While I was printing the monotype prints for Meadow Wreath from this series, there were a few standouts. Notably one imprint from a very tall grass and another from a stalk of Queen Anne’s Lace. I drew a subtle grey rectangle, overlaid them both over the top and immediately knew I’d be printing these at large scale.
The simplicity and flowing shapes of both of these images combined truly spoke to me, much in the way the minimalist Japanese sumi-e brush paintings do. I kept coming back to it, over and over, looking for something to add, to make it more complicated than necessary, but better sense prevailed. “Nope… Leave it alone Thornhill. It’s perfect like it is. Just print it.”
So, I did.
The rectangular grey stippled backgrounds are hand painted. Over top of that, the Queen Anne’s lace is screen printed in black and the grass is overlaid, screen printed in a soft charcoal grey.
The main piece is 30×74 inches printed 2-color on stretched canvas. Additionally there’s a smaller, but identical edition of six printed on 16×42 inch Strathmore 400 paper.
About this series
For over two years, I collected natural elements—leaves, flowers, feathers, even dragonfly wings—to create and capture direct monotype impressions. Each print captures not just the image but the very texture of these organic forms, yielding a depth that even photography cannot match. Yet, the beauty of these monotype prints was often too small to be fully appreciated or even seen with the naked eye.
Details of the Meadow is my solution—an expansion of these delicate, intricate prints into large-scale works that celebrate their depth, complexity, and inherent beauty. By using screen printing as a tool for reinterpretation, I bridge the fine details of nature with the expressive qualities of printmaking, ensuring that every nuance is seen, felt, and experienced.
