Patterns in Wood

I walked toward the rear alcove of the studio, where wooden carving blocks lay lined up along a low pine table. One block of dark, polished wood stood out... its flat base etched deeply with four-petaled florets and winding vine motifs. I stepped close, tracing the sharp, raised wooden ridges with my thumbs. A faint dusting of dried terracotta pigment clung inside the crevices. Pulling a scrap of pale linen flat across the table, I set the block down and pressed firmly against its smooth handle. When I lifted it... a quiet, earthy red flower remained stamped into the weave.