Hand-pulled, limited-edition linocut. All subjects printed on paper measuring 13 x 20 inches (except where noted), signed, dated, titled, and numbered by Henry Evans.
Narcissus hybrid. Drawn in the garden of friends at Windmill House, Windmill Hill, Alton, Hampshire, England, on a quiet but windy April day. —Henry Evans
200 copies were printed in monochrome green (not shown) and sell for $50.00 each. 195 copies were printed as shown and sell for $200 each.
492 Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemum morifolium. The drawing was made at home in San Francisco. The word chrysanthemum is of Greek origin. The genus is largely native to the Northern Hemisphere, chiefly to Europe and Asia, with a few species in North Africa. —Henry Evans
196 copies were printed and sell for $100 each.
509 Ranunculus & Cornflowers
Centaurea cyanus and Ranunculus asiaticus. Drawn at home in San Francisco. —Henry Evans
200 copies were printed and sell for $200 each.
510 Carnations
Dianthus caryophyllus. Drawn in our room during a stay at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. The red carnation is the State Flower of Ohio, chosen in honor of Ohio's martyred son, William McKinley. It was his favorite flower, so the legislature gave him this posthumous recognition. For me, besides its marvelous colors and sinuous form, one of the nicest things about the carnation is its spicy fragrance. —Henry Evans
200 copies were printed and sell for $100 each.
519 Periwinkle (vinca)
Vinca minor. Drawn in the garden of the Watts Gallery, near Compton, Surrey, England, which is also the garden of a friend: Wilfrid Blunt. Wilfrid, who is famous for his History of Botanical Illustration and a score of other books, is the very amiable curator of the Watts Gallery. George Watts (the noted English painter and sculptor) married the teenaged Ellen Terry (the noted English actress) in 1864, but the marriage lasted only a year. Watts's second wife was the founder of the still extant Watts Gallery, where one may see a good collection of his colorful and romantic nineteenth-century oils.
Surrey always seems lush and green to me, and to enjoy the warmth and candor of the curator's repartee is a special treat. Wilfrid Blunt is one of those rare people who can be utterly caustic and totally charming in the same moment. He is a man whose wit always triumphs over the painful truth. Tall, big boned, and with a contagious sly smile, he has devoted a long life to the best of causes: teaching, writing, music, art, and (not the least of these) flower pictures. What is there about England that brings forth so many creative and wonderful people? —Henry Evans
192 copies were printed and sell for $150 each.
583 Lily
This pink hybrid lily is generally called Lilium rubrum, but (according to Hortus Third) it should probably be called something else. The lily breeders have created thousands of new hybrids. After I bought this stem of blossoms at the Napa Valley Farmers Market in St. Helena, I waited a few days for a couple of them to pop open, and then I set about making my drawing. I usually sit at arm's length from my subjects. In this case, however, the musky odor was so strong that I could hardly bear to be that close! I decided to wait a couple of days to see if the aroma would subside a little. It did, and I was finally able to make the drawing. —Henry Evans
117 copies were printed and sell for $150 each.
613 Pink Roses
Rosa hybrid. The richest joy of the gardener's art, the rose comes to us bedecked with legend and lore, as well as with the symbolism of literature and art. No other flower is so much the subject of human expression, and none so often a token of love. These roses were purchased at the Napa Valley Farmers Market in St. Helena, California, and the drawing was made at home. —Henry Evans
95 copies were printed and sell for $100 each.
618 Red Rose
Rosa hybrid. Drawn at home from a flower purchased at the Napa Valley Farmers Market in St. Helena, California. Cultivated roses probably originated in northern Persia. Today there are more than 20,000 cultivars, with many new varieties coming out each year. Roses are the most written about, most studied, best loved, and most widely grown of all shrubs. They appear in art and literature more than any other flower. This lush hybrid tea rose that captured Henry's fancy is, in itself, a flower of perfect beauty. It evokes sentiment, love, and nostalgia. —Marsha Onomiya Evans
105 copies were printed and sell for $100 each.
