Onward with another great story

Karen Wheeler

One of the greatest rewards of these collaborations are the relationships that are developed between artists. I already spoke about Rania Zaarour, from Lebanon and now in India, and her desire to participate even though she claimed "she isn't an artist." To "meet" someone like that and get to know a bit of their story is really touching for me.

My next collaboration within the collaboration is with Karen Wheeler, an amazingly courageous artist. This quote from her website: http://www.karenwheeler.com

There are many facets to Artist Karen Wheeler besides art. The fair treatment of others is also close to her heart, especially when it comes to the elderly, children, animals and those with disabilities. As you will find in the writings on this site, Karen shares her experiences and knowledge of life in the disabled community. These writings are meant to assist those with similar life obstacles and to educate those who are not disabled. Through the magic of art and writing, Karen expresses to everyone that anything is possible.

So Karen asked if she could participate and how and we decided she would draw one of her incredibly detailed creations and I would carve it. Here is her sketch which she drew first in pencil and then went over with a thin marker, I have begun carving and will post in a couple of days along with her words on peace.

Artist's info link

Don't forget as you finish and mail your images to send in your information via this page:
http://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/2015/03/peace-puzzle-information.html 

Stay in touch!

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Last block gets carved and everyone gets stuck

The Love Block

Don't you feel like singing the theme to the Love Boat? Hmmm...maybe it's just me, I had to watch that show as part of my "assignment" when I first came to the US so that I could get familiar with culture and language. Brady Bunch, Donny and Marie show, Little Ricky's show, Green Acres, MASH and many others like that, quite the fun times.

Anywaaaays, the last block is now carved.

Stuck on you

To preserve the integrity of the blocks and prevent pieces from shifting during printing, I glue them on a backing of mat-board. This allows me to raise puzzle pieces if they are not getting enough ink or printing lighter, but that's to come much later. Each new piece gets glued just as soon as I inspect it and photograph it. I usually wait until they are all in but thought with a project this big, I would get ahead of the game.

I use a mixture of wood glue and white glue, one to make sure the blocks are well stuck, the other to preserve some flexibility. Not much magic to this process but here it is anyway in pictures, just for the record.

Ready to glue, puzzle pieces removed

Equal parts wood glue and white glue

"The Hand" uses a foam roller to spread glue
fast, evenly and thinly

Three blocks done, stacked to dry

And there you have them, drying under a very heavy
box containing 300 sheets of paper, exciting, huh?!

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From across and down

Always learning

One of the amazing side effects of conducting a global collaboration is that I realize how connected we (humans) really are. We watch events happen across the world and we either feel close or far to others depending on whether we are really interested or not. But when I receive a piece of actual mail from someone across the world, part of me realizes that they just touched that piece of paper, just wrote that note, just carved that block. Feels like two hands in a hearty shake held for just a moment when I open each package.

Here is a great image from New Zealand.

Lenore Whyte

Tapanui, New Zealand

"My contribution is the KORU.
Koru is a Maori word that has become part of mainstream NZ english. It describes the growing tip of a fern frond and symbolizes new life, regeneration, growth, strength and peace.
I have used the koru as it brings back memories of my childhood and the many hours spent in the NZ bush. Of the lush ferns with their unfurling new growth, the sound of the native birds, and the trickle of the bush streams. That was, and always will be, a place of peace for me."

Rest on me a while

My contribution number two. I usually do two or three, depending on how many people drop out but this time I reserved myself a few spots. I thought they were the words in a Bee Gees song, "Come on over" but turns out those words aren't exactly there. I guess once more I used my artistic license to alter reality, as I remember it. 

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Bunnies and pie

Artist's info link

Don't forget as you finish and mail your images to send in your information via this page:
http://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/2015/03/peace-puzzle-information.html 

Two more images for the day! Diana chose to write out her thoughts on a lovely hand-made piece of paper. Hope you can read it. One of her goals is to make sure there are bunnies present in each of the puzzle prints; so far so good!

John always sends me a delightful collection of his works with his contribution. The detail he obtains with standard woods is amazing, really could be taken for wood engravings. The prints came enclosed on a hand-printed board folder with John's infamous money images. Good stuff.

Diana Moll Santa Cruz, CA

www.qipapers.etsy.com

Peace, bunnies, cooperation, art.

John Center

john p. center chicago, ill

john p center, facebook

"pi in the sky''    iranian nukes.

Stay in touch!

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From sunny California, great image, great story

Monique Wales

Natural Pattern of Peace

Oakhurst California USA
www.etsy.com/shop/RedTailStudios

When I first discovered Maria's multi-artist Puzzle Woodcut Projects, I knew I wanted to participate. At first, overjoyed with the 'easy' theme of Peace, I toyed with all the symbols commonly used. Nothing seemed quite right. After contemplating the project on a more personal level, I found my way by incorporating what brought me Peace individually. 

I have always found repeated patterns restful and calming, bringing order and meaning to the random chaos that is life. Choosing flower blossoms as design elements brought Nature into the composition, my most valued resource for Peace. I've tied bold White Poppies, a symbol of Peace, especially of a World at Peace instead of at War, with Forget-Me-Not blossoms. Without facing and understanding our past, personally or historically, how can moving forward into Peace be possible?

And, of course, what better way to illustrate the idea of Peace than to be involved in a world-wide collaboration.  As I send off my own tiny woodcut in the name of Peace, I can't wait to see what the individual pieces of this puzzle build together!

Monique Wales

www.etsy.com/shop/RedTailStudios

www.facebook.com/RedTailPrintmaking

Monique Wales wrapped her block in a Yosemite
National Park map/info!

Natural Pattern of Peace
Monique Wales
Peace Puzzle 2015

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Back to peaceful endeavors

Report on my road trip!

I took a little trip to the great Northwest so I could visit my aunt and a couple of good friends in art. The road, passing by like a river, has a way to calm troubled minds and renew the beauty of the world outside and inside. All is well everywhere.

One trick I use in order to get right back to work is to leave something unfinished; rather than having to start a new project I can get right back to work without much thinking.

So here it is, one block to be cleared and then I can start on my next task, laying out the colophon/book. For that I will have to fix my ailing computer, but that's a frustrating story nobody wants to hear. Sigh, electronics...

Last block to be carved, top right
the LOVE block!

Artist's info link

Don't forget as you finish and mail your images to send in your information via this page:
http://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/2015/03/peace-puzzle-information.html 

Three more blocks

I had three blocks waiting for me that had arrived last week while I was soul searching. And amazingly enough, all three blocks were nearly adjacent to each other! Two from the US and one from abroad, all three came in the same week and belong adjacent to each other, I had to repeat that! Wow, the hands of destiny at work. Here is a picture of all three blocks in place. I will give the artists their own blog post in the next day or two.

Three blocks in the middle, arrived last week
The Peace Puzzle is getting filled!

Stay in touch!

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Japan and Wyoming get together in peace

Artist's info link

Don't forget as you finish and mail your images to send in your information via this page:

http://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/2015/03/peace-puzzle-information.html 

George Jarvis
Akita Japan                         

"Heiwa"" is peace.

Peace for the individual needs freedom from fear,

freedom from want, and freedom of expression.

Peace for a society needs a commitment to

unbiased truth and mutual respect.

George Jarvis "Heiwa"
Contribution for Peace Puzzle 2015

Sonia Jensen      surrounded by mountains in Wyoming
musselshell@silverstar.com        

Why is peace such a puzzle?  Why don't the "pieces" nations bring to "Peace Conferences" fit together? I believe that most of the 7 billion citizens of the world long for peace around the world.

Sonia Jensen
Peace Puzzle 2015

Stay in touch!

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Oddballs and naming the big blocks

Artist's info link

Don't forget as you finish and mail your images to send in your information via this page:

http://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/2015/03/peace-puzzle-information.html 

What to do with the oddballs?

Why...design, carve, print! of course! Let me explain. After carving up the puzzle pieces, long long ago (http://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/2015/02/chunks-of-wood-everywhere.html) there were a bunch of odd blocks. Either the shapes were going to be a big challenge or they were too small or of a very strange shape.

Well, you know me, I'm always up to a challenge, the stranger the better! So I decided to lay them aside and either place them "blank" right back where they came from or wait until the muse strikes and sink my chisels into them. I did just that with one of them today. Peaceful, huh?

Maria Arango Diener, "One Love" Peace Puzzle 2015

Big Blocks and Funny Names

As you may recall, the beastly piece puzzle grew to eight 22 x 30 inch (55x76cm) panels, each a block in itself. When I was chopping the pieces, I entertained my mind by thinking up names for the big blocks, based on their main feature and, of course, based on peace.

So far, here is the progress I have made with the carving the background blocks, five are done and three to go. Some pieces already placed in placed but nothing glued yet. Later I will glue all the blocks to their respective backgrounds so they behave properly during printing.

Peace Puzzle 2015, lighter blocks are carved, darker ones are next

Last picture shows the names, also the first letter on the "code" that I wrote on the back of the blocks. I have been told that the names are spiritual, which is fine by me. After some research, turns out most spiritual beliefs in the world, new, old, and from all backgrounds and religious traditions do contain some reference to some or all of the words I used. I believe in peace, love, kindness and happiness and that we are all responsible not only for our own but to bring those things to others.

Starting at top left going right:

Tree, signifying growth and reaching, striving to be higher, better

Dove, probably the oldest symbol for peace, also bird for freedom, essential to peace

Sun, to light the way to peace for all humanity, to guide us in our quest for all that is good

Love, the driving force of everything should be love for all

Bottom row starting right going left:

Earth, our mother, our home

Nature, for all that is good in nature, also for human nature which I believe to be kind at heart

Flow, representing our course through life and the lives of people we touch

Water, the eternal essence of life, water washes away our troubles, quenches our thirst, gives life

Stay in touch!

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From UK and US with love and peace and hand-written notes

Hand-written notes

The most precious thing I receive along with the contributions for our collaboration in peace are hand written notes from all over the world. Some are even written on hand-made cards! I think with the advent and popularity of social media we forget that time is the thing that we can give each other that goes unappreciated. A quick text, a two-second post on Facebook, a micro-second "like" to some comment...they simply don't compare with the image I get when I receive a hand-written note. I can imagine the writer, someone I probably don't know, bent over for a few generous minutes, guiding their hand carefully over a piece of blank paper, forming the characters that make up the precious words. Really a lost art. Thank you all for taking the time.

Nela Bligh
Berkshire UK

About a month ago I received a wood block in the post from Maria Arango Diener. Before that I had donated 45  dollars to a charity that is hoping to raise funds to make a huge 160 piece Peace Puzzle.

All the applicants  over the world have received their pieces and will engrave an image that represents the word ‘Peace’ So in time the pieces will be sent back and the puzzle complete and a print made and a book published.

I thought long and hard about my ‘picture’ because Peace is a big word with many meanings.  Not just a peaceful scene that we might see and feel in our gardens, parks and countryside; but the direct opposite to war, conflict and adversity!

There are many children in this world who rarely experience peace not even in their beds at night.  They and their families fight for peace with every living breath.

I live in a country where we have enjoyed peace for a long time; but our children, while safe need to be educated and be aware of the big picture.

In the 1990s my youngest child went on a demonstration in London to march against a war in Afghanistan.  It was a massive rally and she wore a ‘T’ shirt designed and made by a colleague in the Library, bearing a peace sign. Her DMs not black like a soldier might wear but bright blue and dotted with red flowers. She and thousands more marched that day singing songs of peace and hope. While they didn’t win that day; we did go to war; the experience instilled in her a mistrust of authority and the need to continue marching for active, long lasting peace that we take so much for granted.   

I hope my tiny investment in the project will go some way to raise awareness and promote the need for peace and peaceful action against adversity not with more weapons but pictures.

Barbara Walker 

Washington, North Carolina                        

To this ardent reader my block resembled an open book, and there are few hours more peaceful than those spent reading. Additionally, global peace needs a foundation of access to universal public education, public libraries, and lots of bookstores. 

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More images of peace

Carol Chapel
Corvallis, Oregon USA

Carol chose to write her words on the back of her block! How cool is that, here is her lovely block with wonderful color images from her local art center, a close up view and the words she shared.

Louise Stebbing & Martin Stebbing

Here are two great images that came together and took their rightful place in the block.

Louise Stebbing                East Anglia, UK
www.louisestebbingprintmaker.com   

"Its great to take part in such an amazing project and wonderful that there are people out there to organise such a project and put so much work into it themselves, thanks Maria.

The images I used are mostly symbolic images of peace that have been used for an age - but still have a huge relevance today.

Martin Stebbing  

- I followed the theme looking at the piece and shape of wood and let the wood design it for me."       

Martin Stebbing 2015 Peace Puzzle

Louise Stebbing 2015 Peace Puzzle

Check it Out! First pieces in place

Four pieces in place in the Peace Puzzle 2015

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Two! Peace doubled up daily now

Artist's info link!

Don't forget as you finish and mail your images to send in your information via this page:

http://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/2015/03/peace-puzzle-information.html 

Peace in my mail box daily

What else can an artist ask for!? ...an assistant comes to mind. But never mind that, I will try my best to keep up with my fellow co-conspirators in peace. Here are two more arrivals from the past day or so and already two more on deck for tomorrow.

Gilead Tadmor Cambridge, MA, USA

http://www.facebook.com/gilead.tadmor

http://www.pinterest.com/gileadt

Bacchanalian floating with a glass of wine.

Gilead Tadmor 2015 Peace Puzzle

Jennifer Martindale
Dorset, UK

"In Hindu, Buddhist and Egyptian religions, the lotus has been a powerful image and spiritual symbol for millennia. In Buddhist studies the white lotus represents purity and the pacification of our nature, as the pure white flower rises through muddy water. The dove flying above has represented quiet innocence, peace, long life and love through the centuries to Egyptians, Chinese and the early Greeks and Romans."

Jennifer Martindale 2015 Peace Puzzle

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