ArtFire

4x6" multicolor woodcut print. a plank of wood (plate) is carved for each color in a print. this print required 5 plates.



this is a working proof, it is a test print done to test colors and make sure the registration was correct. each proof is different as proofs are done to see where color changes and corrections are to be made before printing an edition of identical prints.





the magician or magus is the 2nd in a series of prints based on the day of the dead and the tarot's major arcana. this is a series i'm doing for my master's degree thesis project

from Wikipedia: According to Arthur Edward Waite, this card signifies the divine motive in man. It is also the unity of the individual being on all planes, and in a very high sense it is thought. With further reference to the "sign of life", i.e. the infinity symbol and its connection with the number 8, it may be remembered that Christian Gnosticism speaks of rebirth in Christ as a change "unto the Ogdoad." The mystic number is termed Jerusalem above, the Land flowing with Milk and Honey, the Holy Spirit and the Land of the Lord. According to Martinism, 8 is the number of Christ.

In other traditions this card can refer to scholarly knowledge. The Fool (card 0) has learned something about the workings of the world and now sees himself as powerful. Perhaps the reputation of the Magician is derived from the Fool misunderstanding what is happening while the High Priestess (the next card) is looking back, thinking that the Magician is missing the point of spiritual knowledge.

paper, ink