Skills Development |

Printmaking adventures

My goal with printmaking is to keep it experimental and as receptive to the incidental as my painting. To this end I have been experimenting with collagraph prints. This technique allows me a greater sense of freedom when preparing the plate, which is fun. This translates into a freer looking print. My longer term plan is too also draw into the plate at the printing stage and to combine intaglio with relief printing processes. For now please enjoy my latest explorations.

‘High tide.’ Collagraph print

‘The turn of the tide.’ Collagraph print

‘Midday onwards.’ Tetra collagraph/ dry point print

‘Seasons come & go.’ Collagraph print

‘Time’s ebb & flow.’ Collagraph print

‘The flow of the tide.’ Tetra collagraph/dry point print.

Creative development

As lockdown begins to ease and life starts to look like returning to normal, I am feeling more optimistic and inspired.

Over the months I have been giving my art direction a lot of thought. I have been thinking about how I paint and why; a very useful process to go through, particularly when there are less demands on my time. My focus has been very much on how I can convey a sense of a place which isn’t real but might exist in an amalgamation of memories. My intention being to capture a sense of timelessness or fleeting moments which linger in the mind but with a vagueness attached. I like the feeling of looking out to sea and drifting off into a trance or a daydream.

Technically I have been looking to abstraction to help me achieve these ideas. By removing the specifics of a place I hope to create a new visual space. To help achieve this I have been using texture to conjure up the feel of a place and heightened colour to remove it from realism.

These paintings are pieces that I have been working on most recently. They may change a little yet but I need to live with them for a short while before I decide.

New skills.

I have been learning how to etch and use dry point. Great fun!

‘The ebb & flow.’
Copperplate etching.
10 x 12 inches mounted.

‘The ebb & flow of the tide.’
Dry point etching.
9″ x 9″ mounted.

‘The rhythm of the tide.’
Dry point etching.
9″ x 9″ mounted.

‘The tide’s turn.’
Mezzoprint.

My inspiration

My inspiration for these paintings is the saying ‘Time and tide wait for no man.’ I often use the sea as a metaphor for time; here I reflect on those rare moments of peace.

Chance plays a big part in the way I work. It frees me up, allowing me the space to hint at places that exist within us rather than in reality.

Sketches.

Sketches

Experimental works exploring ideas.