The first of the series is "Wander":
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| 'Wander' Etching 70 x 35 cm |
The series of etchings, as with other sketches I have shown are all from a short path that can be found in the heart of Silk Wood at Westonbirt Arboretum.
While I was preparing the plates for the series I went to a lovely talk given by Dr Suze Adams. She discussed her own work in some depth, she is a warm and fascinating speaker if ever you get a chance to hear her. She also referenced the writing of Edward Casey and in particular the book, “Getting back into Place”. Casey discusses the idea of lingering, tarrying, delaying and wandering linked to stasis and movement. I was inspired by this concept of activity and inactivity linked to the experience of place, and found that it brought a new meaning to my developing prints. The words are so evocative of the emotional investment in walking. I felt I needed to include the words and so used them to inspire the naming of the prints.
This first one is 'Wander' because it is the entrance to the path, an invitation to go for a wander. I think the curve of this path, directed by the lean of the trees draws the visitor into the path ... What is around that corner?
The print is achieved with the use of a lot of open bite mark making, a hint of aquatint and a trace of hard ground line.
I completed a drawing of this same scene before I made the print:
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| 'Entrance to path' Graphite 70 x 35 cm |
Its interesting to see the similarities and differences between the two pieces now. Drawing allows me to think through the process of the etching and the composition and emphasis of the print. I purposefully do not trace the drawing but make a free hand translation with sugar lift onto the etching plate to start me off. This way the etching takes on its own life as a new and independent piece of work.
Looking at these works again is making me wonder about the next place - more wandering needed!
