Sugar skulls were created by the Aztec people of Mexico to honour and celebrate the lives of deceased loved ones during their annual Day of the Dead holiday. Floral decoration, especially in the eyes, represented life and rebirth. I started drawing sugar skulls in 2014 from a real skull (thank my biology roots for that!) on the day that the brilliant actor and comedian Robin Williams passed away; his death really shook me. I had already lost my mum and drew this piece with the vintage dip pen that I inherited from her. When mum got really ill, I remember watching some of his comedy late at night with her as she waiting to take the last dose of her daily medication. It seemed appropriate to draw a sugar skull remembering the lives of two people who had a major impact in my life. However, this piece, drawn in dip pen and ink with watercolour pencil and ink intertwined blue lobelia flowers, is dedicated to someone else who had a massive impact on my life and to whom I owe so much. My love of plants, gardening, science and travel all originated with my great uncle. He was based in Burma in WWII and although I know now that he was bound to have seen many atrocities in his time there, as a kid, when I asked about the war, he would instead tell me about the epic journey it took to get to Burma and all the amazing places and sights he’d seen along the way; I was enthralled. When he returned from the war, by day he maintained Routemaster buses, but as soon as he was back from work, he spent time with his true loves; gardening (and making home brew)! Like many families at the time, they had a Dig for Victory garden so that they could grow fruit and vegetables for the family in times of rationing and he continued to tend that garden until he was too old and frail to continue. I can remember from being very little helping him in the garden, stories of his travels interspersed with teaching me how to grow and tend crops with a few flowers here and there; it was wonderful. As we were digging, I’d always find bits of broken blue and white Blue Willow china from his kitchen in the soil; nothing in his house got wasted and if he broke a plate it would always end up in the soil to help with drainage; some pieces were decorated with floral patterns. I’ve always enjoyed gardening, but it helped me stay sane in 2020 during lockdown and as a nod to good times shared all those years ago and all those found treasures in the soil found gardening with him and the flowers we used to grow, such as blue lobelia, this design is dedicated to him.
Blue Lobelia Sugar Skull Fine Art Print
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A striking fine art print for your walls featuring the 2020 edition in my annual collectable sugar skull series. A dip pen and ink sugar skull decorated with intertwining blue lobelia flowers, this print is sure to make a stylish impact on your walls. This fine art, gallery quality, archival Giclée print has been produced using bright white, textured, British made 255gsm matte paper. This reproduction fine art print is of exceptional quality and provides a stunning image, true to both the colour and detail of my original artwork. The inks used to create this print are UV stable and are light fast for approximately 80 years if this piece of art is displayed out of direct sunlight (behind glass). This print is supplied unmounted and unframed, allowing you the freedom to choose your own frame to suit your taste and decor. This print will fit into any standard frame but looks particularly great in an 11 x 14"" (29.94 x 35.56cm) frame with a mount, which is also a readily available frame & mount combination size. The print is signed by me and a signed certificate of authenticity is also provided with the print. Inspired from what I see in my garden, on my field work, travels and from life experiences, I work only from photographs that I have taken or sketches that I have made in the field (or, in this case, the lab)!
Ideal for: Anyone who loves sugar skulls, Day of the Dead, gothic icons, Mexicana, travel, ink drawings, collecting coasters, floral art.
This beautiful, fine art giclee print is on 255gsm St Cuthbert's Mill (UK) white, textured paper using 10-colour water and fade resistant, professional Canon LUCIA inks. These quality inks and paper give the print a 200 year fade-free lifespan in a photo album, 80 years if displayed behind glass and 50 years if displayed without glass. Artwork should always be displayed out of direct sunlight and away from direct heat such as radiators. Art prints are supplied with a white acid free board and wrapped in a clear, protective, recyclable sleeve (polypropylene (PP5)). Art prints may be shipped gently rolled and inserted into a strong cardboard postal tube or shipped flat between sheets of thick double walled corrugated cardboard as appropriate. All art prints sold on this website are sold unmounted and unframed for you to choose the options that best suit your taste and décor. Art prints are recyclable should you fall out of love with them. How to flatten rolled art prints: keep them in their clear protective sleeve and gently unroll them, laying them on a hard, flat surface and laying heavy, flat items, such as heavy books, in an even layer on top. Do not attempt to roll them the other way because you will likely crease your print!
Approximate print sizes are: 25x35.5cm (9.84x13.98") on A3 paper, 16.7x23.6cm (6.57x9.29") on A4 paper. Art prints are printed with a white border and fit into any standard sized A3 or A4 frame. A3 sized paper is 29.7x42.0cm (11.69x16.53") and A4 paper is 21.0x29.7cm (8.27x11.69")