Fragile Wings

Since the 1980s, David True’s art has had a strong metaphysical bent. The canoe is a frequent motif, perhaps a symbol of a universal spiritual voyage. His color woodcut Fragile Wings features a blue canoe propelled by orange-red sails. Wings? Understandable. Fragile? Perhaps. Fiery in color, surrounded by spark-like flecks of white and yellow, plus ash-like fleck of gray and brown, the sails seem to rocket the canoe on its way. True made this color woodcut in conjunction with a team of Japanese woodcut craftsmen who were brought together in 1982 by publisher Crown Point Press for the purpose of collaborating with artists from the Western tradition. Over the years, dozens of artists participated.