The making of A Fan for all Seasons

Inspiration

The idea for the Fan for all Seasons collection came in 2020 during the year of the Covid Pandemic. During such a difficult year, I became interested in nature, as a reassuring constant in what was otherwise such a wobbly time.

With all the worrying news and the restricted way of life, I was drawn to the beauty of the flora and fauna on my daily dog walk, and the blooming flowers in Spring brought a sense of hope. And while we searching meaning in the events around us, I also became interested in the meaning of the flowers. I decided to create four 'bouquet prints' to represent the four seasons, making sure to research the significance of all the elements included.

Technique

For this print we used a digital collage technique that includes cutting out images of real flowers and plants. The cut outs are then duplicated at least once and given a lightly translucent effect with texture.

These elements are then superimposed back onto the original cut out piece, in slightly altered positions, which gives a sense of movement and delicacy to the flowers, capturing the delicacy of the petals. This technique also unifies the different ingredients into one congruous print.

The Meaning of the Flowers

Of course I am not the first to be wowed by flowers. Humans have long imbued them with personal, cultural, and religious significance and meaning. These symbolic qualities have been of interest to creatives for centuries, and several of the finest works in literature and art include flowers.

From the paintings of the Old Masters to Jeff Koons’s Bouquet of Tulips, from Shakespeare’s plays to the theatre of the Greeks and Romans, every sentiment imaginable has been expressed with flowers. There is no doubt, flowers are as evocative as they are intrinsically beautiful.

Juan de Flandes, The Annunciation, 1508

Master of San Miniato, The Madonna and Child, Christies Old Masters

Narcissus painting by John William Waterhouse based on Greek Myth by Ovid's Echo and Narcissus

John William Waterhouse, Narcissus (based on Ovid's Greek Myth Echo and Narcissus)

Jeff Koons, Bouquet of Flowers, Modern use of flower symbolism in art today

Jeff Koons, Bouquet of Flowers, Petit Palais, Paris, 2019

John Everett Millais, Shakespeare's Ophelia, 1851-2

In Millais painting, the flowers she is holding were chosen specifically for their meanings. The poppies symbolise death. Fun Fact Shakespeare used the word "flower" more than 100 times in his plays and sonnets!

In the Victorian era in particular, floriography was extremely popular and The Language of Flowers was as familiar to a bedside as the bible. Just as hand-fans had their own language, flowers were used to communicate what couldn’t be said with words. Verbal declarations of romantic feeling were a social taboo, and flowers became a covert language, along with a growing interest in botany.

Flower shops and market stalls sprang up everywhere to cater for the new, non-verbal communication. Paintings of flowers and flower arrangements filled drawing rooms everywhere, and even accessories that enabled the wearing of flowers became fashionable.

The Language of Flowers, Victorian book giving the meaning of flowers as a way to communicate romantic feeling

Floral poetry and the language of flowers (1877)

Victor Gabriel Gilbert's Victorian Flower Market painting

Victor Gabriel Gilbert, Victorian Flower Market, 1878

Victorian Pins and Brooches to hold flowers

1854 Bouquet holders. metmuseum

The Meanings of the flowers in The Fan for All Seasons Collection

Throughout history, definitions have shifted depending on the source, with variations tied to place, culture and religion. This remains true today with different cultures, countries and religious groups defining particular flowers with their own meanings.

However, with the increased global awareness of the 21st century, modern adaptations to a variety of traditional meanings have come to be universally accepted.

While the meanings of some flowers are better known than others (even a teenager with no interest in botany will associate the rose with love and romance), the fascinating stories that have lead to the symbolism behind numerous plants and flowers only become clear on some further investigation.

Here is a little about the flowers used in our Fan for all Seasons bouquets.