Marking the 2026 summer solstice, Goen is inspired by the planetary parade that was visible in the deepest winter night sky of 2025. I saw all seven planets alongside the moon one January evening gazing out to the moors. It was a breath-taking sight, as an arch of Mars, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, Mercury, the moon and Venus aligned from east to west in the inky sky. To mark this rare celestial event, I have created a small edition of 5 woodblock prints with 2 AP's, hand-embellished with earth and mineral pigments on a ground of sumi and indigo ink on washi, 30cm x 20cm, 2026.

Goen is a Japanese concept referring to a fateful connection between people, things or places, suggesting that encounters are the result of invisible interconnected threads. This print is an homage to Kate MacDonagh's Borderless print of 2020 that she created for the Mokuhanga Sisters Borderless artist's book, at a time when we all felt more connected than divided.