Edition of 7 Only

Dimensions: 365mm x 617mm, Vansons Rubber Ink on 270gsm Recycled Paper Stock

What better excuse to print a ‘swear word’? Turns out it was actually the normal Elizabethan name for a Kestrel. Fuck Meaning to Beat.

The Kestrel (Falco tunnunculus) is the most common of the 4 UK species of falcons and always a joy to see hunting over Wanstead Flats. On a recent bicycle ride, a kestrel flew towards me and landed on the ground only several metres away. Recounting the interaction earlier that day to a friend at the pub, I was told of Gerard Manley Hopkin’s poem ‘Wind Hover’ (1877) and how he was born just down the road in Stratford. I also learned the Elizabethan name for the bird is Windfucker, from a time when fuck meant to beat or strike. When was there more of a legitimate reason to print an apparent profanity? Please note a new colour way of this print is available and yet to be updated here, please feel free to email for details.

Zinc Magnesium plate of Kestrel (from photograph), Victorian Woodtype over Bronze-gold ink background