I recently completed an internship at a design studio in Stellenbosch, South Africa. There I was tasked with creating a reconstruction on the chinoiserie Blue Willow Plate.

I created a series of three art prints and a newly written tale to accompany them. The story is as follows:

Long ago in the Cape Winelands, there lived a wealthy wine farmer. He had a beautiful daughter and wished for her to marry one of the neighbouring farmers’ sons. Instead, she fell in love with one of the harvest labourers.

Her father disapproved of their different social classes and so the lovers chose to run away. Her father soon discovered their plan and sent three of his workers were sent to capture them. Distraught by the reality that they would soon have to face, the lovers fled, but unfortunately the young man was caught and killed by the maiden’s father. 

The maiden wept beneath the willow every evening until eventually she eventually died of a broken heart. Although the lovers had passed on, their love remained and they were reincarnated as two sugar birds who live in the old willow.

The illustrations include various elements from the Cape Winelands District such as the Dutch Reformed Church.

We decided to include a part of Cape Town and Table Mountain in two illustrations to pay homage to the Mother City.

Lastly, I was also instructed to combine all the elements together into one circular illustration that would be printed on vinyl and used as a dining placemat that would be sold in their studio shop.