Winter Wonderland

         It’s been cold enough that last week’s snow is still covering the ground, and that means that it’s time to freshen up the snowscape with a little fantasy!  Today I’ve got three pieces that add just a touch of something surreal or magical to the wintry scene.  The first is a new one of my own.  Did you know that yetis have backwards-facing feet, so that their footprints appear to be going in the opposite direction from where the yeti actually went?  This is a myth that has been told about a number of fantasy creatures, especially ape-men types.  I wanted to capture the mischievous glee this yeti feels as he leads any would-be trackers astray.

        Next up is a wonderfully surreal piece by Frank Moore.  Moore is known for erotic performance art, but this uncharacteristic piece is definitely more my jam!  It takes the cliché “a blanket of snow” and makes it fresh and crisp, turning the white-sheeted bed into a plain inhabited by tiny bison.  The pillows become mountains, and fresh flakes are falling, playing still further with the scale.

        One more snowy scene with marvelous beasts, this one by Wharton Esherick is technically historical rather than magical, since it depicts megafauna of the Ice Age.  Still, its quirky, humorous tone makes it seem like more than a mere textbook illustration.  It’s one of Esherick’s earliest prints, and is much simpler and rougher than his later style.  I think it’s got a lot of charm.

        As I look at the snow out my window, the scene is utterly lacking in mammoths, bison, and yetis.  Perhaps that’s for the best, but I’m still glad I can enjoy them in block prints.

[Pictures: Yeti Tracks, rubber block print by AEGNydam, 2024 (Image from NydamPrints.com);

Prairie, color woodcut by Frank Moore, 1999 (Image from Cleveland Museum of Art);

Change, Change, Change, woodcut by Wharton Esherick, 1922 (Image from Wharton Esherick Museum).]