This limited edition risograph print features layers of Sea Foam and Federal Blue inks on recycled paper and is made from 50% coffee cup waste. Inspired by the notion of the winter solstice being a moment of transformation, the colours, shapes, and cyclical nature of the composition evoke the passage of time and the occurrence of change.

Clementine Carriere of Concrete Nature took some time to tell us about her piece.

Why did you put yourself forward for the open call? 

It was a combination of things that really resonated with me. Firstly, the idea of creating an exhibition featuring different disciplines across the creative industry within one space sounded particularly interesting, as I personally get inspired and creatively nourished by looking at other disciplines and a wide spectrum of creative expressions. 

Secondly, the theme made me immediately think of a particular piece, which is the one I put forward. It just felt like the perfect representation of what the theme meant to me, even though this piece was created prior to the exhibition and the open call itself.

 Finally, I absolutely support any endeavour that showcases creatives and businesses uplifting each other and this exhibition sounded like the perfect platform to demonstrate how united and supportive our industry can be. I also find it interesting to connect different disciplines around a specific theme and to create a dialogue between pieces around a central concept. 

Tell me about this particular piece.

The piece was created as part of a larger series of prints investigating the four seasons. The prints were born from an interest in the Japanese art of floral arrangement called Ikebana. While reading more on the subject, I started thinking about a new series of prints conceptualised around the notion of composition, seasonality and colours. 

Initially the idea was to develop a series of four prints, one for each season, featuring figurative compositions of flowers and natural elements arranged on a layout inspired by different rules of floral compositions. Each print originally included a combination of seasonal plants designed in the style of more traditional still life. As the visual research progressed, each piece became more and more abstract, focusing instead on the essence of things as opposed to their figurative representation. 

The Winter print was created around the Winter solstice as being traditionally described as “the darker half”. The colour palette is heavily inspired by the colour of the sky. The shapes are influenced by plants traditionally found during the season, particularly the different types of berries often used for floral arrangements. The cyclic movement of the composition alongside the evolving colours are visual elements used to represent the process of time passing and change happening.

Is this the kind of work you usually do?

My work has recently been falling into two different avenues: the exploration of abstract compositions and the development of photographic work through the medium of risograph printing.

Interestingly, they naturally feed from each other. The abstract compositions I have been producing are inspired by elements I have photographed and documented around me (plants, landscape, textures, ect.). The photographic work I produced, and particularly the way I work with risograph inks, is influenced by the way I work with colours through my more abstract projects.

How do you connect to Paulin as a member of the Scottish creative community?

I moved to Glasgow three years ago, so I’m now a not-so-new addition to the Scottish creative community. Paulin was definitely a brand that popped up pretty quickly on my radar when I moved as they perfectly combine craftsmanship, excellent design and showcase values I personally related to. Overall the creative community in Scotland comes across as being pretty unique compared to other places -  the community seems to really thrive on connecting disciplines. It helps to shine a light on what craftsmanship and design means across the board. In general I have found that this community seems to be very uniquely connecting creatives and organisations across disciplines to create a rich ecosystem growing across different parts of the country.

To check out Live Flowers Winter yourself, have a look in our Edinburgh store!

You can find Clementine Carriere and Concrete Nature on Instagram at instagram.com/concretenaturestudio.