“Cardinals and Buckeye Tree” is an elegant nod to our Ohio State tree and bird, but of course, this lovely print would make a wonderful addition to your kitchen decor no matter where you live.

The Buckeye tree is a personal favorite of mine, as it is our North American variety of the Chestnut Tree. Some Native Americans viewed the Chestnut tree as a symbol of fortitude and patience. When one learns that a Chestnut tree can live over 100 years we can see why! Cardinals are an ever present source of joy bringing a flash of color amidst a snowy landscape.

The Process:

As with all my work, each design is taken from my sketchbook drawings which I then rework, and create a screen for printing. I then pull each and every print by hand in small batches in my home studio in the Village of Mariemont, Ohio. Each print is then hung on a clothesline to dry, and finally heat set for ink permanence.

The Product:

I print “Cardinals and Buckeye Tree” using non toxic water based professional grade screen printing ink onto a high quality Turkish organic cotton tea towel in your choice of my hand mixed colors: grass green, mustard yellow, or slate blue.

The tea towel measures a generous 27” x 27” and includes a handy corner loop for hanging. I have sourced these high quality “flour sack style” from a Turkish family who sources their organic cotton in Turkey, sews them there in their family owned and operated shop and are shipped to their relative here in the states. They are a lovely group of people and I am incredibly pleased with their attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Flour sack is an eco-friendly, lint-free, cotton fabric. Not just for show! Our towels get softer and more absorbent with regular use and washing. Perfect for drying dishes and proofing bread dough.

Care: Machine wash warm, non-chlorine bleach, tumble dry warm. Warm iron as needed, although our high quality towels come out of the dryer with very subtle wrinkles. I never iron mine and they look lovely naturally in my kitchen.