Woodcut Print Figures Human Tower Castle Castellets Strong Man Acrobats Original Art

Classic Model Poses in Natural Settings
Maria Arango Original Woodcuts

Signed and numbered in pencil by the artist
In pristine/never framed condition (sold unmatted/unframed)
Designed, cut and hand-printed by the artist

Castellets
Woodcut
30" x 22"
Edition 50
Block: Baltic Birch
Ink: Umber
Paper: Daphne handmade in Nepal, lightweight
Process: Playing around with stacking male models. The model books I sometimes work from have the same pose viewed from different angles which I find most interesting. I have many woodcuts where I play with the concept of using the same model in various poses in order to create movement, or in this case, a nice model stack.

Image: In Northern Spain there is a festival where people from all over the region come and watch the "castellets" or little castles. These amazing human towers are "built" before the astounded eyes of the audience. Often the strongest biggest men take up the bottom and children as young as six or seven climb to the very top. They are not nude, of course, but my artistic license allows me to freely alter reality.

Process: Woodcuts are made by drawing an image on a block of wood, usually cherry in my case, then carving out the negative spaces. After carving, what is left is a big "stamp" of the desired image. I roll ink with a roller over the woodcut, place a piece of handmade paper on the inked block, apply pressure and transfer the image on the paper. Signed Numbered Woodcut Limited edition Figures Surrealism 12 to 36 in