This engraving started out as two engravings on a pair of maple wood scraps. I worked on these with the intention of combining them into a single image by pasting them to s single sheet of heavy-duty somerset printmaking paper. This allowed me to have the ease of printing the light rice paper, while having a sturdy end product. Also, because they came from the same tree branch, the shapes provided a nice visual symmetry,
For centuries, magicians thought that the mummified hand of a hanged man (preferably a murderer) could lead one to buried treasure, unlock doors, or render victims unconscious. Commonly known as the “Hand of Glory,” the hand would be combined with a candle made from the fat of the dead murderer to enhance its powers.
Legend has it that when the Hand of Glory was lit with its special candles, it would emit a powerful light that only the person carrying it could see. Everyone else in the vicinity would be rendered motionless and unable to intervene, allowing the thief to go about their illicit activities without hindrance.
In this print, a trio of ne’er-do-wells has procured a hand thinking it would lead them to riches. Alas, when you play with the demonic arts, only evil spirits will be found!
This print was a sort of follow-up to the cosmic weirdness of Man, Ergo. This is was engraved into a block of Resingrave over the course of a month in 2023.
This engraving started out as a portrait of my cat (see the prep drawing) but it just became a more generic feline. After creating a quick one-off science fiction print, I thought I might continue that theme with a bunch of aliens worshipping a giant cat. Somehow that morphed into me wanting to draw a bunch of ugly brutalist buildings.
Click the thumbnails for a closer view.
About a year ago the gas company was working on our block and they knocked a branch off a maple tree in front of our house. I kept the branch and let it dry out for almost a year. I then cut this small slice as an experiment to see if it would make a good engraving block. It indeed worked out as a good material for wood engraving but it doesn’t hold small details. I would need a bigger block if I ever want to switch to maple blocks (which I may have to do since resingrave has been discontinued). This print is the end result of this experiment.
I wanted to do an engraving of a space ship and this is what I ended up creating. It’s a rather small piece and is probably the last time I will ever be able to engrave into a Resingrave black since they are no longer being manufactured.
These are images of the print in-progress from blank block to inking for the first proof.
This is the second self-portrait engraving I have made. The last one was in back in 2009 and I don’t think I ever editioned the print. In this print I am showing off my tools while seated in front of tiny renditions of other prints I have created over the past couple of years. It’s so meta.
I created this video documenting the printing of this engraving. Hopefully it won’t get taken down for the music I used:
The fifth and (probably) final engraving in my series of prints based on Italian giallo films. This one is based on Deep Red a.k.a. Profondo Rosso. Possibly the finest giallo ever created. It’s filled with fantastic visuals, a great score, plenty of gore, and a spectacular (and fair) twist at the end.
The print depicts the moment just before Helga Ulmann is killed as Marcus wanders the nighttime streets of Turin.
The print was engraved in resingrave, a material which, I have recently come to discover, is no longer being produced. I am really upset by this as I was just starting to get a handle on the medium.
These photos show the various stages of the engraving from concept to final print.
My series of wood engravings based on Italian giallo thrillers continues with Dario Argento’s “lost” classic, Four Flies on Grey Velvet. A lot of what would gel together and become the giallo masterpiece Deep Red is in its embryonic form in this film. I watched it multiple times while I hashed out ideas for this print and it has grown on me.
As with the other prints in the series, I am trying to compile my strongest memories of the film into a single static image. It’s not necessarily a depiction of a certain scene or attempt to capture the entire narrative. Although, I broke some of my rules here by using photographic source images to create my initial design.
This is the third print I have created depicting imagery from a classic giallo film. So, with three prints, this is officially a print series. Here we have a collection of elements from Sergio Martino’s The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail. The film’s action is divided between London and Athens. Here I have the masked killer attacking his victim as the moon rises behind The Parthenon.
Because I apparently have a ton of free time, I made the world’s first ever movie trailer for a wood engraving:
Click on the images below to see some behind-the-scenes art-making process details:
