Linocut

This is one of the first prints from the linocut.  With limited space and supplies I think it came out pretty well.  I had the speedball ink and a brayer.  I used freezer paper to ink the brayer and a book and spoon to press.  I really like how it came out and I'm going to watercolor a few of them once it dries.

I'm going to do a few more of these, some small designs to put on cards.

SYMBOLISM USED:


I used various symbols from different areas of Africa. There are two Adinkra symbols:


NYANSAPO (background): 

"Wisdom Knot." It is a symbol of wisdom, ingenuity, intelligence and patience.  It is an especially revered symbol of the Akan, this symbol conveys the idea that "a wise person has the capacity to choose the best means to attain a goal. Being wise implies broad knowledge, learning and experience, and the ability to apply such faculties to practical ends."


SANKOFA (hand to the right)
"return and get it"
A symbol of the importance of learning from the past.

In the hand to the left  there is a shield being crossed by a gun and a spear.
The ankh is also used in the crown of the black woman's hair and is the Egyptian symbol for Life.  THe black man is kneeling in front of the black woman, his position indicative of the womb from which he came emphasized even more by the second circle of the nyansapo.

The flame that burns in his chest, a play on "heart of darkness" and representative of his soul force.