Oh! Hello there. It seems that Christmas is closing in fast, in case you – like me – hadn’t noticed. This past weekend I actually achieved the sending of a small batch of handmade Christmas cards; though the big story really is that Christmas cards even made it from my hands into envelopes with stamps and addresses and stuff, and into the mail, period. All because we got a big, fat helping of SNOW! over the weekend, and as long as I was forced to stay indoors, I figured I’d stay on the couch in front of the Christmas tree, listening to Christmas music and eating a big, fat helping of peppermint bark while writing Christmas cards and wrapping presents. I’m trying to get in the mood.

6×6 no. 9, monotype and linocut

I’ve also been pushing myself to finish something that’s been working mostly in my head for a long while, only now I’m actually making it happen. Just a few finishing touches and I’ll tell you all about it. It’s all very crazy and mind-swizzling. You heard me.

Thankfully, there’s printmaker Hannah Skoonberg. I stumbled across her Etsy shop, which is chock full of gorgeous relief prints that focus on the spiritual, meditative nature of trees: beauty stripped to its bones. Seeing her work instantly makes me feel calmer; she expertly captures the quiet, stately beauty that I love about trees in winter. She’s a very strong contender for my next major art purchase.

Stillness, 3-color reduction linocut

Look! No footprints. It feels so tranquilizingly empty. I want to make snow angels.

Devotional, 2-color relief print

In the description, she says that Devotional (above) – at 18 x 24 inches – took her an entire semester to carve. I have a 5 x 7-inch block that I’ve been working on for a year and it’s still not done. Do you think she still has all her fingers, too? I don’t want to know. That would make her too splendid.

Meditation, 5-color reduction linocut