Van Dieman's Tassie Seasons Pack - Spring

About Tassie Seasons

Tassie Seasons is the fifth series in Van Dieman's expanding collection of Tasmanian Fountain Pen Inks. These sixteen inks encapsulate the changing colours of Tasmania, with four inks dedicated to each season. Tassie Seasons is a mix of dark and light, warm and cool, every-day writing worthy and artistically minded colours, including two shimmer inks.

Tasmania is the only state in Australia with a truly temperate climate. Winter exhibits colourful festivals in the south, generous snowfalls in the central highlands, and foggy days in Launceston from July through to September. Cool and breezy spring days unveil a kaleidoscope of native flowers, vibrantly plumed birds and stunning butterflies. An abundance of local produce arrives in the summer, to be enjoyed with a day at the many beaches, and followed by the ominous summer storm. In Autumn enjoy late seasons figs and pepperberries and marvel at Australia's only native deciduous tree at the turning of the fagus.

Cloudburst

The cloudburst is one of Tasmania's significant weather patterns that engulfs the mountainous terrain. The dark, rich blue signifies the darkened clouds that appear out of nowhere on a clear sunny day, which gives the illusion of the darkened and yet somehow bright blue that drenches pockets across the region in short but powerful downpours, seeming like water bursting out of the cloud. These spectacular occurrences usually appear throughout spring, and when it does the color from the cloud can be stunning.

Macleay's Swallowtail Butterfly

Graphium macleayanus moggana is the only swallowtail butterfly found in Tasmania. They have brilliant green wings that can be seen throughout Tasmania's wilderness from their first metamorphosis in August, feeding on the nectar of wild native flowers and circling the tops of trees. This ink is by far the lightest green in the Van Dieman's Range, and was used to great effect on the artwork of the Tassie Season's labels. This ink is excellently used in brush work and ink washing, but also creates a light, near fluorescent line in medium to broad nibbed pens.

Native Cornflower

The Brunonia Australis, also known as the blue pincushion, is a native Australian herb, creating beautiful clusters of blue flowers in the springtime. This light blue ink is a true cornflower blue, with good shading and a very light sheen, noticeable solely on high quality acid-free papers. This ink is an excellent everyday writer when an understated blue is desirable, and is wonderful for bush work and ink washing, as it was in the artwork for the Tassie Seasons labels.

Pink Fairy Orchid

Caladenia latifolia are commonly known as Pink Fairy Orchids, and produce gorgeous pale blushing pink petals in the early spring in Tasmania. The pink of these flowers is an absolute delight to behold and was the inspiration for this ink, being the lightest, fairest pink in the Van Dieman's Range. Shading beautifully, this ink is excellent for artwork, be it brush work, line work or ink washing, and performs well in medium or broad nibbed pens.