An Original Linocut Print of the Queen of Elfame, an ancient fairy queen renown on the border of England and Scotland.
Handprinted by myself at my home studio in the Northeast of England, so everyone is slightly different and unique. This print is available as a print only or mounted in archival black mountcard
The process of a linocut print is quite lengthy. I digitally design most of my prints, these are then printed and transfered to a block for carving. Once carved the block is inked and printed to produce the final piece. Each edition is different but limited. This edition will be of 20 prints. Each print is titled and signed for authenticity and comes with a descriptive note about the mythology of the design.
 
'I'm not the Queen of Heaven, Thomas,
  That name does not belong to me;
I am but the Queen of fair Elphame
  Come out to hunt in my follie.
'Thomas Rhymer' by Robert Graves
The Queen of Elf-hame is a very old legend of a fine white lady who would appear by the road and whisk people off to her realm of the fairies. The legend of Thomas Rhymer and Tam lin are two such stories. She was also invoked in the Scottish witch trials as the a devil type figure who lead the people astray.  Sometime she is a sinister being who uses human folk at her whim and at other times she is fair as fairies are wont to be.
This linocut print is handprinted in very thin japanese awagami paper, with caligo safewash ink. Caligo Safewash Ink is an oil based ink which can be cleaned up without using toxic cleaners, its main ingredient is linseed oil which makes them environmentally friendly and easy to work with.