Images of Inspiration

This fabulous limited edition plate has a very complex design that seems to emphasise its deep blue background. It is covered in interlaced zoomorphic creatures. There are four pairs of facing birds apparently captured by four pairs of beak-headed beasts.

The design’s four identical sections are rotated about a central point. The front legs of each beast interlace with the neck of each bird. Even their tails grasp the birds’ feet. The rear legs of the beasts come together in a central design that gives the effect of a square and saltire cross.

Anne Bowyer, who designed this plate, used Bain’s book Method of Construction as a reference. It includes a section on zoomorphics. It gives useful guidance for drawing interlinked  birds, animals and men. Bain drew his examples from the Lindisfarne Gospels and Book of Kells.