„Flax Pods Gothic“

This is an etching, printed with black ink. The NZ Flax plant (Phormium tenax) is totally unlike the Flax-plant known to Europeans, except in the strength and usefulness of the fibre. It has been said that if a farmer has flax on his farm he is never stuck for a piece of almost unbreakable twine.

The flowers are carried on tall stems 6 to 8 feet long, with branches carrying an array of flowers along each branch. When the flowers die and the seed pods are formed they are dark and shiny and about 3 inches long. As everything dries out, the whole head becomes a great pattern of twisted, dark, almost medieval shapes – quite fascinating. I have tried to capture that feel here.

Etching 5 × 4 in.