Image carved on the linoleum block, first proofing on the printing press, a cup of Maroco’s menthe tea a must.
Printing process, drying on the line, testing different quality paper, the last one comes from Madagascar, a good friend of mine brought it for me when he want visiting a paper mill in 2001.
In France New Year cards are presented always at the beginning of the year – dead line every January 31 st. In America and Canada it is some how different, but I never fully understood the story behind the dead line, it seems to be wrapped up before Christmas day. So far I have missed all my North American dead lines, except when I have been commissioned the New Year cards – tradition does not accept delays, besides until the end of the year, don’t we, on the Westerner hemisphere live under the “timely” tread? [Even artists cannot be exempt from].
To continue with France and its language, the number “9”, ( pronounce it: “enough ” without the “e”), could sound the similarly for French speakers like “new ” or “egg” [ depending on the context], which probably could justify sunbconsciously the “egg” shape in my card design. Go figure? It has been a long year, lucky enough having been able still to keep alive. And why now would be the real interest trying analyzing the meanling of my cutting into an insignificant little piece of linoleum while there is so much more to tackel in our world? I am not referring about what we are fed from the actual news, but rather about humanistic situations old of 1000 and 1000 of years, we have not been able starting the resolving process. Maybe I packed tightly my numbers on a hope for a deeper sense of togetherness…while we are been restlessly kept divided like if cut by a razor blade!