This is a handcrafted linocut print of a bobcat inspired by indigenous Nimuc and Quinnipiac folklore, paired with branches of a hemlock tree, a native New England tree.

PRINT SIZE: 9” x 12”

PAPER SIZE: 11” x 14”

MATERIALS: It is hand printed with green archival quality Caligo Safewash (non-toxic) relief Ink on natural colored arhival quality Stonehenge printmaking paper. Stonehenge is made in the USA using 100% cotton (salvaged byproducts from the textile industry) but also bamboo, cork, plant fibers, grass, flowers and even vegetables. These papers are EMS (Environmental Management System) certified.

STORY DETAILS:

There is something otherworldly about a hemlock forest in winter, so feral and fabled with branches still bowing with an overnight winter’s snow concealing something precious within. . . Perhaps it is the ancient spirit of the bobcat whose tracks in the snow lead us towards that deep folklore-rich time, the storied whispers of this landscape.

The indigenous Nimuc and Quinnipiac people of Massachusetts and Connecticut have a folk hero named Hobbamock, a giant and trickster, whose companion is a bobcat who is a trickster too, but sometimes serves as a loyal devoted friend.

In the legend of Sleeping Giant Mountain in Connecticut, Hobbamock falls into a deep sleep belly-up forming the peaks of a mountain in Connecticut that looks like a sleeping giant. Today, you can spot the devoted bobcat loyally protecting his sleeping friend in the forests around the mountain.

In another story, we learn bobcats used to have long tails, but one day bobcat steals Hobbamock’s stash of food and in his fury Hobbamock takes away bobcat’s tail and to this day bobcats still don’t have long tails… showing us how greed comes with rippling repercussions. . .

Sometimes loyal, sometimes mischievous, bobcat mirrors all our humanity: our fallibility, our strengths and endearing qualities . . .weaving is back into kinship with the wild.

PACKAGING: This print will be carefully packaged in a recycled clear bag and shipped in a recycled rigid cardboard mailer. A one-page insert including a description of the folktale is included with the print.

Free Shipping within the USA. Ships out within 1-3 business days.

Questions? Please feel free to email diemdangers@gmail.com or contact me here. you will get a response within 24 hours.

Please note that the copyright of this work is retained by the artist.