Seasonal Wreath, starting from about the 11 o’clock position, clockwise: Honeysuckle (bonds of love), Violet (faithfulness), Dogwood (love undiminished), Dandelion (wishes come true), Lily of the Valley (happiness), Baby’s Breath (festivity), Azalea (romance), Gardenia (peace, joy), Sunflower (loyalty), Oregano (creativity), Rosemary (wisdom), Tiger Lily (wealth), Goldenrod (good fortune), Oak (longevity), Ivy (wedding love), Pine (fertility).

I love working with pen & ink and ink wash. Something about dipping a pen in ink and setting it to paper, watching as you draw a line how subtle changes in pressure and angle manipulate the flow of ink, puts Zen in my day like nothing else. Weird since it is an irreversible process and one error can mean reworking an entire piece, but somehow that doesn’t make pen & ink work stressful. Variations in line weight and slight ‘errors’ are part of the strength of the medium.

The Seasonal Wreath (actually, I have created three similar images each with unique fauna) is a large scale illustration measuring approximately 16 inches across. The seasons are represented as you move clockwise around the illustration. It took many hours of work to complete each of the wreaths–from pencil sketches and refining, to inking the lines and adding the tonal wash. Click on the images below to see final pencil lines and final inked artwork.

The wreath shown here is focused on Eastern United States flowers and plants. The selections were a determined by a combination of requests from a bride-to-be, some of my personal favorite flowers and a book which lists the historic meanings associated with certain plants. The final image was reproduced as a wedding invitation and a set of cards with the wreath image on the front and the traditional meanings listed on the back. The original hangs on the wall in my drawing room. Maybe the next one will be in color…

And, yes, I am available to create another custom wreath. If you are interested, please email me.