Lucy

A four-block mokuhanga portrait on [washi](/glossary/washi), part of Lyon's ongoing series of figurative studies of named individuals. The four-block structure divides tonal responsibility across the image, with each layer contributing to the cumulative description of form. Lyon's use of CNC carving allows the blocks to carry carved gradations — fine tonal ramps that would be nearly impossible to cut by hand at equivalent precision — which print as continuous tone rather than visible steps on the absorbent washi surface. The intimacy characteristic of Lyon's portraits derives partly from his practice of working from life or close photographic reference with subjects he knows, producing images that feel observational rather than idealized within a technical process of considerable complexity.