I've been trying to grow California poppies for a long time. They have finally taken their places in the garden. Each blossom only stays for a day, then starts to set seeds. So tiny and delicate, the colors range from a brilliant yellow to a deep orange-red.
In this image, three orange-yellow California poppies sit against a rustic mottled brown and golden background, heavily vignetted to pull your eye into the blossoms and their delicate stamens. A dark, out-of-focus cluster of green leaves anchors the cluster of poppies. And at the bottom of the composition, words written in red script — English, taken from an old botanical manuscript I found at a flea market.
The script is sharp, a few words are readable, but the lines run from dark to light and back again, so the writing never quite adds up to anything you can read. That's intentional — I like using script in some of these pieces. Looking at the art engages one part of the brain; trying — or not reading — the script engages another.
In the Victorian language of flowers, the poppy stands for imagination — about right for a flower that stays for only a day and still leaves an impression. This image conjures the mystical qualities of this fragile beauty.
Luminous California Poppies are printed in archival pigment ink on vellum, then gilded on the reverse with Dutch gold leaf through a series of steps in my Rio Rancho, New Mexico studio. The gold behind the image gives the print a glow that shifts with the light in the room.
Sizes & prices (unframed): 11×14 in · $165 · 16×20 in · $350 · 20×24 in · $450 — unframed, so you choose the frame that suits your room. Each size is an edition of 20 — when they're gone, they're gone.
Details — Subject: three orange-yellow California poppies, delicate stamens visible · Composition: rustic mottled brown and golden background, heavily vignetted; dark out-of-focus green leaves anchoring the cluster; red script (English) from an old botanical manuscript at the bottom · Materials: archival pigment ink on vellum; Dutch gold leaf · Edition: limited to 20 per size · signed and numbered · Includes: care card / COA
Care: Keep from prolonged direct sunlight and high humidity.
Shipping: Handmade at the time of ordering — allow up to one week for production before shipping, at your speed of choice. · Pay in 4 with Klarna or Afterpay at checkout.
Questions? kevin@blackinc.net — happy to send detail shots.
I've been trying to grow California poppies for a long time. They have finally taken their places in the garden. Each blossom only stays for a day, then starts to set seeds. So tiny and delicate, the colors range from a brilliant yellow to a deep orange-red.
In this image, three orange-yellow California poppies sit against a rustic mottled brown and golden background, heavily vignetted to pull your eye into the blossoms and their delicate stamens. A dark, out-of-focus cluster of green leaves anchors the cluster of poppies. And at the bottom of the composition, words written in red script — English, taken from an old botanical manuscript I found at a flea market.
The script is sharp, a few words are readable, but the lines run from dark to light and back again, so the writing never quite adds up to anything you can read. That's intentional — I like using script in some of these pieces. Looking at the art engages one part of the brain; trying — or not reading — the script engages another.
In the Victorian language of flowers, the poppy stands for imagination — about right for a flower that stays for only a day and still leaves an impression. This image conjures the mystical qualities of this fragile beauty.
Luminous California Poppies are printed in archival pigment ink on vellum, then gilded on the reverse with Dutch gold leaf through a series of steps in my Rio Rancho, New Mexico studio. The gold behind the image gives the print a glow that shifts with the light in the room.
Sizes & prices (unframed): 11×14 in · $165 · 16×20 in · $350 · 20×24 in · $450 — unframed, so you choose the frame that suits your room. Each size is an edition of 20 — when they're gone, they're gone.
Details — Subject: three orange-yellow California poppies, delicate stamens visible · Composition: rustic mottled brown and golden background, heavily vignetted; dark out-of-focus green leaves anchoring the cluster; red script (English) from an old botanical manuscript at the bottom · Materials: archival pigment ink on vellum; Dutch gold leaf · Edition: limited to 20 per size · signed and numbered · Includes: care card / COA
Care: Keep from prolonged direct sunlight and high humidity.
Shipping: Handmade at the time of ordering — allow up to one week for production before shipping, at your speed of choice. · Pay in 4 with Klarna or Afterpay at checkout.
Questions? kevin@blackinc.net — happy to send detail shots.
A short video on the making of this image
