These deep blue berries arrive in late autumn. They survive the winter covered in rain, snow and frost to be followed by the sweet smelling, white flowers that remind us of summer.

Privet shrubs became a popular replacement for iron gates and fences in Britain during WWII when the government requisitioned them to use the metal for armaments. Though this didn’t happen, many privet shrubs still grow over sawn off fence posts. This may why some think the name of this bush came from the word, private.

In this print, I captured a privet branch I brought home from a late autumn walk. The few leaves left had dried and the berries were plump ovals of the deepest blue. This specimen I kept looked like it belonged in a botany book, so I included a little nameplate with its common name “inscribed” on it in this design.

These prints are made from a hand-cut linoleum block which I rolled shimmery silver oil paint onto. Using a press, I transferred the image onto this lapis colored lokta paper. This Privet Berries print measures roughly 6.25” x 10” as the edges of the paper are deckled by hand. It is an edition of five prints. The prints are named, editioned and signed in silver ink.

Lokta paper is handmade in Nepal from fibrous inner bark of high elevation evergreen shrubs. It is a non wood forested product harvested from protected areas as it grows wild and regenerates to a fully grown plant in 5-7 years. Most lokta paper is made by women as men are moving to rural areas to find work.

++ please note, the silver ink is difficult to capture, it is shimmery, like that of ice and snow covered berries++

These are the only edition of this print (aside from the gold and seconds listed) as I unknowingly cleaned the ink off the linocut with a solvent that destroyed it. Know that this print is even more precious thanks to my unfortunate error.

thanks for looking! xo, kim