This is a handmade linocut print inspired by Kitsune, also known as Fox Woman, from Japanese folklore. . . .a shapeshifting trickster whose character and personality resembles the crafty, playful, elusive, clever fox from the wild. She is a type of yōkai, a class of magical creature with paranormal powers. She often has two different sides: sometimes she is a benevolent deity associated with the gift of the rice harvest, while at other times, Kitsune is depicted as a demon or ghoul-like mischievous trickster who questions traditional female gender roles, seducing men in plots that frequently end in tragedy or bloodshed.

PRINT SIZE: 12" x 16"

PAPER SIZE: ranges from 14" x 18" to 17" x 21"

MATERIALS: It is printed with Caligo Safewash (non-toxic) Relief Ink on either traditional Japanese Awagami Select Hosho Paper, Strathmore Paper or Arnhem printing paper - all of which are archival quality. Hosho paper is a Japanese cultural heritage paper that has been handcrafted from the branches of the kozo, gampi and mitsumata trees for hundreds of years. It is acid-free and archival quality and has a rustic natural handmade feel with deckled edge. Strathmore is a smooth, bright white, modern looking paper made of 100% cotton acid-free fiber and Strathmore Paper Mills are located in Massachusetts where my studio is. Arnhem printing paper has a heavier weight card stock feel that is acid-free, pH neutral printmaking paper with vellum finish imported from the Netherlands.

COLOR OPTIONS: It is printed in two different colors: black and fox red. The red is hand mixed so please expect slight variations.

MORE STORY DETAILS:

This playful Fox Woman character weaves her way throughout Asia and is known as Kumiho in Korea, Hồ Ly Tinh or Cáo Chín Đuôi (nine-tailed fox) in Vietnam, and Huli Jing in China. Variations on the Fox Woman theme and story also show up in folklore from Ireland as Sionnach Sidhe, and in Scandinavia she can show up as a Huldra, and among the Inuit of Labrador, Canada, she shows up as a Fox Wife. Though each of these landscapes has its own unique version of the Fox Woman story, what ties them all together is some combination of the following qualities: the ambiguity of her shifting identity between human and fox; her supernatural qualities; her power; her association with nature and the wild; her sexually seductive behavior and her sometimes androgynous identity.

Tricksters like Fox Woman direct our attention to a wound, whether it is an oppression, pain, absence, or loss. Fox Woman folktales are often stories that are marginal, hidden, forbidden and/or suppressed inviting us to ask ourselves: who in society plays the role of the Trickster Fox Woman for us today? Do we love her, or do we demonize her? How might we heal if we allow her wisdom to grow us into larger versions of ourselves?

GIFT IDEAS: This is a gift for change makers, trailblazers, visionaries, creative reformers, and catalysts for change!!! This would make a great gift for a non-conforming woman who is taking the courageous step of defying social conventions or social pressures in order to bravely live as her true authentic self. It is a statement gift for a woman who may feel socially criticized for living an unconventional life or making choices that don't conform to societal expectations, and yet she is defiantly doing it with grace and you, as the giver, feel she needs to be rewarded, celebrated and honored for this generous act to herself and humanity!

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.

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