'Carnation & Amber' 2023
One of William Morris’s favourite flowers - the carnation can symbolise many things in Floriography (depending on the colour) such as deep admiration, good luck, gratitude and motherly love. The carnation, for which there are many varieties, is one of the oldest cultivated flowers and has been known to exist since antiquity. According to some legends the Greek botanist Theophrastus gave the flower its scientific name: dianthus, a combination of the Greek word dios, which means divine and anthos,the word for flower. Not only a beautiful cut flower, in Tudor times the petals were used to make cordials, which was supposed to benefit the heart. In this artwork, I have included multi-colour carnations (containing a paint made with carnation petals) to create a work that embodies all the admiration, luck and love you could want on your wall.
 
Also used in the paint preparation: Baltic Amber, natural earth pigments from Portugal, Italy and Australia, Lapis Lazuli, fig leaf, chrysanthemum, Australian ferns, jasmine, vanilla pods and acacia tree resin. Hand applied finely beaten metals including Australian 24 karat gold-leaf and various Dutch gold leaf (copper, aluminium, zinc). Original ink design completed using the dip-pen method.