KNOCK THREE TIMES

A few weeks ago my daughter sent me a text with a list of four different kinds of art, and told me to choose one. Without even thinking, I shot back "Wood block carving!" She then came back with "Great! You and I are now signed up to take a class together May 11th. Consider it an early Mother's Day gift to us both." Why did I choose that one without even thinking? Well, it seems synchronicity has been knocking on my door yet again!

You see, two and a half years ago I took a screen printing class at Lucky Star art camp, and had a blast! So when, shortly after I got home from there, family started pestering me to update my Amazon wish list, I added anything I could find to do with printing. That's how I ended up getting this awesome block printing set and book from my son and daughter-in-love. Unfortunately, it's been sitting untouched all this time, since, right after that, I got swept up in weddings, new grandbaby, travel and travel journals, etc. , etc., etc.

Welcome to Craft Austin!

A Chocolate-Making Class That Shared Their Bounty With Us

Then, a couple of weeks ago, the newest Maisie Dobbs mystery was released, and I was reminded how much I love the style of art that is on each book in that series. It's the same style that you see in the intro to the PBS series, Durrells in Corfu, and I just adore it! I decided to do a little digging and discovered that both Andrew Davidson and Alex Maclean use wood cuts and engravings in their art!

Our Instructor

Lex Decides On A Pattern And Begins To Carve

Classmates

Then I started reading a great new book last week called The Garden of Evening Mists.  Not only does it take place in Malaysia -- a place we visited often when living on Sumatra -- and involve gardening, a former obsession of mine, but there is also a story line revolving around Ukiyo-e, 18th century Japanese woodblock prints!

Inking Our Blocks

Lex Opts For Delicate And Refined

I Go With Rough And Messy

So, of course I had to choose the wood block carving class. 'Cause, if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that when Synchronicity keeps aknockin' on your door, you really oughta answer!