During the COVID pandemic our weekly letterpress lab was canceled for safety reasons. For two years, I made linocuts and printed at home on my small galley press and proofing press. 

Out of loneliness and isolation I began a series of nude studies in linocut, both to explore the medium and improve my skills, and also as part of a program of self-study in learning to draw the nude human figure. I have made drawing a daily practice (almost), and continue to pursue linocut printing.

Embrace began as a handful of prints made from this process, but has grown into a series of over two dozen prints. I am currently working towards organizing the prints into an art book, with short poems associated with some of the prints. 

The linocut print shown here will be the cover of the art book made from the Embrace series. It and one other print are carved from larger blocks, to serve as cover art, and centerpiece art. A smaller earlier version of this image exists also as one of the series prints.