I have been quiet here this week because of a pretty loud and chaotic week in my real life. In the best possible way. It was Memphis's annual contra dance weekend (a lively form of American folk dancing), and I put up eight house guests and hosted the late night swing party in addition to dancing all weekend

I saw tons of friends, celebrated my birthday by dancing with some of my favorite partners, and I got I to do lots of this:

Thanks to Kevin Riggs for the happy photo to remember the weekend by, and to Dennis Wise for some great dances.

I've been getting back to work this week, sketching outside some to enjoy the weather and giving a presentation at Memphis Theological Seminary in conjunction with my show there. (More on that later.)

I'm also doing a lot of carving. My latest print is a diptych for my show at Dixon Gallery and Gardens this fall. I want to do something special for a museum show, and I'd also like to vary the size of my prints for it. I've never tried a two part print, but it's fun to stretch myself. A diptych also doubles the size I can work in, since I'm already using about the maximum bed size of my modest sized press.

Here's the first proof of both halves.

This print is based on one of my favorite pairings. I enjoy revisiting favorite images in a new medium to see how the look changes over time and with different materials.