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I've been so tied to the workbenches, I haven't kept up with these RoundTable updates .. Let's jam all the recent news into one quick post tonight!

Work on the set of blocks for the first pair of prints is proceeding well, although in a bit of a disjointed pattern. About a week back, as I was just about to begin the main carving (after finishing up the blocks for the decorative border), I 'took stock' of what I was about to do, and made a quick re-shuffle of the plan.

The original idea had been to use the Meiji cherry blossom print to start off the series, but - for a few reasons - I have done a 'switcheroo', and that image will now appear as #13 in the series, next April.

One reason for the switch was the time pressure - with the exhibition coming up on the 29th, and the first print 'promised' for early April, it just wasn't looking feasible to get the first pair done in time - with that complex design included. If that had been the only factor, I might have still pressed ahead with it, but when I dug into the pile of blank blocks that I ordered for these first few prints, I found that they really are a lot worse than I first thought when I gave them a 'once over' when I opened the box.

I used one of the hardest blocks in the batch for the decorative border pattern, but there are no others suitable for use as the keyblock for this Meiji design. It will simply have to wait until I can get a block of the proper density and smoothness.

So I hit the books looking for another suitable 'opener' for the series, and found it in a collection of Hiroshige fan prints. A number of years back, when I made my Surimono Albums, I made it a kind of habit to open a number of the sets with a Fuji-san design, and indeed, did the same thing for the previous Hanga Treasure Chest. I'm a sucker for these self-imposed 'traditions', so I made the quick decision to use it, prepared a tracing, and got to work.

Now I said a 'disjointed' work pattern, and what I mean is that, because I'm still under time pressure because of the exhibition, rather than carve images #1 and #2 bit by bit . . .
[Long item has been trimmed at this point. The full blog entry can be viewed here]