Way back in late January, when I was staying at the Chinati Hotsprings in the far southwest Texas Mexico borderlands, I carved a new printing block, inspired by Mexican folk art. This design, which I call Milagro, features a dove and winged heart motif.
There was so much that was inspiring during that little personal retreat. Above is a detail of the back of the chair on which I sat to carve, in my little rented casita with its own private mineral hotsprings tub.
I returned home, printed up a storm, sometimes with beautiful prism light dancing on the print table, and introduced the new designs to my farmers market offerings in the February markets.
Only when I received a lovely online handblock printed kitchen towel order (thank you so much for that support) did I realize two things.
Firstly: I have been remiss in updating my online store with new designs and the grey and rust backgrounds, which are available as well as bright white.
Secondly I had forgotten to write up the advent of the new design on this blog.
Aaaaaand while we are on the subject of Mexican folk art: the bathroom project is moving ahead.
Yesterday the walls which will surround the (claw foot, slipper, yellow) bathtub were set with 4inch handmade Mexican Talavera tiles. The fine detail work of filling in the corners and around the windows with coloured glass pebbles, the tiled trim then grouting the whole project, is still to come. The trim tiles, ordered online, haven't arrived yet.
The bathtub which I am hoping will look like this, currently occupies my studio in a huge cardboard box .
It has been slow work for the past ten days or so, me being one handed and all, but I'm finally getting to see the milagro of a beautiful bathroom space taking shape in this old hacienda.
La reina will bathe in style. Eventually. When she's not soaking in hotsprings. The hacienda is geologically not sited above the mineral hotsprings aquifer. Apparently.