Exhibited below are a series of chromatic relief prints, depicting the image of a beetle, fashioned with a face over its back, caressed by a sigil. The prints follow a chiaroscuro-esc narrative, displaying a harsh contrast between dark to light. The left of the print shows the reciprocal to the right, one side embossed the other debossed within the surface of the linoleum. I find this print to be quite intuitive given its striking appearance, through practically I found the inking process to be somewhat tedious. I have found that when carving the lines of the design rather than the form within the lines can prove to be quite difficult in regards to the variable of depth. Distinguishing how deep I must go into the linoleum over the "darker side" can be quite the task, I am moderately pleased with the outcomes of this print, though I feel the image may have the opportunity to establish a more vivid appearance if I were to use a printing press, rather than my makeshift items used at home.
Whilst Europe disregards the beetle as a bad omen, a symbol of negativity and death, the rest of the world reputes the beetle to be a symbol of regeneration, renewal, a symbol of the sun; in this case I followed the latter and illustrated the beetle as a symbol of regeneration, its back is adorned by the face of a man as though to personify the seemingly black and white thinking of the society we live in, all to often people are seen lesser than, extinguishable because they do not fit a certain mould or conform to the ideals proposed by society... The beetle man acts as symbol of rebellion, renewal of character, each characteristic embodied is another to celebrate. The sigil caressing the back of the beetle signifies strength, the acclimation derived from the sigil is
'I am strength, weakness does not define me any longer.'
Every ailment, "quirk" or peculiarity within a person should be accepted, a disability does not define your ability to live, people who bare visual ailments should be considered within the art world, rather than neglected.
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