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“The Sanctity of the Saguaro” was inspired by a trip to the Sonoran Desert, where I found myself in March when the pandemic hit. I carved this block upon reemerging into a profoundly different world following a backpacking trip through Joshua Tree National Park. I remember driving to the airport to head back home just as California was declaring a state of emergency. Feeling near a total emotional breakdown, there seemed to me a peculiar softness to the cacti passing by our window in the enduring desert sun. If you too feel the need for softness these days, let this offer a reminder that it can be sometimes come to you from unlikely places.

“The Sanctity of the Saguaro” has been hand-drawn, carved, pressed, and colored on smooth Kitakata paper using a light-fast Black vegetable-oil based ink. It was printed using a special technique called chine-collé. After carefully cutting out my desired shapes from tissue paper, I roll ink onto my block of linoleum. I then brush a small amount of rice paste on the backside of each shape and place them atop my block in the desired location paste-side up. Once each of the pieces of  mulberry paper are atop my block, I carefully place a new sheet of paper to hand-press the print.

Please note: All orders are dispatched within 1-3 working days, protected in a cellophane sleeve and posted in a board-backed envelope. If you intend your purchase to be a gift and would like it to arrive shrouded in gift wrap and dried flowers and poetry, just say the word! Gift-giving is one of my primary love-languages, so it warms my heart to help facilitate that process for others.