A continuation of my series on intergalactic animals for the end-of-semester exchange portfolio I assign to my relief/intaglio class. This semester's class chosen theme was "memory and conspiracy", I chose to embrace both based off a photo I took in my favorite local bar in Richmond.
The droid projected tabloid news blares across the back of the bar where humans might place screens, letting all the patrons know there might be something different about those neon green cosmic beers the Lepus Luna crew has been brewing below the moon's surface...
"All Rounds Ride On This" is a reduction woodcut made during a four-week class at Pyramid Atlantic with printmaker Jun Lee in January of 2023.
Expanding on the first intergalactic woodcut made during Jun's summer class in 2022, this is my first major approach to world-building for the cats and rabbits of my ongoing series. A spontaneous arm wrestling competition at my fiancé's holiday party inspired the body language of the four main characters standing out from the crowd.
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.
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!
'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.'
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.
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.
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.