Bundleflower

While taking a walk at a nearby park I noticed some beautiful seed pods with lovely, slightly twisted shapes.  The seed pods were bunched together and the pointed heads of the pods poked out in every direction .  And the best part was how the dried seed pods opened to expose the reddish seeds still remaining inside.  I took lots of photos and didn't think about them again until I was looking for a subject for my next linocut and realized they would be perfect.

This linocut was rather ambitious for me in that it was a 4-color reduction print.  That means I would print a color and then carve the plate...and then print the next color and then carve the plate...and so on.  I meticulously detailed every step of the process in the following blog posts (click the orange type to visit the blog):

Bundleflower: Colors 1 & 2
- In this post I talk about the bundleflower plant, carving the plate, and printing the cream and burnt orange layers.  You can see how the plate starts out a beautiful soft, gray color and how it changes when you apply the orange ink.

Bundleflower: Color 3
- Here I show how I carve and print the red seed layer.  The plate was so textural at this stage I took LOTS of photos and snuck in some good quotes.

Bundleflower: Carving
- The plate has been stained pink after printing the red and I carve the seeds away for the plate to receive the dark brown color.  The plate is rather "pretty" at this stage.

Bundleflower: Final Print
- This post shows the entire process from start to finish.   Plus, it shows me inking and pulling the final dark brown color and photos of the final print. 

Video

This video shows the carved design magically emerge as I spread ink on the plate with the second color, burnt orange.

The video below shows me burnishing and pulling a print after applying the burnt orange ink.  I never tire of seeing the image appear as the mirrored print is slowly revealed.

the bundleflower linocut
is available for purchase.
 

bundleflower (4-color)

This linocut was printed using oil-based ink on cotton paper.  This is a four-color limited edition print.

Quantity: 11
Dimensions: 30'' W x 22'' H
Price: $600

bundleflower (3-color)

This linocut was printed using oil-based ink on cotton paper.  This is a three-color limited edition print.

Quantity: 5*
Dimensions: 30'' W x 22'' H
Price: $600

bundleflower (3-color, watercolor)

This linocut was printed using oil-based ink on cotton paper.  This is a three-color limited edition print with a hand-tinted watercolor background.  This particular print is on sale because there is a minor flaw in the sheen.  For more details click the "Buy Prints" tab at the top of this page and then choose "Bundleflower 3-color Watercolor".

Quantity: 1*
Dimentions: 30''W x 22"H
Price: SALE $250

* The "3-Color" and "3-Color, Watercolor" Chinese Lantern prints are part of a variable edition of 6.  Thus the number of "3-Color" prints depends on the demand for hand-tinted "3-Color, Watercolor" prints.