Quercus forms part of a series of etchings of tree portraits printed onto paper made from the tree’s own leaves by printmaking duo Emma Buckmaster and Janet French.

The Tree Portraits begin with collecting the leaves and, through a process of soaking and boiling, delicate sheets of paper are created using only the natural constituents of the leaves to bind them together. The leaves of each tree behave differently and the process is one of continuous experimentation. The etching is made on a steel plate because of the pressure necessary to print onto leaf paper. Whilst the paper is still damp the etched image is printed onto the leaves from the steel plate using a traditional etching press. 

The picture is an etching of a mature oak tree near the artist’s home in East Anglia.  It is mounted between glass in an oak box frame.  This is the last available work in the limited edition of 25.

Accolades:
Emma Buckmaster MA, Cambridge School of Art.
Janet French BA Hons, Colchester School of Art.

Buckmaster & French have recently been elected Fellows of the Society of Botanical Artists. They jointly chaired Gainsborough’s House Printmakers for three years and are also members of The Arborealists Artists Group and The Printmakers Council. The Tree Portraits were highlighted by The Financial Times How to Spend It in 2017.

Selected Group Exhibitions: Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London 2013, 2016 and 2019.