Winter's Kiss Art Print

Winter’s Kiss is one in a series of delicate watercolour paintings dedicated to the four seasons. Each tiny motif has been hand-painted in exquisite detail, and highlights and shadows combine to give the illusion of carved stone. The interplay of a structured pattern with biomorphic leaf and flower motifs perfectly captures the dance between the organic and the geometrical.

Colour inspiration came from a floral arrangement of roses, thistles, holly and eucalyptus that I made one Christmas.

I hope this painting conjures winter’s charm and her festive spirit. A blanket of frost veils the world outside and there’s a crisp chill to the air. Crackling log fires beckon us inside with their cosy embrace and we’re enchanted by twinkling lights and the magic of Christmas.

Design story
A hallmark of islamic architecture, jaali screens are intricate lattice or perforated designs used in windows, walls and building facades to delineate space, provide shade, ventilation and privacy, and to add decoration. Typically made from stone or wood, the designs are composed of distinctive and dynamic symmetries. As daylight shifts, they cast stunning patterns of evanescent light upon floors and walls. Often used in mosques, temples and tombs they also serve as a symbolic veil between the earthly life of the exterior world and the interior world of the spirit.

I learned how to draw this pattern and arch during a wonderful series of classes with Art of Islamic Pattern in 2021. The decorative floral motifs are my own creations, inspired by Persian and Ottoman illumination where stylised flowers and leaves twist and twirl to embellish the geometric structure.