This is a set of three handmade linocut prints inspired by the folktale of Selkie, a mythical creature and shapeshifter from Scottish, Icelandic and Irish legend. You can buy the whole set of three as a triptych, or you may just select two. If you wish to just buy one print, individual prints are available in a separate listing.

PRINT SIZE: 5" x 7"

PAPER SIZE: 8" x 10"

MATERIALS: It is printed with Caligo Safewash (non-toxic) Relief Ink on three different papers:

Strathmore paper, a local Massachusetts printmaking paper made of 100% acid-free fiber;

Stonehenge archival printmaking paper, produced in the USA using alternative energy sources including agro-waste and is EMS (Environmental Management System) certified;

Arnhem 1618® Printmaking Paper, a 100% cotton, acid-free, pH neutral archival heavy weight printmaking paper with vellum finish manufactured by Schut Papier, a paper mill that has been in production for 400 years near the city of Arnhem, Netherlands;

The main difference in appearance and feel of the papers is: Strathmore feels like regular weight paper and is bright white; Stonehenge and Arnhem are card stock weight and come either in bright white or warm white shades (I am phasing out of the warm white paper so there are only a few left in blue-gray). Please indicate in the note to seller if it matters to you what paper it is.

COLOR OPTIONS: It is printed with two different color options: deep blue and gray-blue. The green-blue is hand-mixed so please expect slight variations.

STORY DETAILS:

A splash of grey flippers, the salty smell of sea kelp, and a fierce sense of belonging to an underwater world, are the beating heart of this beloved Irish, Icelandic and Scottish legend about a seal-woman who loses her pelt to her lover and loses herself, and how she finds it and reclaims herself again. Selkie’s journey of heartbreak and loss reminds us how we can find false hope in the comfort and safety of a “home” on shore, when our real belonging is inside our wild skin, in the depths of our own ocean of wildness. . .May we always be in search of our pelts or already twirling in them, dusting them off, redesigning them. . .

GIFT IDEAS: This would make a great gift for a seal lover or ocean lover, or someone who loves Selkie mythology and mythological sea creatures. It would also be a wonderful gift for a woman who feels like she is in the process of reclaiming a part of herself that was previously lost, it is an empowering gift, a reminder to truly value who you really are and to always return to that authentic place.

PACKAGING: These prints will be carefully packed in a recycled clear bag and shipped in a recycled cardboard mailer. FeathersandFolktales uses eco-friendly packaging supplies from EcoEnclose. 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.