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.