Ice Cream Thieves | hand made A4 linocut print showing seagulls stealing ice creams

This is a hand made original linocut repeat print. Carved and printed by hand, using Cranfield caligo ink and Tsukineko Versafine Clair ink on fine kozo washi.

The design features 6 black-headed seagulls and 3 ice cream cones. The birds are fighting over the stolen food. I live in Swansea, near the bay, and the seagulls are very bold, but this particular memory is from a trip to St Ives where a seagull snatched my ice cream. In Mumbles, the best loved local brand is Joe's Ice Cream. Luckily I have yet to have a Joe's ice cream stolen by a seagull.

The design is based on an einstein tiling. Here, "einstein" derives from two German words "ein" and "stein", meaning "one stone", a single shape which can tile a flat surface without any gaps. Astonishingly, however large the surface, the pattern will never repeat. This particular 13 sided einstein tile was the first one discovered, by an amateur mathematician as recently as 2022.

Due to the construction process, every print is unique. Only 20 prints of this A4 design will be made. Each print is numbered, titled and signed by hand. Also due to the hand made process, there may be some slight imperfections. These add to the character of the finished work.

This print is available in two variants:
1. Japanese Awagami Masa paper with the ice creams coloured acorn brown
2. Hand torn Chinese Wenzhou mulberry paper with the ice creams coloured acorn brown

Both papers are high quality and strong, made of mulberry fibres (kozo). Masa is a crisp white and thicker at 70gsm. Wenzhou is a warm white and has a more organic feel. The Wenzhou is super-fine at 30gsm and has a hand-torn edge.

The print is dispatched flat, sealed in a waterproof bag in a large "do not bend" envelope.