Flora in profile by Gregory Dalton

The print draws on the classical tradition of personifying nature through Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring. Her figure gives human form to the return of growth, connecting the rhythms of the natural world with our own experience of time and change. Spring carries both abundance and uncertainty: each flowering is brief, yet its return suggests continuity beyond an individual life.

The intaglio process gives this idea a material expression through line, tone, and the pressure of printing. Ink is worked into the recessed lines of the etched plate, then wiped from its surface. Dampened paper is laid over the plate and passed through a press, drawing the ink from the recesses into the paper. Fine lines and closely worked passages build the form through differences in density and shading.

Printed in umber or black ink, the image takes on a warmer or more sharply defined tonal character. In hand colored versions, watercolor is applied after printing, allowing transparent washes to complement the etched marks. Small variations in wiping and hand coloring give each impression its own character.

Size: 7.25″ × 8″, unframed.
Available variations: Umber or black ink, with or without hand-applied watercolor.