Picked, Pressed,
Printed



Botanical Britain

Picked, Pressed, Printed

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Hello everyone,

We thought it would be a wonderful idea to put together a post that showed the different projects we have got involved in over the years!

We absolutely love getting together and working with people to be creative, so any projects we do are a pleasure and we are very proud of our enthusiasm to help a community.

Please grab a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy reading.


Beauty, Strength, Fragility | The Battle of Somme | 2016

I was commissioned to create an artwork for an Arts Council funded exhibition, alongside 13 other local professional artists around the theme of “The Somme: Remembrance and Expression” to mark the centenary of The Battle of The Somme.

Beauty

So much beauty was lost throughout the war; over the course of the Battle of the Somme the beauty of innocence was almost lost forever as no husband, wife or child was sheltered from the new hardships of modern warfare. Yet from these grounds sprung new life, where dormant seeds once lay, oceans of red emerged and the poppy is a symbol of that beauty returning. It grew absent minded of the death around it, an innocent stem sprouting leaves of change, fighting back against tyranny, quite beautiful.

Strength

The once war-torn battle fields of Europe housed millions of poppies; ravished fields were the beds for a flower whose roots were soaked in strength and turmoil. Now the scars have healed and only the symbol remains, transcending its earthly beginnings to represent courage above all others. The poppy’s tenacity, surviving where so many soldiers did not, is our humble reminder of the strength required of millions, to achieve the impossible.

Fragility

The true measure of strength or beauty of the poppy cannot be calculated until compared to the fragility of the body. Yet even the most delicate of things, lost in a moment, can live long enough to change the world. It is in the vulnerability of life, and the fleeting moments we spend on earth that we are able to help others, or be thankful to those who have helped, took up arms and sacrificed for us.

The Battle of the Somme was a dark moment in history, but from this chaos came some semblance of beauty in the form of the poppy, nature’s way of reminding us that life can survive beyond travesty. It sprung from the graves of soldiers who turned an entire continent into a graveyard. We celebrate those that paid the ultimate sacrifice, by remembering them. From death came life, and the poppy will always remind us of their courage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Designing For National Trust Scotland | 2016

A fantastic opportunity came to fruition and I got to design for the National Trust for Scotland, and what an experience it has been! I have walked through so many National Trust sites over the years, fighting back the immense urge to plough through their stunning gardens and take home some of the botanic wonders they grow. Getting to finally work with them has been amazing.

I met National Trust for Scotland’s bespoke product developer, at Scotland’s Trade Fair in 2015 and we hit it off straight away, talking about the wild flowers and pressings I use, how I create my designs, it was amazing to speak to a product developer with such insight and passion. She was talking about the idea of creating a bespoke range of products with a unique design made from the plant life they grow at their Inverewe site. Naturally I was all on board and a few weeks later we were emailing about samples being sent out.

Designing for National Trust Scotland has been amazing and I hope to do work for many more of their sites in the future. You can learn everything you need to know about them and the amazing work they do at www.nts.org.uk and as always you can find the best of Botanical Britain at www.gillianarnold.com


 

We really hope you enjoyed reading about previous projects and hopefully there will be many more to come!

Thanks for reading.