Cricketts Inky Art Blot

I have completed the set of "The Four Gentlemen" that cover the four seasons. My plan is to make these into a limited edition hand signed and numbered set of prints in the next month.    Orchid  Bamboo Chrysanthemum Plum Blossom

The orchid represents the spring. The beauty and grace of the orchid is fragile in form and they were originally a hard to find plant that grew in romote locations behind rocks and suchlike. Orchids have small bright beautiful flowers, almost hidden in it's leaves, with a fragrance that is never overpowering. Orchids symbolize modesty, beauty, joy and purity.

A bamboo stands upright but it is flexible, it represents the human values of cultivation and integrity in which one yields but does not break. A bamboo remains strong, honest, and true to its principles. The bamboo represents summer, since it is abundant with growth during this season. It also symbolizes energy, vitality, nobility, and gentleness. The inside of a bamboo is hollow which symbolizes the tranquility of inner peace, tolerance and open-mindedness .

The plum tree is renowned for bursting into a riot of blossoms in the dead of winter. Its subtle fragrance spills forth at one of the coldest times of the year, making it difficult to go unnoticed. Though neither the plum tree nor its blossoms are very striking, they manage to exude an otherworldly exquisiteness and beautiful elegance during the desolation of winter. The demeanor and character of the plum tree thereby serves as a metaphor for inner beauty and humble display under adverse conditions.