This is a handmade originally designed linocut print inspired by “Crescent Moon Bear”, a Japanese (indigenous Ainu) folktale about a young wife’s courageous effort to reconnect with her husband who has returned from war a changed and wild man. Under the guidance of a shaman, she undergoes a quest to pluck the whisker of a crescent moon bear and discovers inside herself the patience, resilience and courage she needs to find a way to reconcile with the man she loves. This story appears in Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ renowned book Women Who Run With the Wolves and includes the following themes: true love, self-discovery, transformation and kinship with the wild.

Note* The "Crescent Moon" in the phrase "Crescent Moon Bear" refers to the crescent moon design on the chests of many Asiatic black bears.

PRINT SIZE: 8" x 10"

PAPER SIZE: 10" x 12" or 9" x 12"

MATERIALS: This artwork is hand carved and hand printed with archival quality Cranfield safewash (non-toxic) ink on three different paper options:

1) Arnhem 1618® Printmaking Paper which is 100% cotton, acid-free, pH neutral archival heavy weight printmaking paper with vellum finish imported from the Netherlands.

2) Strathmore archival Printmaking Paper, a smooth, bright white, lighter feeling modern looking paper made of 100% cotton acid-free fiber made in Massachusetts where my studio is.

3) Stonehenge archival printmaking Paper which is produced in the USA using alternative energy sources including agro-waste and is EMS (Environmental Management System) certified. It is acid-free and archival quality.

There is no difference in the quality or color of the print on each of these papers, the main difference is the weight of the paper and the subtle difference in white color of the papers. Arnhem and Stonehenge papers are a card stock weight with a very subtle warm white tone, and Strathmore is a lighter weight paper with a bright white color. It was very difficult to capture the color difference in a photo because the colors are almost the same. If the paper matters to you, please indicate your choice in the note to seller.

COLOR: It is printed in Prussian blue ink. You may also request a custom color ink, it will take 7-10 days to print and dry before shipping.

GIFT IDEAS: This would make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves bears, being in the wild, folklore and mythology, handmade gifts. It could be gifted also to a lover or spouse.

ECO-PACKAGING: This print will be carefully rolled in Kraft paper, packed in a recycled clear bag and shipped in a recycled cylindrical tube. FeathersandFolktales uses eco-friendly packaging supplies from EcoEnclose and YazooMills. A one-page insert including a description of the folktale is included with the print.

Feathers & Folktales is a woman-owned, Massachusetts-based art shop offering handcrafted linocut prints of timeless folktales from around the world that remind us of our ancient kinship with the wild. These archival quality linocut prints are a labor of love: they are 100% conceived, designed, carved, inked, pulled and packaged by hand for you from a small home studio. Featuring animals and magical creatures from folklore alongside wide variety of botanical elements, each piece contains a precious offering from the past, a mythos, that can enliven our sense of enchantment with the natural world.

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