Pomegranate Linocut Triptych

Why are pomegranate so captivating? Is it their delightful shape—an irregular plump orb with an upside-down crown? Or the deep crimson color—reminiscent of blood, royalty, and precious gemstones? Or the feel—leather-like, smooth, waxy?  Or is it the treasure trove inside—chambers of ruby-red seeds . . . crunchy, juicy, and bursting with nectar that is at once tart and sweet, full of nutrients, and so pigmented it can stain one’s lips?  

The mysterious pomegranate has been the muse of myth makers, religions, and artists for centuries. Revered in diverse cultures, the pomegranate is a symbol of many things: fertility, birth, life, good fortune, faith, power, and death. 

When I was young, my family lived next door to a reclusive older couple who owned a tract of land that held an orchard with all types of trees and plants. My parents told my brother and sister and me to stay clear of them, as they did not like it when neighborhood kids climbed the gate to take a shortcut to school. But we loved their gardener, a Japanese man who parked his old turquoise truck in our long driveway, and told us to call him Uncle Hy. He was the one who first introduced us to pomegranates. He would sneak us into their orchard and use a pocket knife to cut one up. We delighted in being in the “secret garden” with Uncle Hy enjoying the flavorful seeds that burst in our mouth. 

When drawing out my ideas for a linocut pomegranate, I came up with several designs, so I made a triptych. I mixed up a rich red ink to print them. I think pomegranate art needs to be set off with blue, so I tried putting my prints on different blue papers for a background.  In the end, I choose some gel prints I had made with acrylic paint using several shades of blue and green and gold. I could not find a frame I liked, so I talked my husband into custom making a frame out of walnut.