When Woodcuts Go Bad

Woodcut block, carving tools, ink and brayers for printing.

I’ve been carving woodcuts for 15 years. I love the process of slowly chiseling away at the surface of a wood or linoleum block, cut by cut, watching as an image slowly takes shape. The effort is painstaking and requires total concentration. One poorly carved line can destroy hours of work and ruin an image. When it goes well, the work is meditative and mindful. When it goes wrong, interesting things happen.