{"product_id":"warm-embrace-framed-original","title":"A Warm Embrace","description":"\u003cp class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"\u003e106 x 89 cm framed original botanical ink specimen with letterpress printing\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"\u003eBeneath everything on Dartmoor lies granite. This bedrock presence runs deeper than history, older than memory, holding the landscape in its steady embrace for millions of years. The abstract form of this piece speaks to that foundational warmth. The granite greys that ground everything, punctuated by rust-oranges of autumn bracken and end-of-season heather. Here, the moor's embrace becomes visible, that sense of being held by something larger and more enduring than ourselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"\u003eThe ink used for the abstract imagery was made from oak galls collected on Dartmoor itself. The marble-like growths formed when wasps lay eggs in oak branches. What begins as the tree's defence becomes our medium, transformed through iron and chemistry into the greys and granite-lights you see here, speaking to both the moor's iron-rich soils and the ancient alchemy of ink-making. Ink made from oak galls has been used for centuries for legal and important documents thanks to its permanence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"\u003eThe letterpress along the bottom of the piece text explores oak's deep relationship with Dartmoor: from the Celtic \u003cem\u003eduir\u003c\/em\u003e that gave the River Dart its name, to the pollen records showing oak's arrival 9,500 years ago. Each letter is hand-set in metal type and printed by hand on heritage presses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"\u003eAt 106x89cm, this piece commands presence. The original botanical ink painting is professionally framed with conservation-grade mounting and UV-protective glass. Like the landscape it depicts, this work will evolve and change over time. This is part of botanical ink's living character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"\u003eThe oak galls for the botanical ink were all collected on Dartmoor. The text is entirely handset from wood and metal type. The printing was completed in our Princetown studio on our Soldans cylinder proofing press. As far as we know, it is the largest remaining hand-powered proofing press in the UK.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePart of the \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.princetownpress.live\/collections\/dartmoors-oaktober\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eOak: First Gathering collection\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Princetown Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54790770852225,"sku":null,"price":2100.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0807\/2842\/4733\/files\/Oak-Large-Firing-square.jpg?v=1758807926","url":"https:\/\/www.princetownpress.live\/products\/warm-embrace-framed-original","provider":"Princetown Press","version":"1.0","type":"link"}