Enamel metaphor

I finished, and mailed off, the small 5" x 7" print to the 2014 sketchbook project's "Print Exchange 2014". This year's theme was "waiting for a sign" and I took it fairly literally.

"enamel metaphor", 5" x 7" moku hanga print;
This was printed from 5 blocks and has 8 separate color impressions.
Edition of 12 in this color scheme with 3 artist proofs.

I tend to "collect" road signs. I often stop and photograph old ones as well as ones that just strike me as odd or amusing. I also find them full of metaphoric content. "STOP" and "YIELD" are particularly strong--I guess I'm not used to the Imperative tense........Others are mere suggestions; recommendations on actions to follow....

I appreciated the friendly hint here to avoid this marble monument by going Right......

So my little print is both quite concrete: "Keep Left, Avoid Wall" but I also intended a more subtle, deeper meaning but it's one that you'll have to ponder on your own as I think it will mean different things to different viewers.
I've a few more road-sign/driving-themed prints in the "still-in-the-sketchbook phase" but there are a couple that I hope to do soon.

Proofing "Signs"

5" x 7" Woodblock print (Moku hanga).

I decided to try pulling some proofs from the 5 blocks I have carved so far on this little print.
These are for the Sketchbook Project Print exchange that I wrote about last week.  I will need to send in an edition of 12 copies ready for the end of April. I am definitely (and quite unusually for me) on time/target.
I wanted to see if I can accomplish through overprinting from these blocks for the effects I want (instead of carving the other 3 blocks I was planning on using).
These are getting pretty close to what I have in mind although the lighter one is much brighter and subtle than my scanner will pick up. The "sky" goes from a very pale blue to a light white/gray and looks great in person but is nearly invisible on the scanned image.

I'll mull over these for a few days, probably clean up a few blocks and then have another go.  These were printed on Magnani incisioni (etching paper) and there's a good chance they'll print cleaner/register a bit tighter and look nicer on Japanese paper.

There is a light blue to pale cream bokashi to the right side that isn't picking up on the monitor. Looks nice in person though.

Mirror, Mirror... Sign print is underway.

This will be a fairly simple print. I could probably get away with just 4-5 blocks but I'll probably duplicate a few as I get more texture and information in the color areas if they're printed more than once and off blocks with different grain patterns--If I use shina for color blocks I find sometimes I get a subtle grain pattern whether I want to or not.
This will be a set of simple shapes. Circle on a divided rectangle with a few bold colors and a few complex grays. Hope to pull off some good bokashi gradiants to animate what would otherwise be a very static work.
This cherry block is not really a keyblock as the big color areas will not have an outline but I wanted a little precise detail in the edges of the main form.
The success or failure of this one will come from the printing...so it will be a while before anything gets interesting.

Sign: detail