English Rose, Australian Thorn

Pictured top: Anon, 1998, two-colour linocut printed from three blocks onto Japanese mending tissue laid on brown oriental paper. 

I’m delighted to learn that Anon has been included in the intriguingly themed exhibition English Rose, Australian Thorn, currently on view at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery. 

The above image, from which the following information has been extracted, is from the July issue of Art Almanac.

Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery

531 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba 4350

T (07) 4688-6652. E art@tr.qld.gov.au

W tr.qid.gov.au/trag Instagram: @trartgalleries

Free entry. H Wed-Sun 10.30 to 3.30. Closed Mon-Tues and public holidays. 

To Nov 23: English Rose, Australian Thorn. Inspired by Norman Lindsay's thorny relationship with England, this exhibition explores how Australian culture has transplanted, pruned or uprooted its English heritage. Besides Lindsay, featured artists include Graham Burstow, Sophie Carnell, Deborah Klein, George Lambert, Lionel Lindsay, and Zoja Trofimiuk.

Deborah Klein, Anon, 1998, linocut, 56.5 x 38cm

Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery - Toowoomba City Collection 501

Ⓒ Deborah Klein

Courtesy the artist and Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery

English Rose, Australian Thorn opened on May 10 and runs to November 23. 

Painting the white roses red

Unlike the roses planted in error by the hapless gardeners in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the roses in my linocut Everything’s coming up roses were always intended to be red. Throughout their transformation from white to crimson, however, I couldn’t help but recall one of my all-time favourite books (along with its companion volume, Through the Looking Glass), which it seems still influence my own work, even when I’m not conscious of it. Incidentally, the Alice books were also revered by the Surrealists.

Here is an excerpt from the relevant chapter from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland:

CHAPTER VIII

The Queen's Croquet-Ground

A large rose-tree stood near the entrance of the garden: the roses growing on it were white, but there were three gardeners at it, busily painting them red. Alice thought this a very curious thing, and she went nearer to watch them, and just as she came up to them she heard one of them say, `Look out now, Five! Don't go splashing paint over me like that!’…

…`Would you tell me,' said Alice, a little timidly, `why you are painting those roses?'

Five and Seven said nothing, but looked at Two. Two began in a low voice, `Why the fact is, you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake; and if the Queen was to find it out, we should all have our heads cut off, you know. So you see, Miss, we're doing our best, afore she comes, to--' At this moment Five, who had been anxiously looking across the garden, called out `The Queen! The Queen!' and the three gardeners instantly threw themselves flat upon their faces. There was a sound of many footsteps, and Alice looked round, eager to see the Queen.

To read the entire chapter, click here:

https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/alice-VIII.html

Everything’s coming up roses was created for IRREPRESSIBLE, an exhibition and print exchange portfolio coordinated by Rona Green. Comprising 55 relief prints by 55 invited artists, it will be exhibited at Whitehorse Artspace in early 2026. 

Images 1-3 from top: 

1 The hand-colouring begins;

2 Illustration by John Tenniel from the original edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 1866. (Public domain). 

3 Completed hand-colouring of the first of an edition of 56, plus proofs. 

Editioning at Agave Print Studio

Preview of the linocut edition for IRREPRESSIBLE, a group exhibition and print portfolio to be launched in early 2026. The project, which was conceived by Rona Green, will feature some truly terrific artists and I’m thrilled to be part of it. 

My linocut was printed by Australian printmaking legend Dianne Longley at Agave Print Studio at Trentham in West Central Victoria.

We were serenaded by some of the locals as we walked the path to Dianne’s studio to collect the completed edition. It was a delight to encounter Laughing kookaburras at such close range.

To see early progress views of the linocut, go HERE.

Images from top:

1-2: Print edition in progress at Agave Print Studio;

3: The splendid Albion Press on which the linocut was printed;

4-5: Special welcoming committee on the day we collected the completed print edition.

Photo credit for images 1-2: Dianne Longley.