Monday 25 November 2013

Colour from the season - Chrysanthemum dusky orange

I recently bought a second hand book from a market book stall called 'Flowers in Art from East and West' Paul Hulton and Lawrence Smith, published by The Trustees of the British Museum, 1979.

I'd just started drawing these Spider Chrysanthemums, so to find, among the many plates in the book, one of a exquisite Japanese wood block print of Chrysanthemum ('General of Three Provinces?') was great timing.

It was I discovered one of a series of wood block prints from the book 'One Hundred Chrysanthemums' by the Japanese Artist Keika Hyakukiku first published in1893 (you can see the first volume of these prints here and the second volume here). There are only seventy-five prints in fact, as he died before completing the series, these are inspirational don't you think?




















































Masses of these imperial colours in my greenhouse at the moment and this variety is I believe called "Dusky Queen' - Here's the book...




















...and this is the image that captured my attention when I was leafing through the book in the market!! Painted in 1585 by Jacques Le Moyne de Morges it's called "A Young Daughter of the Picts'. The floral pattern is tattooed in a mirror repeat across her body!
(Interesting information about the image/painting in this article from 'The Independent' here).

































Thinking of pattern - I'm really looking forward to the Selvedge (Textile) Winter Fair in the Kings Rd. London this coming Friday and Saturday!! 






...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.