Dear Subscribers,

Of course, I am still toiling on the second print in the series "The promised land" and I won't give up. Meanwhile , I produced a new woodblock print, "Credo", that I present below.

"Credo" is Latin for "I believe" and a creed is a concise statement about what is believed. Today, the Christian creed is a slight variation of an ancient (originally Greek) text, first formulated in the fourth century. Its first sentence reads "Credo in unum Deum". Very similar is the Shahada, the first pillar of the Islam; translated it says "There is no god but God [Allah] and Muhammad is his messenger".

In Judaism, the first lines of the prayer Shema sound like a confession: "Hear Israel, The Lord is our God, the Lord is one". The picture below shows the first lines of the Shema on the Knesset Menorah.

Whatever the content of the creeds or doctrines, believers tend to fossilize their beliefs in the form of tangible things like holy statues, temples, sacred texts or holy stones. Unfortunately, processes of ossification evoke fierce controversies and bloodshed and once petrified, the belief evokes more campaigns, pogroms, pyres and beheadings.

All my life, I have been struggling with and fascinated by beliefs, believing and devotion. Therefore, the woodblock print shown below and entitled "Credo", will be the central part of a triptych "A solemn introduction to religion".

"Credo" measures 385 x 195 mm and was printed in an edition of 12 on 220 grs sheets of Simili Japon. The sheets are sized 46.5 x 27.5 cm.

The side panels are still under construction; both already have seen a few printing passes. So, we have to wait, but not for too long, to see them. And meanwhile, I am still toiling with the next print in the series "The promised land".

Each of the three panels of the triptych will be separately orderable; "Credo" will be available at € 350.-, unframed, VAT and shipping included. As a subscriber to my Newsletter, you are entitled to a discount of 30% if you order before the end of Februari.

In the next issue of this Newsletter, I will explain why I was driven to use a loaded form of the triptych and what is on the sidepanels