Foreign Flora - a work in progress

  

Presenting Foreign Flora, 15 x 11.5 cm, a newly carved lino block intended for Illustrated Women, an artist book that’s slowly, but surely, in the making. 

The subject’s floral tattoo is a motif from Australia, circa 1888, an embroidered table cover designed in Britain by the remarkable May Morris (1862 - 1938). In fact, none of the flowers depicted in her textile are native to Australia. The table cover, reproduced (not to scale) in the first developmental  view below, was commissioned by a Scottish-born couple residing in Adelaide, South Australia, which I assume is how it acquired its title. Australia is now held in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Following are four sequential progress views of Foreign Flora.

May Flowers

Pictured top: the competed lino block for May Flowers, another work that will eventually take its place in the forthcoming artist book, Illustrated Women. The block measures 15 x 11.5 cm.

Below are a couple of progress views. Lately I’ve been further prepping my drawn up blocks with a coating of transparent drawing ink in order to see the areas I’ve cut away with greater clarity. It works a treat. As you can see, no pink areas remain in the final image.  

My protagonist’s tattoo is loosely based on a detail from Maids of Honour, a needlework design by May Morris. 

Click on images for considerably enlarged views. 

 

Yuletide Greetings

As demonstrated by the climbing molluscs in the lino block pictured below, this year has certainly had its ups and downs. That’s life, I guess - and even more so than usual over the past couple of years. 

The block, which measures 15 x 11.5 cm, is a work in progress for a forthcoming linocut, Snail Trails. The linocut will be part of an artist book, Illustrated Women, which I’ll be working on during 2022. (See also Blog Post Saturday, December 11, 2021). Click on images for a clearer view.

Enjoy the holidays, everyone, and here’s hoping for a safer, healthier, happier year ahead. 

In development: ILLUSTRATED WOMEN, a new artist book

Currently I’m working on several small blocks that, once completed, will provide the content for Illustrated Women, a forthcoming artist book. 

Illustrated Women will be a book without words, enabling the viewer to make up her or his own stories about the subjects within. Directly below are two lino blocks, Sunflower and Morris Dancer, that are fairly near completion. Each block measures 15 x 11.5cm. 

Further information about Illustrated Women will follow in future posts.