Artist Statement
Bill Flowers aka the Snake Artist

I have always felt the need to create. Drawing, painting and especially printmaking have continued to be the best ways for me to communicate since I was a young boy.

Snakes and wild fauna have always been a source of fascination to me, and I have often noticed wildlife is a common theme to primitive cultures around the world, because they lived closer to the environment. As an Australian my heritage is of mixed European and British culture. Because of this I tend to gravitate towards Celtic designs blended with the nature I see.

My work method is to go into the field and experience the animals, sketching them up close. Then I develop a design, often Celtic, and use the original sketch as reference. I find myself thinking about the animal as I work on the fine details. I remember what the scales felt like or wondering about its life, what it ate, what dangers it faced and how the young were born.

My favourite medium is etching or intaglio printing but I also like screen-printing and painting.

If there is one thing I could achieve in this life, it is to persuade other humans to see these beatuiful animals the way I see them.

Bill Flowers

The Death Adder