First and foremost, this is an original piece of art that I created from beginning to end without the help of AI or any other computer assistance.
 
A vernal pool is an essential feature of the springtime landscape for many creatures who depend on the specific conditions these short lived seasonal wetlands provide to reproduce and find food, and in my version some of those creatures are all enjoying a vernal pool at the same time. A green heron finds a tadpole meal while a black bear and her cub refresh themselves in the cool water. Tree swallows rejoice overhead and salamanders and newts trundle along among the yellow cowslips and lush skunk cabbages.
 
Work on this block took over a year for me to complete, beginning with the idea of honoring the important ecosystems that are vernal pools, then sketching images based on photos that I'd taken over time. Actual carving on the block and printing each of 8 colors by hand took me about 2 months and at 15" x 11" this is the largest reduction block print I have ever made. 
 
Each print is hand printed in oil based Caligo ink on heavy cotton, archival BFK Rives paper which measures about 18.5" x 14" and is ready for framing. Each one is part of a limited edition of only 15 prints and they are signed, numbered, and titled.