Print, 'Jungle Gardener', wood engraving by Ben Goodman 2017

Wood engraving of an older man wearing a hat.

Jungle Gardener and the wood engraving, Kwabena, also in the museum collection are from Goodman’s Ghana series in which he chose a different tool for each print and pushed it to its limits. This results in equally arresting images of youth and advancing age. The spitsticker is used for the patchwork of marks and patterns in Jungle Gardener which build facial structure and physiognomy; the lozenge graver is used for Kwabena with great control and economy. Goodman mapped out the outlines and key shapes of these designs in advance, but the details of the designs were improvised on the block and emerged as he worked.

Ben Goodman is both a wood engraver and an etcher. At 29, he became the youngest ever elected member of the Society of Wood Engravers. He exhibits regularly at the RWA, the Royal Academy of Art, Mall Galleries and annually with the Society of Wood Engravers.

E.686-2017