Billy Childish, photo by Shawn VinsonClick here to listen to a lively and diverse conversation with guests including Fiona Shaw and Billy Childish, recorded on 30 Dec 2009.

Chris Pig, "Be Still My Love"

In 1745, the great English painter and pictorial satirist William Hogarth proposed to publish a print from a painting he had done. Those that paid half a guinea for the print were entered into a lottery for the painting. Having sold 900 'tickets', in 1750, on the day the lot was to be drawn, Hogarth gifted the remaining 200 to the Governors for the Hospitals of the Foundlings. To their benefit, one of their numbers was drawn and they became the possessors of the painted picture.

Two-and-a-half centuries later: another London printmaker Chris Pig, carries on the tradition. Known mostly for his impressive linocuts inspired by a five-year period in Cordova, Spain, as well as life in the infamous East End of London; his prints are often as notable for their story-telling and humor as they are for their technical mastery.

Pig has been concentrating his efforts on engravings since his 2007 return to Hackney – a medium he is returning to after nearly twenty years.  Since his return to London and the birth of his daughter Stella, engraving has proved a more practical option as well, taking up less space.

Be Still my Love was conceived in a dream Chris had during a siesta in Cordova - of "a voluptuous woman writhing sinuously with a crocodile". He made a striking linocut of this image before producing an edition of 60 engravings. Those who wish to purchase one of these smaller prints will be entered into a lottery for the original linocut (or any print of equal or lesser value).

At $50 each, it’s a fair bit more than a half guinea, but the odds of one in sixty are much more favorable than they were for the nine hundred 'participants' of the original 'Hogarth Project'. Once all 60 prints have been purchased, we will announce the drawing on this blog and pick a name from a hat to determine the winner. As of this post, only 47 prints remain. You can order and pay online, or by phone at 404.939.2787. Good luck.