words + pictures from the studio of Joan Colbert
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The Solanaceae prints seemed complete when the fifth one was printed, but apparently there will be a new addition to the family. Envisioning a triptych, I decided to add another pairing that plays off of the tabletop motif of two of the earlier prints. When complete this sixth image will feature Datura stramonium and Physalis alkekengi, Chinese Lantern plant.
Tags: Chinese Lantern plant, Datura, linocut, linoleum print, moth, printmaking, Solanaceae
Avenue, the cat, has a wonderful carpet that provided a colorful backdrop to his recent portrait. Just for fun the image was translated into a block print – less color, more magic!
Avenue’s Magic Carpet
block print (linocut) in hand embellished frame
Tags: cat, linocut, linoleum print, pet portrait, tabby
PorchRokr, the Highland Square festival that features bands on the porch and art on the lawn, is coming up this Saturday. Visitors can purchase Square Cards, good for art, food or music from participating vendors.
This year’s Square Card items from Joan Colbert Studios are tiny pieces of original art (ACEOs – art cards editions and originals). Measuring just 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches, most are mixed media or prints. Choose your favorite!
above: Worker Bees, block print
Tags: aceo, block print, linoleum print, mixed media
Finally there are five prints to complete the Aconitum (monkshood) group in the As Potent as a Charm series! The final prints are designed to flank the first three, although they all work just as well individually.
Aconitum, the bane of women and wolves, is reputed to be deadly to whales, tigers and leopards when used in poison darts; its scent alone is enough to fell a mouse. The situation is dire for the little mouse in the print, Mousebane, where the potential for herbal poisoning is the least of its worries.
Meanwhile, the monk now must consider unearthly entities to his left in the print, Beyond. Two more common names for the queen of poisons, derived from the appearance of the Aconitum flower, are suggested: a rocket (blue rocket) soars into the the night sky above the devilish gargoyle lurking in the shadows (devil’s helmet).
Browse previous posts for more information or visit As Potent as a Charm on my website.
Tags: Aconite, Aconitum, linocut, linoleum print, monkshood, poison, relief print
Even though the initial three prints in the monkshood series, included in the Upstairs Downstairs exhibit earlier this year, worked fine as a triptych, I knew then that five was the magic number to complete the set of Aconitum inspired images. The ‘queen of poisons’ is probably best known as monkshood, but it also answers to leopard’s bane, devil’s helmet, blue rocket and mousebane (in addition to the previously depicted women’s bane and wolfsbane).
After many initial drawings of devils, the final sketch has him perched like a gargoyle, while the leopard eventually wound up on an overhead tree branch. Both drawings have been transferred to linoleum blocks and cutting has begun – printing can’t be far behind.
Tags: Aconite, Aconitum, block print, linocut, linoleum print, relief print
With the possibility of cold temperatures and more snow, early April seems a bit too soon to do any serious garden clean-up, but when the weather permits it’s nice to get outdoors. The remaining pods of the Chinese, or Japanese, Lantern Plant, Physalis alkekengi, have taken on a lovely, lace-like appearance. The delicate look of the weathered lanterns in spring guarantees that they will continue to have at least a small presence in the garden, although their invasive tendencies can be difficult to contain.
Several years ago the fragile lanterns inspired a small series of pod prints, using both wood and linoleum blocks.
left to right: Lantern Plant, Peas + Pods, Framework
Tags: garden, linoleum print, relief print, woodcut
Joining Monk(s)hood are two additional prints, finished and framed and not a minute too soon!
Monk(s)hood
Aconitum napellus
Insomnia
Wolfsbane
Aconitum lycoctonum
The Night Wolf
Women’s Bane
Artist’s Statement
Recently added to the current series, As Potent as a Charm, are three new prints based on plants of the genus, Aconitum. There are over 250 species of Aconitum, known as “the queen of poisons,” with common names for individual varieties derived from mythology, literature and appearance. The English name, Monkshood, describes the signature hood-like shape of the flower. Other names refer to its lethal qualities, including women’s bane, wolfsbane and mousebane. While humans and wolves require contact to succumb to the power of Aconitum, purportedly the smell alone is enough to kill a mouse.
The exhibited pieces are linoleum block prints. Initial drawing and design decisions are a large part of the process – determining the balance of light and dark and the ‘readability’ of the work is integral to the success of the final image. After the drawing is reversed and transferred to the block a variety of tools are used to cut the surface, leaving only the area to be printed. The relief prints in this series were hand printed with oil-based ink on Strathmore 500 Series vellum paper. Because the printing is done by hand, varying pressure can add tonal effects to the final image.
The series title, As Potent as a Charm, is a phrase taken from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story, Rappaccini’s Daughter. The title character, Beatrice, tends her father’s botanical collection of lovely, yet lethal plants. While ‘as potent as a charm’ refers to the specimens, it could just as well describe Beatrice who, as the story progresses, becomes just as lovely and lethal as the flowers she nurtures.
Tags: Aconitum, block print, linoleum print, monkshood, relief print
Well, not exactly off the press, but definitely new. . .
Just as quickly as the holidays were over, the focus switched to new art for a January exhibit that was added to the calendar in November. It became a game of beat the clock as ideas and drawings turned into finished and framed work. The desire for completely new pieces meant that there would only be a few.
As a continuation of the Potent as a Charm series (see posts from September, 2013), the new prints feature specific poisonous plants, but this time without actually illustrating them.
Monk(s)hood
block print
Tags: Aconitum, linocut, linoleum print, monkshood, relief print
