Leading the Cranes Home has been one of the most successful and best admired of our books in the past few years. Click on the title to see its full description and slide-show!
The creator of its fantastic colour woodcuts, Ralph Kiggell, has just been here, having managed to pop down to Wales during one of his infrequent trips back to the UK from his home in Thailand.
We did persuade him to unroll for us the pile of prints that he had brought to show to one or other of his galleries. Some of the prints we had seen before but some were new to us. These great sheets of Japanese paper, apparently flimsy but actually remarkably strong, are impressive enough in their own right but, when the baren in Ralph's hand has finished the long and laborious process of printing one block after another, the result, glowing with rich colours, is truly magnificent.
These few photos are merely to give an impression of the excitement as the prints were unrolled! If you want to concentrate on looking at these prints and many others, you can visit Ralph's website from here.
Those who have had an opportunity to handle and examine thoroughly Leading the Cranes Home, will not be surprised to hear that, sitting this morning in glorious Mayday sun and heat (still a bit chilly for Ralph!), we began to weave plans for a second venture together . . .
. . . and that is all I'm saying at the moment!
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