Out Like a Lion

I like March. In the northern hemisphere, October and June usually get all the glory and for good reason. But March feels anticipatory — hope is just beginning to stir (see also: Thursdays). Granted, you can’t let that hope get out ahead of you too far here. In New England, March can mean sun and short sleeves on Monday and a blizzard on Tuesday. Those sorts of conditions always make me think of The Secret History, a March snowstorm hiding Bunny Corcoran’s fate…

Anyhow, winter has been mostly deadlines and shoveling, but outside of that:

• I read Wuthering Heights in February for a book club and spent 75% of the book complaining raging about it to anyone in earshot. But the advice I got to stick through to the end was well worth it. I’m glad I stayed around to see the redemption and healing found in the final chapters. The above pattern was inspired by the book.

  

• Reduction prints have long fascinated me (this is a terrific explanation of the process). But the idea of essentially destroying the block bit by bit made my head spin. So I decided to start small with very low expectations. I learned a lot in the process (you can spot registration issues in the bottom examples). But I’m definitely planning more of these in the future and had a blast printing.

  

• The predominant outdoor winter colors here are grey, brown and white. So imagine the surprise something like the above triggers on a walk. I wasn’t aware that there are native ferns that overwinter and the science behind how they last in cold climates is fascinating. Talk about hope…