Mindful Moment #4
The sun has dipped below the treeline for Winter, and the farm life turns inward. Firewood stash is ready, and the woodstoves create a cozy,’ hygge’ (Danish word that is untranslatable but refers to that warm fuzzy feeling when you are cozy & sometimes drinking with friends) feeling.
The Snow Moon rises above the orchard and sets behind the Butsu. Holiday lights twinkle down the driveway and pathway, coming on So Early! I retreat into the Butsu Studio for yet another iteration of my Moon linocut series.
Wabi Sabi Moon was created when I inadvertently rotated the paper while printing. I thought it was a mistake, but when the Artists’ Co-op decided to have a Wabi Sabi “Imperfect” exhibition, I knew that this print found a place in the collection.
Wabi Sabi Moon
First Moon
Big River Farm’s orchard aligns with the pathway of the moon, rising in the east above the massive redwood treetops, setting in the west outside of my Butsu studio window, peeking through the branches which track the movement toward the distant horizon. I printed the first Mendocino Moon with my newly acquired technique in Linocut, inspired by Emmy Lou Packard’s whiteline technique.
Our printmaking group, the Noyo 4, met weekly at the NoyoPrintworks in Fort Bragg, and inspired each other to build on our printmaking skills after taking a class at the College of the Redwoods with Jonathan Palmer. My friend Gail Coulson was an expert at carving and printing linocuts. She has shared so much about her technique with me. I was ready to explore more on my own.
Tim Carmody visited us at the Printworks and asked “why do you all only print on white paper?” There is nothing like other artists for inspiration & new ideas. Janet Self from Flockworks organized a street happening with a large carpet roller as a press and we were given a 12” x 12” piece of linoleum.
Orchard Moonrise
First Mendocino Moon
Almanac Moons
Home in the Butsu, the moon called to me and I carved the first original moon block. Looking for ways to expand the possibilities, I visited an Andy Warhol show at the SFMOMA and was impressed with the effect of multiple images. I decided to make 12 Moons, using the same block, but different colors to evoke different moods. The Farmers’ Almanac describes each moon as referenced by the Native people in New England. The Cold Moon,December, was my birthday moon, and started the series. Wolf Moon, Snow Moon, Worm Moon, Pink Moon, Flower Moon, Strawberry Moon, Buck Moon, Sturgeon Moon, Harvest Moon, Beaver Moon come every year, around and around. It’s magical.
Pink Moon
Wolf Moon II Chin Colle w/ foil
Harvest Moon
12 Moons at Oddfellows Hall
Debra Lennox with the Mendocino Eco Artists Exhibition
Exploration of linocut techniques and playing with the moon are still inspired by time in the Butsu and living along the Big River valley. Every month, a new full moon rises from the east, tracking across the sky above the orchard, setting through the branches of the redwoods, gleaming in the windows, bright as can be. We play our drums and sing to the moon, celebrating the connection to each other and the natural world, through art and song.
