Pattern of the moment: Botanica
Inspiration:
Our state flower, the Golden Poppy. I see this flower on my long coastal walks, and am always captivated by the delicate, overlapping petals and the intense saffron hue.
Process:
I created the abstract floral motifs using a flexible art wedge (one of my favorite painting tools!), liquid acrylic paint, and a spray bottle of water. For this design, I worked quickly on paper, painting petals with one hand, spraying water with the other, then allowing the paint and water to interact. I’ve found that when I let go and allow the unexpected to occur, magical things can happen!
From art to design:
I probably painted over fifty motifs in this experimental (and very fun) process, then selected the most interesting flowers for Botanica. Each motif is a totally unique expression of the poppy. The resulting design embodies a wabi-sabi quality that can only be achieved by hand. Digital printing is the only process that could capture the nuanced details of this design- from delicate splashes of water to painterly strokes to fluid gradations of color.
