Ink & Moon Calendar
I’ve been contributing to this annual fundraising calendar by the Ink + Moon Collective since 2020. It’s been a wonderful way to connect with caring and creative women in my community and to (literally) carve out time for printmaking!
2026 Calendar - Belonging
“Migration is an Earth Right” - lino print, 2025
This year our theme was Belonging. My print “Migration is an Earth Right” depicts monarchs in flight, an example of migration that is common in nature.
It was inspired by a post from @outsidewithlira, an urban wildlife ranger in the UK. “In nature there are no borders... people do not leave their homeland by choice - they do it for survival... an instinct we share with all other living beings.”
Her words resonated with me as I grappled with the scenes of anti-immigrant actions and policies taking place in the world, fueled by the politics and people working to distract us from the root causes of immigration — capitalism and colonialism creating climate crises and societal destabilization and destruction.
As an immigrant myself and a human of conscience, the perspective shared in Lira’s message felt important to share.
The Way of Truth and Love, 2024
The image is of a peony in the process of falling apart. It symbolizes the despair I have felt watching the destruction of Gaza; the killing, maiming, torture, traumatizing and starving of men, women and children; the erasing of families, culture, and history.
There is contradiction in the inherent beauty of the falling apart peony. As the world we know falls down around us, there is beauty in the rising up and coming together of individual people. Education, information, realization. We are waking up to the darkness we have benefited from, contributed to, turned a blind eye to. We are turning to each other as we brace for what is to come.
Mahatma Gandhi’s words provide some small comfort.
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it... always.”
Thanks and blessings to all the brave people who do their part to shift us towards a more fair and just world.
After the Fire, 2024
This year’s theme was “Wild Hope”, which grew from our collective’s deep concern over climate change. I was drawn to the patch of fireweed that has been establishing itself on our property and had a wonderful time doing observational drawings of it over its growing season. It was the perfect subject for my print, as fireweed is known to be one of the first plants to return after forest fires. For me, they represent the hope for beauty to return once the destructive forces of nature — or humankind — have left their mark.
2024 Calendar, Wild Hope
After the Fire printing process
From sketching and planning to carving and printing, there are many steps to creating a lino block print!
Past calendar contributions
Susan’s Strength, 2023
This year’s theme was “Strength”. This called to mind for me my mother, Susan, and the strength she embodied through her life and sadly also at the end of her life as she dealt with, and ultimately died of, cancer. I spent time sketching the Black Eyed Susan flowers in my garden. My mum also loved creating lino prints, so working on this one was a chance to connect with her on many levels.
Into the Unknown, 2022
This year’s theme was “Into the Unknown”. For me, the greatest unknown is what’s closest to us all, ourselves.
My print was selected for the “cover” of the calendar for this year.
Summer’s Warmth in Winter, 2021
This year’s theme was “This Ordinary Life”, a response to the pandemic, which saw our lives simplify in some ways. I chose to interpret this through the image of a jar of canned peaches, glowing golden orbs of sweetness preserved from the previous summer then savoured in the cold and dark of winter. I hadn’t made a lino block print in ages and it was lovely to revisit the medium.
About the collective
We are a group of women who find joy in gathering and creating together. Each year we choose a new theme to interpret through carved and printed lino block. What started as an opportunity for connection and creativity, has grown into an opportunity to raise funds for organizations that are close to our hearts.
The collective was founded in 2012.
O2 retrospective window display
The collective presented a retrospective of is work in Oxygen Art Centre’s mini gallery offshoot, O2. Original prints, carved blocks and greeting cards were on display from December 4th 2023, to February 8th 2024.
