Crabapple with Blackbird - Linocut Print

On a winter afternoon at the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, I noticed a blackbird moving quietly through the tangled branches of a crabapple tree, its dark plumage framed by bright fruit against a pale sky. The balance of branches, berries and bird became the starting point for this print.

Japanese woodblock prints provided inspiration for the flattened perspective and subtle gradation of the winter sky, while four printed layers gradually build the composition from soft pinks and warm coral tones to the rich browns of the branches and blackbird.

Printed by hand in my garden studio, each print is individually signed and numbered as part of a limited edition. Once an edition is complete, no further prints can be made from the original plate.