Tuesday 12 July 2011

A New Print and Inspiration

I've always been a huge fan of William Morris's work and the beautiful craftsmanship of the Arts and Crafts movement. I've really regretted not being able to get to see the Cult Of Beauty Exhibition at The V&A museum, but by the magic of the internet I've been to look through the wonderful archives that the museum has on-line, including this stunning design by William Morris. The Strawberry Thief is a beautiful piece of design that Morris used for fabrics, and was inspired by the thrushes that came into his garden at Kelmscott Manor.
Although one of his more famous designs, it was lovely to look at this piece with fresh eyes again, and it really inspired me to get printing again.

So my new print combines similar themes to Morris's stunning piece, although  i have used one of my favorite flowers, the Peony, and two little Nightingales. 









Also inspiration came from fellow blogger and print maker Jaqui Dodds, who has produced some stunning pieces working at Wightwick Manor this year. A beautiful building in Wolverhampton with pieces by Morris, Rossetti and Burne-Jones. More about Jaqui's work and Wightwick Manor can be found on her bloghttp://jacquidodds.blogspot.com/

10 comments:

erasercarver said...

Absolutely gorgeous print, I especially love the layers and depth in the peony.

Anonymous said...

What an exquisite print! It's beautiful :)

Melanie Wickham said...

Fantastic flower, love this print.

A Deegan said...

i love the arrangement of the birds and flower - beautiful as always

textile artist said...

Lovely print (and always beautiful colours) I too love Morris and had hope to learn about his techniques on my degree course-no such luck :-(
I also did not manage to visit the V&A but the book they have produced about the Cult of Beauty is well worth buying. My dissertation was about Rossettiso I shall be following up that link!!!! Thank you for a very interesting post and also for all your beautiful inspirational prints :-)

Mangle Prints said...

Thank you : ) a.c i wish you lots of luck on your dissertation on Rossetti, another artist who has inspired me greatly over the years, i'm sure you will really enjoy the research : )
It's great to see a revival in the work of the Pre-Raphaelites and Arts and Crafts movement (although for me it never really went away ) and to see the work being celebrated in the manor it deserves : )
Best wishes
Amanda

Acornmoon said...

Gorgeous print. Morris would approve I am sure!

textile artist said...

Hi, actually did my dissertation last year! had a wonderful time researching his life and loves/relationships , which are fascinating! So nice to 'meet' some one else who values the beautiful work of that era.
My favourite Pre-Raphaelite artists are actually second -Edward Burne-jones- and third-William Waterhouse- generation Pre-Raphaelites. I just love beautiful depictions of legends etc. Also, the beautiful colours, especially blues, they use appeal to me much more than those of contmporary art.
Keep up the lovely work
Very best wishes,
Chris
PS Seeing your beautiful work has made me even more determine to try lino printing (instead of screen printing that we were shown at college)....do I have to have a mangle????!!!!!Do you do classes (for future reference when I can afford it!!!!)?

Mangle Prints said...

Hi Chris,
Hehe, no, you really don't need a mangle to print ! , it's just something that i have been using as a press over the last couple of years, as i couldn't afford a traditional printing press, and also i don't have the room for one at home. There are lots of different ways to print with out a press. Some people use a barren or the back of a spoon, or even a soft cloth on the back of the paper.Depending on what part of the country you live in, there are some print studios that hold workshops and hire out facilities too. It would be great to hold some more workshops in the future, if i do i'll let you know : )

I remember seeing Edward Burne-Jones beautiful stained glass at Ely Cathedral in the Stained Glass museum. Like you i was struck by the beautiful colours, especially in such an awe inspiring setting.

Many thanks for the kind comments,
Amanda : )

textile artist said...

Thanks so much for the helpful advice, much appreciated :-). Will give the lino/spoon printing a go when I finally clear up 5 yrs of domestic neglect in my little cottage!!!
Look forward to hearing about courses in the future (2012 I hope as last year of my part-time degree wiped me out financially :-()
I haven't been to Ely but did manage to see mhis wonderful paintings and some of his decorative art designs (they were so multi-talented, another thing I really admire about the Victorians)at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Well worth a visit!