next color, orange, and printed the 20 prints, and so on, progressivly carving and printing, using 5 colors in all, ending with the deep indigo blue that you see in the tree trunks. Because these prints are handpulled, there will be variations in texture and tone that make each one uniquely beautiful!

A little background from Wickepedia on The Green Man:

The Green Man motif has many variations. Found in many cultures around the world, the Green Man is often related to natural vegetative deities springing up in different cultures throughout the ages. Primarily it is interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, or "renaissance," representing the cycle of growth each spring. Some speculate that the mythology of the Green Man developed independently in the traditions of separate ancient cultures and evolved into the wide variety of examples found throughout history.

OK, after all that grren talk, I'm heading out the door into the white landscape and heading to my studio to start a new portrait!