Puzzle Piece

 I'm participating in a collaborative print conceived, organized and heroically managed by Maria Arango-Diener.(http://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/).

This is a "puzzle print".  A larger block has been cut into many pieces and the participating artists,
almost 160(!) of us, each received a single piece, and we now need to carve it and ship it back to be reassembled and then printed.

This particular print has the theme of "PEACE" but there are no restrictions on how we interpret it and all we are asked is to get the block back by the deadline, and to avoid proofing the block (to prevent warping it)--as Maria will also compile a detailed colophon, we'll need to include at least a few words or explanation too.

The due date is July 31st and I brought the block in my carry-on as I flew last week from Florence, Italy to San Francisco and Santa Cruz, where I'll be staying for the next six weeks.

Here's my portion of the whole.
I got a leaf or tear-drop shaped block of cherry plywood.
I've been staring at it off and on for a few days. Looking at the shape and grain.

PEACE?
I'm not feeling it.
The vibrations I'm getting are the buses rumbling past, and the chattering windows as the beer glasses and patrons jostle each other in the bar down the street. And later, the garbage trucks at 5am, picking up the accumulated trash of this small city.
A young girl goes by holding hands with another while down the street another couple are pulling a stroller out of a car trunk and an infant and toddler spill out of the car itself, laughing and cooing.
PEACE?
I have now a half a dozen thumbnail sketches in my sketchbook.
I've even traced my wooden block to see if the shape will move me and it does, or something does.
I redraw an idea to scale and hold it backwards against the window, to see the reversed image.
it needs work, and maybe a different emphasis. But it's a start. Even if, from the shot below, you can't fairly guess yet where this is going.