A Mischief of Maris

I’ve finished printing a load of little Mari Lwyd linocut prints for Hen Galan cards in mid-January. As far as I know there isn’t an official collective noun for lots of Mari Lwyds, but quite a few people on social media have suggested a Mischief of Maris, to reflect the naughty, sometimes bawdy, nature ofContinue reading “A Mischief of Maris”

Mari Lwyd …. Printing It ….

I carried on with the little Mari Lwyd lino block that I cut the other day and started printing. I used Cranfield Litho / Relief SafeWash ink onto a lightweight fibrous paper made from recycled saris that I bought in Swansea Market. I’m happy with the proof print, now to make a whole lot ofContinue reading “Mari Lwyd …. Printing It ….”

That Time Of Year….

It’s that time of year again, the old year is fading out and in Wales the Mari Lwyd is starting to stir. For a few years now I’ve been making some New Year cards from linocuts I’ve done of the Mari Lwyd and here’s my new one, sketched onto lino and ready to cut. InContinue reading “That Time Of Year….”

Making Mari My Own

I’ve finished putting my flat pack Mari Lwyd together and now I’m customising her. I had a roll of banana paper knocking around so I ripped it up into small bits and pasted it over the surface with PVA glue. I wanted something more interesting than plain white. The Mari Lwyd is a very old WelshContinue reading “Making Mari My Own”

A Mari Lwyd Day

I wasn’t feeling too well yesterday so didn’t do much of anything at all but I bounced back today with my two Mari Lwyd projects. I printed my lino block, in black Caligo Cranfield Safewash relief ink, individually onto white card and then in blocks of four onto A4 sheets of hand made paper madeContinue reading “A Mari Lwyd Day”

More Making Mari

The flat pack Mari Lwyd kit I’m making up isn’t difficult, but it’s time consuming. I’ve assembled the upper and lower parts of the skull and now I’m pasting it all over with paper and PVA glue. This will give it a good surface for painting, increase the strength of the sections and add aContinue reading “More Making Mari”

Making The Mari

I carried on making up the Mari Lwyd kit that I bought from TRAC Cymru, the Welsh folk development organisation. It’s been beautifully designed by the artist and storyteller David Pitt and the instruction video is easy enough to follow, but it’s an elaborate piece and needs time and care. The upper skull is nowContinue reading “Making The Mari”

A Flat Pack Mari

This is my Xmas present to myself, a Mari Lwyd flat pack kit. I’ve wanted a Mari Lwyd for ages but it isn’t easy to get a horse skull these days, since the internal combustion engine took over from carts. This kit has been designed by Swansea-based artist David Pitt AKA The Crowman AKA DaiContinue reading “A Flat Pack Mari”

The First Proof

I did some more carving on my new Mari Lwyd linocut this afternoon, more or less finishing the head. I thought I’d take a first proof print to see what else needs to be done to the head and to have a think about what, if anything, I might do to the rest of theContinue reading “The First Proof”

Cheese And Trackie Bottoms …..

It’s Boxing Day. Yesterday was Christmas Day. I’m on holiday so mostly I’m stuffing my face with cheese and cherry liquer chocolates, slobbing around the house in trackie bottoms and watching Netflix. But I managed to drag myself off the settee for half an hour earlier to go for a socially distanced and masked walkContinue reading “Cheese And Trackie Bottoms …..”