OWLS NOT FLOWERS print

Inspired by Alan Garner's The Owl Service — a book Catherine read as a child, and loved for its potent magic. It was the book that led her to explore the rich world of mythology, archetype, and folklore, and the story of Blodeuwedd has been a recurring theme in her work ever since.

Blodeuwedd (pronounced blod-we-weth), whose name means 'flower face' or 'flower maiden' in Welsh, is a central figure in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi — a collection of 11th-century Welsh myths and legends. She is a tragic figure created to be a wife, who rebels against her fate and is transformed into an owl as punishment. In Robert Graves's The White Goddess, she was formed from nine specific flowers: primrose, bean, broom, meadowsweet, cockle, nettle, oak, hawthorn, and chestnut.

'She wants to be flowers, but you make her owls. You must not complain, then, if she goes hunting.'
— Alan Garner, The Owl Service

OWL: OWLS NOT FLOWERS — Fine Art Print
Reproduction from the original painting by Catherine Hyde

Acrylic on canvas with copper leaf
Museum-quality archival print with light-fast pigmented inks
Signed, titled, and numbered beneath the image — Limited Edition
Unmounted, presented flat with a backing board and protective cover