I visited my youngest sister, Lisa, last July in Portland. She lives in a lovely home near the downtown area. Our parents were avid collectors of Mexican folk art, and our childhood home was filled with beautiful pieces from that rich tradition. While each of my siblings has created a home of calm and beauty in their own way, it is Lisa who most fully embraces our parents’ deep love for Mexican folk traditions—and makes that legacy a visible, living part of her daily life.
With this woodcut, ‘Lisa at Home’, I wanted to show one part of how Lisa connects her space to meaning and memory. When she sits on her couch, she is centered by a Tree of Life, watched over by winged angels, and surrounded by folk mirrors, woven baskets, clay vessels, textiles, and candlelabras.
Although I usually work in gouache, I made this piece a woodcut because Lisa has long favored that form. Woodcuts, including several of mine, appear in many corners of her home, quietly communicating what she loves and appreciates.
Happy Birthday, Lisa!
Deliberate Sketching 
This turned out so great! The composition really draws us in. Wonderful. AL
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Thank you, Annie, it was fun to carve this, a challenge between the medium and my dexterity.
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It’s a lovely piece. Sally You are a very talented and accomplished artist ! Sent from my iPhone
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Thank you, Laura!
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Wow. You reveal another layer of your talents! I love woodcuts (and also Lino cuts) for how they bring drama to I every scene. This is wonderful to see.
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Thank you, Claudia. It’s funny how many of us have an unspoken love of linocuts and woodcuts! You are right about the drama. I also like the slightly uneven way the ink prints and the jagged angle changes of the curves.
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I’ve liked them since before I did any art myself, I remember buying one at a show 35 years ago or so that I still have. The appeal never fades for me, for such a simple look, they are very complex in how they can portray things.
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I agree about its appeal, and am already working on another!
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What a great tribute to your sister. I didn’t know you do wood cuts! This is beautiful.
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Thank you so much!
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