My woodcut adventure began summer of '22 with a class at Pyramid Atlantic taught by Jun Lee, @junieleelee on Instagram - you should absolutely go check out her work and give her a follow! Over the course of four weeks, I learned how to apply my self-taught relief skills to birch ply.
The Catstronauts are on a mission to save their original homeworld, Matatabi, from impending doom. Once a thriving planet, Matatabi is threatened by the gravitational pull of a nearby black hole. In this image, we see the brave Catstronaut Simo receive a hologram message that the FSS Mouse Trap has reached terminal velocity and will escape the black hole with valuable intel. Simo will live to see another mission through, once the Mouse Trap doubles back to retrieve her.
As one may imagine, if there's life outside our planet, we can most assuredly assume that there aren't just cats exploring the stars!
The Laikanauts are the descendants of Laika and the aliens who rescued her from her fate, they reside in the constellation cluster of Canis Major. While more playful and less scientifically driven than their feline counterparts, Laikanauts are known for their bravery and curiosity. Both of these traits have made them exploratory leaders in their corner of the cosmos and natural partners to the Catstronauts on deep space missions.
'The lunar hops biogrowth chambers house the most prized possession of the Hopstronauts and are heavily guarded throughout the growing seasons. Joining the Hops Corp is seen as high honor for those not gifted in the brewing of beers and other beverages. By growing their hops in the thin atmosphere of their local moons, the Hopstronauts achieve a greater range in flavor profiles not found in any other corner of the cosmos. The Hops Corp rely on a series of stun cannons and rifles to target saboteurs and thieves, so as not to damage the delicate plants nestled in their biogrowth chambers.'
Soup Combos is a famous culinary pop-up on the secondary homeworld of the Catstronauts. No one knows when or where they will appear, but they will always be found in alleyways, tucked among the various nightclubs and bars. A single combo is sure to fuel your late night escapades, just don't show up before the suns set!
Commander Syk'a is tasked with the Catstronauts' most important secret mission - reversing the tragedy of the singularity that caused their species to abandon their homeworld of Matatabi. Having fired her one and only shot into the heart of the event horizon, she drifts far above the FSS Persistence, knowing her life is forfeit should the plan fail.
An artist's proof for a portfolio exchange with my students from the '22 Fall printmaking class at ODU.