The Working Proof: Frances Pelzman Liscio - Yellow Roses/Milkweed

This is our second edition with Frances Pelzman Liscio - Yellow Roses/Milkweed, a print that incorporates a distinctly Victorian sensibility of delicacy, of heartfelt love, of sincerity and of warmth.

The yellow roses both reveal their magic and conceal it at the same time. The small 'heart' in the middle is actually created from the two sections of a milkweed pod. The curved piece of broadleaf plantain seed stalk reminds me of the woven hair wands that Victorians would make in mourning from the hair of a departed loved one, while the fresh sweetness of the African violets is optimistic and bright. This image also incorporates the green textured 'seedballs' of the Pond cypress that grows at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in Upper Montclair, NJ. They resemble little golf balls. They fit together like a brilliant puzzle, until they ripen and then the entire seed ball comes apart when you touch it. There are also brown dried seed clusters from the wild onions that grow unchecked in the creek bed at the iris garden, and I know they are weeds – they are just magnificent when they are four feet tall and top heavy with bulbils. I pulled those little yellow and red "cushions" off of some cactii – they are prickly but the colors are so delicious that I used them throughout the composition.

Perfect for Valentine's Day, right? 15% of the sale of this print goes to Puppies Behind Bars. Read our latest interview with Frances here, and buy the print here.