Peony

Printmaking

This print was inspired by Mucha, an artist whose work I’ve always been drawn to. His work is very structured and labored over, mimic-ing architecture in its form. I thought that the process of this project, chine colle, which involves careful planning and placement of different papers appropriately matched the inspiration.

Like Mucha, I put a central female figure framed by a floral arch. She’s appears sensual yet innocent like Mucha’s figures. I decided to use a photographic image for her face and hands as a way to call attention to them. The women in Mucha’s work are usually expressive with gentle hand gestures and a direct yet passive gaze. The use of florals comes directly from art nouveau and flowers can be structured and precise in their details yet also organic and beautiful.

For my choice of paper, I knew I wanted to use earthy, warm tones to create a natural, muted look. The gray/green, is used for a subtle contrast. The composition also has a sense of depth with the flowers leading towards her as the main subject. The diagonal here makes a contrasting dynamic against the flowers and also creates the direction of her pose. Even though shes the central figure and her head is directly in the middle, the pose helps give the composition an asymmetrical balance.