Holly Bird

A woodcut simulation with none of the heart or skill. Writing as an actual woodcut artist.

Excellent essay, thank you!

That said, "foxification", as we coined it in-house, didn't really get rolling until after 9/11. I left the station in 1999 to teach, but I ran into old friends there from time to time who told me how the corporate culture was being politicized to the point it made some employees uncomfortable.

You’re right. I worked for a local news broadcast affiliate that was switched from CBS to FOX in 1994 when R.M. bought 20 owner-operated stations, the max back then.We always produced our own local news content. The cable network was launched in ‘96, but we never broadcast their content.

Love this. You can just feel that offshore wind in the marks on the water, especially well done in the upper left.

It was such a knockout cover on the bookstore shelves when it came out! You couldn't miss it, in a good way.

That looks lovely out there!

I remember seeing this large original in person! The highlight of the art show for me that year. I was sorry to see that series by C. J. Cherryh end; it was terrific. All of your covers were ::chef's kiss::!

You’re right! But it’s become this sincere, shorthand compliment for what people perceive to be good art. I’ve had people tell me one of my woodcuts of a sailboat looks “just like a photo!” and I accept it politely for the compliment it is. But, wow, it’s odd.

It’s become the highest compliment by art show and museum -going public. We hear it all the time now at the art center where I teach printmaking. Way to miss the point, indeed, (also: a) yeah; no), but they truly think it’s high praise.

And that’s where we are now.

Great cover. Iconic.

So great! Love the wee llama and the custom baren.

Polly, these look great!! Congrats! I can see a new direction in your prints and I love it. 😀

An intaglio etching in muted blue-black tones of a crowned harpy holding an orb with two moons in a night sky. A tree and mountains are behind her. A banner at her feet names her "Aequitas".

Aequitas, the Harpy of Justice, knows what you did.

5" x 7" copper plate etching with rosin aquatint. Printed using bone black + Prussian blue oil-based inks on Rives BFK. Class demo for my students. #etching #etchings #printmaking #intaglio

I just listened to this. Best summary of the tariffs’ true goals I’ve heard yet.

With deep admiration and respect: thank you, Ms. Nelson.

Another example of a book I bought by an unfamiliar writer based on your cover art alone. I loved the trilogy and ended up finding and reading everything else C.S. Friedman did.

Excellent essay.

I'll take it over some other states I could name...

Carter’s book was such an important read for me as an artist and Green is my favorite of The Red Rose Girls.

Oof, I need to see Kelvingrove someday... That's the second reference just this week to the gallery after doing some reading up on Jessie King in an old issue of "Style 1900", a much loved and now defunct (naturally) American magazine.

I think it's definitely time for a re-read.

Boom! Watch an auroral poleward expansion in real-time! This was last night about an hour south of Fairbanks, Alaska with my photography workshop - night 1 and we got THIS! Insane stuff. One of the better substorms I've seen this year.

Same here! Great to see your process. I like to scan my printed key block, set it to "Multiply" for transparency and run color comps on it while organizing the blocks into layers below it in Photoshop or Affinity Photo. One to three colors/rolls/passes per block; light to dark.

What an ass. (As if that were even true, or a valid premise to begin with.)

I *just* finished "Faith" last night (loved it) and Beartongue is exactly that type of pragmatic good person, as if all good characters are unfashionably cringe, un-relatable, one-note rule-followers. Also, as if rejecting them out of hand in favor of anti-heroes is in service to realism. Odd...

Oh, ffs.

🎶 Thou needest not have wealthe
To be my love
Thou needest not be coole
To rule above
Ther nys no especial signe Ich have affinitee wyth
Ich nede naught
but thyne extra tyme and thy

[lute riff]

kysse 🎶

Using AI to produce writing or art is like asking someone at the gym to lift weights for you.

The effort is the point.