Linocut ABC – M is for….

M is for Mouse, not far from a House… For Mice and Mushrooms… For any name starting with M, and for the walls of kid’s and grown up’s alike.

“M is for…” is a part of my ongoing Linocut ABC series – a trilingual animal alphabet, working equally in English, Icelandic and Danish. Hence M is for Mouse, Mús and Mus. Most of all though, M is for my toddler triplet sons, who love letters, and love animals, and especially love any and all combinations thereof. This alphabet is a labour of love ♥

This entire series of letters was inspired by golden age illustration, classical picture books and their accompanying tradition of craftsmanship.I have chosen a mainly realistic approach to the animals and plants portrayed, and juxtaposed this form of expression with a playful and organic mode of composition. Flora and fauna intertwines, breaks the frame, and on occasion an animal will try to make a run for it.

All motives are carefully carved by hand, using traditional lino- and wood-engraving tools, and subsequently inked and printed by hand on an etching press, ensuring that each end every print is original and unique. I only use the finest archival quality materials, so these prints can quite literally last for centuries, and makes for a lovely keepsake. The inked image size is approx 24×18 cm (not including the elements breaking the frame), and the paper size varies with the edition and trimming, as does the type of paper.

You can purchase “M is for…” in my shop and on Etsy 🙂