"Cat in the Window with the Tree of Life"

In the final semester of my undergrad, I took a beginner printmaking class. I'd wanted to take that class throughout my time at Hamline, but couldn't fit it into my schedule until then. This was partly due to the class structure, which was 3 hours in the middle of the day when my other classes were usually taking place, and also because popular courses were more challenging to get into as a first- and second-year student. In my final semester, I only had one class left in my degree path, so I had a renaissance of trying new things. Three of my classes were ones I chose out of delightful, dilettantish curiosity. That printmaking class was one of them. 

In that class, I learned several techniques. We started out etching copper plates but quickly moved over to woodcut, and we ended with a linoleum print as our final project. I've always been drawn to the motif of cats in windowsills, so I started there, looking for reference photos. In a bit of cosmic luck, my mom sent a picture of one of our cats in the windowsill of her office, and it was almost perfect for my needs. The cat in the print is named Nukazuke (named after the Japanese fermentation technique), and she's sitting with her front legs on a pillow I'm making for my father. 

The background deviates from reality. There is no vibrant fruit tree outside my mom's office window in a yard of tall grass. I added the fruit tree because, in short, it felt right. Here's my thought process: Cat in Windowsill -> Sunlight -> Food -> Fruit Tree. 

Thus, my final project was born.