Another boaty block print!

This new linoleum block print is called Heading Out, and the perspective is from the cockpit of a small open sailboat on the west coast of Florida, heading for the pass. My source is a composite sketch of some video stills and photos of 21' Sea Pearls sailing with the West Coast Trailer Sailing Squadron; possibly the perfect, small production sailboat for these waters. I just wanted to capture that joy in breezing up on a fine afternoon and having other sailors out there, sharing a glorious sail.

After my last multiple block magnum opus, this is only a one-block, one-color enterprise. (Thank goodness...)

I did a marathon carving session to get it done in time for the Roycroft jury; from 5:30am on a Tuesday morning, I managed to get it completely carved, proofed, carved some tweaks and then pulled a final proof print four scanning just before going out to dinner the next night to celebrate my anniversary on February 29th with my husband — a total of 14 hours of carving. Ow.

The next morning I dried the proof with a hair dryer, scanned it and sent the disk off, postmarked by the 1st of March. I already had my four required images ready, but I really, really wanted to include this one for this year's jury.

Approx. 10"x7"; this one is hand-pulled using a wooden letter opener and spoon to burnish. Oil-based umber ink on Hosho Japanese paper.