Diane Griffiths
Painter/Printmaker/Book Artist
A Modern MENAGERIE
For the Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail 2011, and also with painter and printmaker Annette Rolston, I am exploring the ideas of creation, generation, symbolism and myth associated with medieval bestiaries. Their colourful and lavish illustrations, a strange mix of the naturalistic and the surreal, are centred on seeking the connections between man, creatures and the environment.
I am particularly inspired by the medieval form of the book and a major part of my work is a series of images in the tradition of wood engravings all approximately 15 x 12 cm in size, accompanying a mythical rewriting of the story of the Flood (see the images on the right). These are presented both individually and as a large artist-book with letterpress text and a leather Coptic binding which will be called ‘The Bergh Apton Angel and the Unicorn’.
Annette’s work, inspired by her own rich visual language, is deeply concerned with the ideas of the life force, with especial reference to maternal themes. She works in bold, colourful forms creating intense layers of pattern and imagery.
click on the images on the right to see an enlargement
