Christmas Card 2012

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you who take the time to read this blog, your support is very encouraging.

'Tree 2012'
Etching with gold leaf

Happy Printing, Drawing and Blogging in 2013

2000 year old Limes

Last week BBC's Countryfile programme filmed a 'momentous event' , the coppicing of the 2000 year old Limes at Westonbirt Arboretum...

This process of cutting back the stems shooting from the original clump happens once every 20years or so; we now won't see the Limes in full growth for some time. Follow this Westonbirt link to find out more: www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-923CYM

Today I was able to go to the Arboretum and was amazed to see all the cut branches lying around the old stumps - what a dramatic sight/site! Unfortunately I didn't have my sketchbook, but sketched with my camera instead. The light was low and bright describing lines and angles in sharp relief.

Westonbirt are now looking for a sculptor to propose a sculpture to sit on this site using the cut branches, while the tree regrows. The open submission closes on 11th January, it's going to be fascinating to see how this space develops.

To see the Countryfile programmefollow this link : www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pdxsr

Pushing the possibilties - Burnishing

Pushing the possibilities of the little Hepworth plates just a bit further with aquatint...

...and scraping/burnishing

Its been great fun just seeing what I can get from these two images. There's a depth to them now, they're not so one dimensional, an there seems to be more movement; the images are a little truer to the spirit of the original sketches. How much further can they go?!

More from the Hepworth Etchings

The two little Hepworth inspired etchings had a lovely deep open bite to them which suggested the potential to take colour really well. I wasn't happy with the grey/lilac from the previous post about these plates, and have since experimented with some other colour schemes... not always worth blog space!

Here's the most successful...

and a flirtation with viscosity inking...

Its fun to have some plates to play around with, 'no pressure' plates.

A charcoal revelation

The lovely people at Pegasus Arts showed me this fantastic 'new' product - compressed charcoal made by Nitram.
I've given it a go and it works brilliantly. This is starting to sound like an advert, sorry, its not intended to be! I was just so taken with the revelatory performance that I felt it was right to share.

 

Its easy to work on a large scale, marks are quick to lay down and build up. the charcoal rubs out successfully with plastic and putty rubbers, and achieves a good range of marks and tones.

 



The best thing about this charcoal is the lack of dust and mess, even your hands stay relatively clean.
I also loved the fine points I was able to get and the way that the rubber could cut through the blacks.
The draw back is the cost - prepare yourselves, but it does last very well, I've barely touched the large stick.

 

Could this be the start of a series of charcoal drawings... I've got so many ideas on the go, I think I will have to stand back and take stock, and not try any more new products!

Etching Hepworth

Since finishing the MA at UWE I've been without the facilities to etch copper - its been like losing a chunk of my character, etching had become part of who I was in quite a significant way during those 3 years. But all is now rectified as I have joined a local print making co-operative. Its so exciting to making plates and printing again.

To start me off I used the back of an old plate cut into smaller pieces. This is a 'no pressure' way of getting going because the copper isn't precious, and sometimes there are some juicy marks already on the plate that add to the new image.

First stages of small prints based on the sketch book drawings from my last post, 'Inspirational Hepworth'. The shapes are wonderful to work with.
There is a beautiful surface to Barbara Hepworth's sculptures and the subtle colour varies depending on the material she uses. Whilst colour is usually a scary prospect for me I decided to try some top rolls of (subtle) colour.

I'm not sure the grey/lilac works, but it was exciting to see the white flashes that appeared where my open bite had etched really deeply.
They could stay like this... but I'm going to try some other colour ways, and maybe a burnished aquatint in the background.
I'll keep you posted.

Its great to be etching again!

Inspirational Hepworth

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the 'Hepworth Wakefield' with my half term Study Visit.

This stunning building was nominated for the recent Stirling Prize. It is built into a weir, and generates all its heating from the water rushing past its foundations. The structure and forms are very unusual - I suspect Hepworth may have had something to say about it! The play of light and shadow is very effective.

View of the river running past the gallery, and below, the weir from inside the gallery

 

The Gallery spaces are large and light and purpose built to show off working maquettes and finished Hepworth sculptures

The sculptures were crying out to be drawn, and proved to be very inspirational forms

 

 

Combined inspiration from an exhibition in Leeds, and a Hepworth sculpture

 

The first two pages are currently being translated into etchings, hope to show you on the next post.

 

My visits to galleries in the Northern Cities was a real eye opener, the architecture is stunning and the exhibitions are hard to beat. We will return to see more.