Portland, Oregon artist Jack McLarty uses the power and simplicity of negative space to depict two embracing figures in this early-career woodcut. The narrow format and use of tinted paper was also a recurring style choice for the prolific artist, who worked in woodcut, intaglio, and lithography printmaking, as well as in oils and acrylics. McLarty finds the balance between passion and tenderness in this image, a theme he returned to throughout his career.