This is my seventh New Year's linocut, which is like a woodcut but carved from a block of linoleum instead of wood. Besides a few proofs, forty five copies were printed (hand inked and pressed by myself) and sent as 2007/2008 New Year's cards (in this case, for the lunar New Year).
With the card came the following description:
"Tet Nguyen Dan (Feast of the First Morning) is the Vietnamese festival
that celebrates the lunar New Year. On February 7th, 2008 we enter
the Year of the Rat, the first of the twelve year cycle in the
Chinese Zodiac. Though they are not popular in the West,
in the East rats are considered intelligent, passionate,
charming, and are thought to bring prosperity.
The original idea for the image was a moon made of Swiss cheese
but after carving the block I discovered that each of the moon's
cusps resembled the head of a rat. Not only did that fit the
theme perfectly but also added a French pun to the title.
Best Wishes in the New Year