5778 - Limited Edition of 3 Print

In 2011 while taking class at Clemson University, I cut and printed this woodcut. It counts the lives lost with groves into the wooden plate. 5778 was the title then. Now, 2021, I have added the additional 1200 marks to show the estimated US lives lost in the Iraqi and Afghan wars. So fitting, that I hung this as a special request in 2021 and added now, the1200 additional marks with silver marker to bring the "title" of the new work to 6978. Before the piece was shown to the public the count grew 13 more. This piece uses a sheer silver overlay and the voids from the cuts remain plain. You can see each an every individual life in my cuts. Stencils of military aircraft, weapons and artillery overlay as well as the suggestion of a coat hanger and a clothesline and clothespins. Soldiers told me the story of getting hunkered down in the Anwar Valley, where the US could not service these troops. They lived off very little. They hung their clothes up to dry as they gazed out the window of their mountain terrain. Paper doll soldiers make a political statement of how we move troops in and out of a war zone. One 'old soldiers told me he felt the paper dolls were so important because soldiers are fragile and delicate as well. My professor has recently mentioned that this piece became a counting device. As sad as that may sound...this is exactly that. Hopefully it points to the value of our soldiers, their difficult duties and the "numbers" that we all should never forget. This piece is paper...ships in a tube and would require a plexiglass covering to allow it to float. There are 2 wooden clothes pins that are magnetized to the piece so, it requires a 2" space to float. Now these numbers vary from different sources. But in the total counts, the lives lost on both sides totals 1.5 million. I would love to hear from you if you have seen and read this artist statement. Just a hello will do to HoffmanMelinda@bellsouth.net

Printmaking:Paper on Paper

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:3

Size:40 W x 60 H x 0.1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.