2020
I carved this woodblock to be ready in time for Diwali, the Indian Festival of lights with the Goddess Laxmi. Laxmi is the goddess of wealth and abundance with the understanding that true wealth is the love and friends in your life. Ganesha is in the left corner and a Colorado mountain lion on the right. Ganesha is the elephant-headed remover of obstacles. The lion also represents Durga, a powerful protector goddess. The Shoshoni temple is on the right. The teeny tiny figure walking to temple is myself. My model is Sammi, the setting is Shoshoni retreat in Colorado. Sammi loves birds so I included hummingbirds and a swan. The swan is also a reference to Saraswathi, the goddess of music and the arts..
This is a 6 color mokuhanga woodblock artwork. A separate block is carved for each color. Mokuhanga is an old-school, low tech, labor-intensive Japanese printmaking method. I carve the woodblocks, hand rub them onto mulberry paper using a bamboo baren, and use sumi ink and watercolors, (non toxic). Mokuhanga was becoming a dying art form but now there is a new wave of enthusiastic printers due to the beauty and low tech methods of printing. I studied with Hiroki Morinoue of Holualoa, Hawaii and did an advanced residency at Mokuhanga Innovations Laboratory Mi-Lab, at lake Kawaguchiko, Japan.
To purchase, please visit my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FaithStoneArt?ref=hdr_shop_menu
Title: Laxmi and Ganesha
Artist: Faith Stone
Date November 2020
Size: 12x16 in artwork on 16x20 paper
Limited edition: 1 of 12