Working on glass, in watercolours and oil, Irish botanical artist Yanny Petters shares some of her latest artwork …
What have been some of your artistic highlights this year? I’ve had a busy year. I enjoyed working on some pieces for a group show, Out of Lines, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Art Deco Expo. For this, I made some enamels on glass based on the language of flowers.
I also received a commission from An Post, which involved working with designer Jenny Dempsey to create three stamps on the theme of Changing Leaves.
Tell us about the process? We examined the historical importance of native trees and their meaning in folklore. We decided to choose three distinct leaf shapes representing well known native trees. I made a number of large watercolour paintings of the chosen leaf forms, with drawings of their veins, which were then scanned and assembled by Jenny.
How did you decide on which leaves to feature on the new stamps? We wanted each of the three stamps to be distinct from each other, but also to be recognisable, especially as they’re small. We chose Hawthorn, Rowan and Birch because each are very different shapes and are also inclined to colour differently from each other when they change colour in the autumn. We discussed using gold for the veins, printing the leaves in coloured foil and experimented with a variety of ideas. The gold lettering really adds sparkle. It was important that the design would be clear and punchy.
The stamps are designed to be used either in landscape or portrait, so the leaves always look like they’re falling, no matter the orientation. The changing leaves remind us that we still have four seasons here. The colours are just beautiful at this time of year.
‘Homage To Harry Clark’
What are you looking forward to next? The launch of Dublin Gallery Weekend. During this event, the Olivier Cornet Gallery has invited me to talk about the work I’ve made for the group show, An Ode to Giants, on November 8. My piece is an homage to Harry Clarke, the great stained glass artist. I’ve created a glass painting based on, ‘A Meeting’, a stained glass panel on display at the National Museum, Collins Barracks in Dublin. It was made to depict a poem of the same name by Heinrich Heine (1797-1856). It speaks of a meeting between a mermaid and a merman at a dance in the woods with gypsies. I interpreted it to reflect climate change, the meeting of the sea and land, something that could be a portent of the future.
Need to know: You can find Yanny’s works at Olivier Cornet Gallery in Dublin 1; @yannypetters
