Flora Prints

A collection of linocuts, lithography and screen prints done in the summer. 

In Bloom

Inspired by this past spring and summer seasons spent sitting outside in my mother’s garden, this linocut series evokes a sense of the setting sun. Through use of mixing background colours a gradient of yellows, oranges and pinks is achieved. This particular image is of a purple balloon flower, a widely utilised edible flower in traditional Chinese medicine. Balloon flowers are also known as Chinese bellflowers and are known to represent endless love and honesty, particularly used in Victorian times to express desire for reconnection with a friend. 

Symbiosis

Inspired by the growth of oyster mushrooms on a tree, as found in nature, the budding fruit bodies burst forth in clusters. This white rot wood decay fungus is a primary decomposer of wood and benefits the dying hardwood tree by returning vital minerals, nutrients and elements to the ecosystem. Through this process, these compounds become usable to other life forms, once the mushroom has completed its job. Additionally, being one of few carnivorous mushrooms, oyster mycelium can kill and digest parasitic nematodes, as a main way of obtaining nitrogen. Often utilised in culinary contexts, this mushroom is also used to create mycelium bricks, furniture and leather substitute products. Serving as building material is just one of its intriguing and useful aspects; through its natural processes of degradation, this mushroom assists heavily in the breakdown of oxo-biodegradable plastic as well as treatment for soil which has been polluted with diesel oil. This small collection of intaglios serves as a homage to the unique and diverse abilities of oyster mushrooms.     

5 Mushroom

This series of prints utilises motifs of the lingzhi mushroom, found often throughout traditional Chinese imagery and is described as the mushroom of life. Lingzhi mushrooms symbolise longevity and great health, used often as a talisman for luck through traditional Chinese culture. The Buddhist goddess of healing and mercy, Guanyin, holds the lingzhi mushroom in several depictions and the mushroom is often used in traditional medicines despite its rarity in the natural world.