Inspiration

Playing cards is still a seriously fun business for Newfoundlanders and these artfully designed decks by Graham Blair make them suited to their place. One deck is themed on the traditional Livyer activities of fishing, hunting, sealing, and shearing, with mummer-themed jokers and blueberry-patch backs. The second is themed on the creatures and characters from the folklore of The Rock - witches, dragons, mermaids, ghosts, fairies, and giants all in the palm of your hand.

Fabrication

Graham creates his cards using woodcut prints using techniques based on the earliest methods of printmaking. Beginning with an original design on paper, he then carves this image in relief on a hard maple block using a combination of hand-forged knives and gouges. Then each images is printed by rolling a thick linseed oil-based ink onto the surface of the woodblock, laying down the paper, then burnishing the back of the paper with a Japanese baren and bamboo spoon until the image is transferred.