20:20 Box of delights 2015

Its a wonderful thing to receive a box of prints from fellow printmakers across the country. This year's 20:20 print exchange event hosted by Hot Bed Press in Manchester has brought me a lovely selection of techniques and approaches.

My box of delightful prints fell into 2 main categories...

Pattern -

and Landscape -

Am I allowed favourites? Here they are ... 

I love the etching 'Estuary' by Lynne Thirkell and Kate Thornton's circular screenprint. 

Thank you also to June McHenry for the terracotta seaside, Alison Craig for the jade 'Dyfi Pools and Jade Emma Ellis for 'Population 139,403' the potopolymer intaglio.

Thank you to Hot Bed Press for hosting, Looking forward to next year.
Follow this link https://www.flickr.com/photos/hot_bed_press to see 20:20 prints from all over the UK

20:20 hot off the press

I left this print needing more tonal variety. The last stage was therefore a spit bite aquatint. I stopped out with all the usual varnishes but also used a chinagraph pencil in the bottom left corner to add the suggestion of tractor tyre marks, below

One quite well organised (for me) day later and I had the edition printed. Pre-soaking paper makes the world of difference on editioning days.

Multiple happiness - all 25 prints plus a few to ensure consistency

Signed, numbered and ready to be packed off to the lovely people at Hot Bed Press in Salford

'Tug of war' etching, 10 x 10cm on 20 x 20cm paper

The final print - The title had always been there, not a tug between the telegraph poles, nor a remembrance of a war zone. Not even a farmers battle with current economic pressures - although all these interpretations are quite satisfying - but, more prosaically, I was talking to my brother on the phone while I did the original sketch. He told me about winning a tug of war competition - I always think of that when I look at this sketch. I'll leave it up to you which interpretation you want to go with...

20:20 time!

I've been preparing my plate for the great 20:20 print exchange organised by the lovely people at Hot Bed Press.

This year I decided to try a slight variation on the sort of image I often make - I've gone for a more open view. Those who know my work well will hardly see any difference but, for me, it is moving forward.

I always start with sketches, drawn on location 10 mins walk from my village

First a quickie, then one to firm up some details and tone

The first etch, - hard ground line, allowed me to get a fairly accurate drawing

The next etch - open bite through thinned stop out, is all about tone....

Not bad, I've got some structure as well, but its going to need a softer use of tone to create distance and properly describe the foreground. I'll want some atmosphere too, a lot to ask of a small 10 x10cm plate, but a good chance to explore new ground.

Countryside sketchbook update

I've begun scanning and up loading some sketches from earlier this year, good memories of the weather turning warmer...

... a taste of 4 new sketches on the Countryside page.

Thank you RWA...

...for this fab photo on both their facebook and twitter pages which shows my print in the background.
Image can be seen @GemmaRWA

Other images are drawings by Debbie Locke and Fiona Robinson. The visitor is looking at a great etching by Ian Chamberlain.

Coast update

Lots more coastal sketches on my 'Sketchbook -Coast' page from Cornwall and a few from Pembrokeshire.

A taster...

RWA 163 Annual Open Exhbition

I was delighted to see my print 'Weathered and worn' on the walls of the 163 Annual Open Exhibition at the RWA in Bristol.

Its a treat to be part of this prestigious exhibition and to be hung in the print and drawing room, so beautifully put together by artist and writer Fiona Robinson.
I was felt very proud to be shown on the same wall space as the intriguing drawing machine work by Debbie Locke, below:

Debbie's piece is called 'Retracing steps', and my piece was set in Steps Lane, the selectors didn't kow this from my title but its a delicious co-incidence.

RWA 163 Annual Open Exhbition Opens October 4th - November 29th.

Royal West of England Academy, Queens Road, Bristol, BS81PX 
www.rwa.org.uk