Dimensions 11 9/16 × 16 9/16 in. (29.37 × 42.07 cm) (image)15 × 20 7/8 in. (38.1 × 53.02 cm) (sheet)
This image is a colour woodblock print of a jay flying over a lake, made by William Giles. Imagine the artist, William Giles, carving into the woodblock to create this image! See the way the water shimmers with delicate blues and greens, contrasting with the stark white of the birch trees. It's all about the precise cuts made into the wood, each one defining the edges of the bird's wings and the reflections on the water. I picture him carefully layering the colors to build depth and texture. The jay itself, suspended in mid-flight, seems to pulse with life. I can really feel the weight and texture, the way the pigment sits on the surface. It makes me think about Japanese woodblock prints, and how they captured the fleeting beauty of nature. Artists are always having a conversation, and I wonder how they all influence one another. It's a reminder that art-making is not just about the final product, but about the embodied process of creation.
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Once, before making a print of swans, William Giles spent six weeks concealed in a covered punt (a narrow, flat-bottomed boat) so he could observe swans on London’s Thames River. It’s not known whether he spent a similar amount of time hiding in a tree to observe the habits of jays before making Haunt of the Jay. The orange breast makes it the Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius), a species in Britain also distinctive for its blue-and-black wings. Giles often printed from woodblocks in combination with zinc plates, “carving” relief designs on the metal with acid. He found that the zinc plates delivered purer color, and surely used them to print this exquisite creature coasting high above a riverbank. (Did he intentionally make the background drab to set off the bird') Despite the menacing look, the Eurasian jay is reputedly shy and is probably looking for acorns—it’s been known to find and bury as many as 11,000 per winter.
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