Galleries  1   2   3   4   5   6  7  8  9    Click for page 2   page 3  of Gallery Five                    This gallery features my illustrations for the book of                  poetry, Woodstoves and Ravens, by Robert E. Farmer                   It was published in 2007 by Birch Brook Press, publisher Tom Tolnay.                  Woodstoves and Ravens is available on Amazon.

On Some Deep-Winter Days the sun emerges with effort through the spruce swamp, rising stiffly to a low zenith and slides quickly into afternoon. There is no incentive in it's progress. It brings light to little accomplishment. The aging fire requires attention, with trips from wood to stove setting empty mileposts along the day. Books unread, checks unwritten, we are entertained by windchimes and voices in our mind from long forgotten names. Robert Farmer

"Snow Through Black Spruce" (above)  graphite and watercolour   I think this pencil drawing would work well for a vinyl print. I've done each line thick enough so that it would transfer well to the medium of block printing. I will be sending the cut vinyl blocks to Birch Brook Press, where their expert printers will print each illustration by hand before binding them in the book. "Dogs on Winter Hill" (left)  graphite and watercolour This drawing is done with pencil. It has the potential to be made into a vinyl block print, too. The illustrations are 6 x 4 inches so what I have to consider with this one is whether or not I can carve all the vinyl out around those tiny dogs without having the vinyl crumble. That's what can happen sometimes when you are carving out very fine lines.  If one of Rob's poems featured a three-legged dog this wouldn't present so much of a problem. I'm going to be asking Tom Tolnay if he thinks the book could have a combination of vinyl block prints and line drawings. If he says yes, then this idea could work as the latter.

Birch Brook Press is devoted to the art of handmade books. Here is a quote from their website: "Why produce books slowly in the age of high-speed technology? Because reading is not merely a mental but a sensory activity as well, and we believe that placing readers in direct contact with quality materials, in books made with continuous direct human involvement, and employing ancient crafts and equipment, adds a measurable quality to the reading experience, especially when it is combined with imaginative content and fine writing. Since we also believe that readers are at least as important as writers, they deserve the kind of respect implied in books made with quality and commitment and care and beauty."

Knowing Late snows pass Winter drifts to a May retreat. Ducks wake to last ice, aim surely north, and leave before breakfast. The spring creek roars with the certainty of it's mission. In the terrible isolation of our knowing, we are forever separated from such direction; no seasonal imperative, no true fit with the world. yet my mind still rises with the morning's arrow of loon, crying through the sky to first open water. Robert Farmer

"Wild Blueberries" (right) vinyl block print and waterclour I posted this vinyl block print of blueberries just to give Rob and Tom an idea of what I've been doing with vinyl lately. This one is hand-tinted with watercolour.

"The Wood Stove 1#" (left) graphite and watercolour     I decided to post the two versions of the wood stove to illustrate why I made some changes to it. Here on the left is the first version. I felt mostly happy with it when it was done but, something was amiss because it lacked the quiet intimacy I wished to evoke. I pinpointed the electric light by the chair as the possible culprit. When I put in the lamp I was thinking about the many remote cabins and homes that have solar lights these days. But, I erased the lamp and put in an oil lantern instead which instantly gave the illustration the feel I wanted.  Also,  totally darkening the back wall focuses the eye on the wood stove, dog, and  chair. You can see this version below.    This seemingly small change reminded me of what is lost and what is gained by having electric light. You feel morally good about having those solar light bulbs and, my oh my, they are sooo convenient for reading or painting at night. Good bye to the eyestrain of having to read a book just inches away from the light of three candles. But, what is lost with the electric light?  Lost are the flickering shadows on the wall and the comforting sense that the world is uncontrolable. The fragile light from a candle or a lantern lets the darkness press in on you and also hold you in the mystery of night. Rob's poems are about allowing the natural world to enter his life both spiritually and viscerally, with a willingness to embrace comfort and unease...through which comes the poignant reward of deeply feeling connected to the beauty of both life and death. I want my illustrations to speak of this.

"The Woodstove 2#" (right) graphite and watercolour Here is the second version in which I erased the electric light and replaced it with the oil lantern instead.

"Wood Stove 3#" (left) graphite and watercolour  Tom requested that the wood stove illustration have less solid black areas to assist in ease of printing. Rob liked the abstract qualities of the snow through the spruce. So, with that feedback in mind, I developed this version.       "Wood Stove 4#" (below) graphite and watercolour  Both Tom and Rob requested more detail on 3# wood stove. I added the textured back wall. This encloses the room, making it more of a haven from the elements.

"Lake Superior Beach" (right) graphite and watercolour If Rob thinks this drawing suits his poem about Lake Superior then I can make it into a block print.   I have many drawings and paintings of Lake Superior  done on various trips I've taken along it's shore. Right now don't have access to these since I'm living in Taiwan. Having them at my fingertips would be very helpful right now. Luckily, the memories are indelible and I can draw from them.     This is Page One of Gallery Five Click for page 2    page 3   of Gallery Five     You are now in Gallery Five Galleries  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8  9