Studio Saturday - carving the "Korean doll" woodblocks

My blog holiday continues. Part of the reason is the computer setup - I've been standing at the computer for a year and a half, since an attack of sciatica -

Note the worn area of the floor!

Finally - yesterday - I could bear it no longer, and took everything off the desk. Some "real beeswax" furniture polish emerged from its place in the cupboard, where it had been for nearly 25 years, and gave the surfaces a nice shine -

So I'm sitting down writing this, and getting whiffs of that "old beeswax" smell.

Now for a clearout of the peripherals - the items from the top of the desk are heaped to either side. (Not a pretty sight.)

But first, a report on arty progress this week. No pots were prepared, but some sewing was done in those quiet mornings in the studio - this lap quilt, started some 35 years ago (dreary colour, what was I thinking) will become a play mat -

And there were lots of goings-on with woodblocks, specifically the "Korean dolls" started a couple of weeks ago.

I'm happiest when a project contains, in its final form, traces of its evolution or making. The dolls on which the drawing is based were the result of a lesson in fabric dyeing in the microwave, a long time ago when that technique was new - we dyed and re-dyed, layering the colours.

To replicate that effect, the blocks are divided into three areas for each doll, with the collars a combination of those colours, which may look different depending on the order they are printed.

 One block will be red, one blue, one yellow - but the shades in different areas could be different, or there could be layering of areas. How to do this will evolve once printing starts.

Before carving started, there were minor adjustments to the drawing ... and I almost forgot to turn it over before transferring to the block.

First colour block underway - the many thin lines of the "black" block will have to wait -

The "easy" cutting does give a chance for practice with thin lines. I'm keeping a list of podcast episodes listened to: when podcasts are on autoplay, one tends to slip into another and be forgotten immediately. The hours pass unnoticed!

The shapes look like pieces of dressmaking patterns, which is totally appropriate -

 Another session and the easy bits were all done -

 Starting the tricky bits -

Meanwhile, I'm missing the family - they're having a great time in Greece -