Summer is definitely nearly here and what better way to celebrate this spectacular time of year than introducing a splash of vivid colour to your room! Parakeet is a design that evokes happiness. The meticulously hand drawn birds swoop and soar across the 100% linen in various stages of flight; from restful thoughtfulness to playful dipping and darting. Parakeet was inspired by the 19th Century poet and illustrator Edward Lear.
Edward Lear, born in 1812, and was an English artist, poet, musician, illustrator with many strings to his bow…he is well known for his children’s poem, The Owl and The Pussy Cat which most people will have heard at some point in their life. His works were often perceived as welcome literary nonsense with a hint of joviality which in turn may surprise people to learn that Lear spent most of his adult life suffering from a form of depression due to his embarrassment at suffering epileptic fits. I can imagine that in his era and the limits of medical science, his condition would have blighted his day-to-day life hence his retreat into art and the written word.
One of his earlier works around 1832, when Lear was 18 years of age, was the Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots. This bound book consisted of 42 paintings of parrots, painted at the London Zoo and private households, produced as lithographic plates. The quality of his paintings of parrots established his reputation as one of the best natural history artists of his time.
This Parakeet design is available in ‘Original’ (as shown) and ‘Ink’ on a natural flax 100% linen and an oyster linen. This colourway is also available as a wallpaper. Another Colourway available is ‘Dust’ which is printed on oyster linen as standard. The versatility of this linen fabric makes it suitable for drapes and other soft furnishings including light domestic upholstery. Please contact us if you want further information on our bespoke service as we can print onto a variety of alternative ground cloths, colour match and rescale to suit your requirement.
