Colour trials

I've bitten the bullet and continued my mini adventure into colour for the Gloucestershire Printmaking Co-operative Mini print exhibition.

These two plates were top rolled with a colour I hoped would be reminiscent of fading leaves and filtered light.

The plate, below, was viscosity inked, a process whereby a loose consistency of ink is rolled over the plate followed by a stiffer consistency. The results can be unpredictable but often provide surprisingly interesting results.

...and here are two more variations on the one plate. Its fascinating to see how different inking and colouring techniques can make such a difference to an image. Everyone will have their own favourite, mine was the viscosity inked version above... I think...



Gloucestershire Printmaking Co-operative Mini Print exhibition runs from 3rd May - 1st June, weekends only.

Chine colle - natural dyes

This must be a bit of shock for those of you used to looking in on my blog... Colour!!, really...??
Its given me a few wobbles I can tell you, but nothing ventured and all that...
The reason for this sudden change of tack is Gloucestershire Print Co-op' Mini print show is coming up and last year it struck me that small prints often benefit from a splash of colour.
Chine colle seemed to a viable solution for me, I can't muck up the colour too much that way.

I tried painting tissue paper with watercolour, but that involved too many colour decisions. After a quick re-think I decided that as I was making images of the natural landscape I should really use natural dyes. The selection of papers above are beetroot, paprika, tea and turmeric.

 

The beetroot proved to be very strong, but when combined with other colours a bit of red added strength.

Controlling the density of the red became my prime focus. Turmeric proved to be a lovely sunny yellow tone, paprika was very weak.

  

This image with a strong wedge of earthy tea paper drew very positive comments.

 

 

Always good to see a multiple of mini prints.

 

 

Gloucestershire Print Co-operative Mini Print at

the Printmakers Gallery, 3rd May - 1st June, weekends only.

Cornish tea time

We've had a lovely break in Cornwall, walking, watching, drinking tea, a bit of art and a bit of sketching.

From Constantine Bay

Drawing the above sketch, 'still need a woolly hat' weather

We really enjoyed visiting two galleries. Sarah Adams shows her work at the Padstow Studio and if you're lucky enough to catch her there you'll find her fascinating to talk to. Her work is stunning, there is such depth to the surface, the rocks she paints glow and glisten as though recently wet from the sea. We also loved the selection of work at the Veryan Gallery, particularly that of Robin Leonard. He paints highly evocative studies that verge on the abstract, but conjure clear impressions of the Cornish coastline.

On our last day we stopped for a cuppa at Melinsey Mill. I love my paths, but have never seen one adorned with Tea Pots before, whacky and delightfully charming.

 

Sketching weather

Are we seeing the first signs of good sketching weather, comfortable walking and not always wearing gloves? Lets hope so, its been a soggy winter.

sketchbook

I found this quote from Tim Ingold which sums up nicely an artist’s desire to both work in, and seek inspiration from, the landscape:

“Practitioners, I contend, are wanderers, wayfarers whose skill lies in their ability to find the grain of the world’s becoming and to follow its course while binding it to their evolving purpose”

Lets get out there!

Sketchbook - a drier place

a note to myself... always remember your hat!

The dog and I have been wandering to back on a regular basis to a familiar place - the lane where I photographed some soggy and puddly views earlier this year.

We're glad to see it's all a lot drier and its made walking so much easier. The dog is also happier when he doesn't need drying off when he gets home.

I've enjoyed drawing here over the last couple of months; the texture of the mud and the shapes of the puddles have captured my imagination. The trees frame and darken the lane very differently depending on where I stand to sketch and the strength of the sun. The surface of the lane has become noticeably more rutted since all the bad weather over the start of the year. There's some great shapes to get the pencil into at the moment.

Here are some more sketchbook excerpts showing how varied the scene appeared to me depending on the weather conditions.

clean sunshine

after steady downpours

mild enough not to need gloves; still enough not to need a hat!

warm sun... a promise of better drawing days

 

A grand time

I've had some busy times in the print studio and new work is on its way.
Here's a print I made for the New Brewery Arts show (which closes this Saturday afternoon)
This image was taken from sketchbook studies made last summer.
Drawing in this place brings the trees on the left into prominence, they stand waiting to greet walkers as they pass by.

'Grand summer path'
completed etching

The path at this time of year opens up and loses character but in the summer the undergrowth and lush leafy branches frame the path and the feeling of walking along here is more like that of being in a grand hallway in a large building. The thickness of the leaf canopy make the view in the distance quite dark, but sunlight pours onto the path creating strong tonal contrasts.

An earlier proof was more like my sketchbook drawing, but was too insipid as a print, I wanted more drama - hence the stronger contrast.

'Grand summer path' mid point proof

The process is always an adventure - what will work the best? And what works well in one medium does not always translate to another

Thinking of warmer days...

I recently completed this little etching, taken from a sketch made last summer. While we're all managing the persistent rain at the moment its been lovely to look back through my sketchbooks at summer pages and enjoy making work from warmer days.

'Aug 14th'

The memories of making this sketch remain strong. Aug 14th was a balmy evening in Gloucestershire, we sat on a quiet path, eating a picnic. There was a buzz of insects in the background and the long grass was tickly. The dog got covered in grass seeds. Nobody else walked past; we had the place to ourselves.

Photographs rarely bring back such clear memories for me. Snapping a photo is such a quick process, the sketch is a much longer, more considered process of looking.