Margaret Preston

Wheelflower c. 1929
woodcut, black ink hand-coloured with gouache on buff laid Japanese paper
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Bequest of WG Preston, the artist's widower, 1977

Publishing was integral to the distribution and popularity of ukiyo-e printmaking. Similarly, it was a fundamental part of Preston’s practice. With the support of publisher Sydney Ure Smith reproductions of Preston’s prints and paintings appeared regularly from 1923 in journals and magazines including Art in Australia and The Home. Her opinions on topics as diverse as what might constitute a ‘national art’ and the formal and aesthetic considerations in flower arranging and interior design, were also widely published.

Wheelflower c. 1929 was featured on the cover of Art in Australia in September 1929. Preston considered it one of her best prints, keeping this edition that was eventually bequeathed to the AGNSW by Bill Preston.