This handcrafted linocut print honors the enduring folklore of the Fox Woman—a shapeshifting fox spirit known for her intelligence, mystery, and ability to move between worlds. Fox Woman does more than dissolve the boundary between human and natural worlds; she carries a more difficult wisdom in her tail: she acquaints us with nature’s medicine and her poison, her tenderness and her teeth. This old wisdom echoes wherever her story takes root. In Japan she is known as Kitsune and in Vietnam she goes by Cáo Chín Đuôi (nine-tailed fox), both benevolent and dangerous; in Ireland, she appears as Sionnach Sidhe, a fox fairy whose beauty draws humans toward the Otherworld while reminding them that what is wild cannot be possessed. In Scandinavia, she emerges as the Huldra, a forest guardian whose beauty conceals a fox tail—a reminder that the gentle face of the wild and its untamed nature have always belonged together. In Finland, she races across the night sky as Revontulet, the “fox fire” that becomes the northern lights, leaving behind a trail of wonder that can be witnessed but never held. When we see the world through Fox Woman’s eyes, we can see the earth’s oldest paradox: that what nourishes us may also humble us, and what appears gentle may also remain untamable.

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 natural materials with 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: Fox Red on Arnhem paper (this is sold out), Fox Red on warm-white Hosho Paper (this is a Second Edition), Stone-Gray Fog on Hosho paper, and Ash Fox Black on Strathmore paper. The colors 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. A one-page insert including a description of the folktale is included with the print. Gift wrap is possible, please mention it in your note to seller.

SHIPPING: All my prints are packaged and shipped out within 1-3 business days. Free shipping for U.S. Customers. International customers, please purchase this print on Etsy. I no longer provide international shipping through this website.

Questions? Please contact me.

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