Adobe Bell Tower

Ruth Saunders pares down this Catholic mission to a blocky shape which seems monumental, despite the tiny scale of her woodcut. Adobe—a building material made of clay, sand, water and fibrous materials like straw—is often whitewashed to increase its durability. Saunders uses the ink-free surface of the light paper to read as whitewash covering the bell tower’s surface. She also cleverly allows the inked block to scuff the tower so that its whitewash appears weathered.