Tuesday 27 October 2009

ETCHING EXPERIMENTS

I found this piece of deeply etched zinc, a left over workshop example and thought it would be
fun to experiment with viscosity inking and some copper chine collee. Only 3 inches by 3 inches,
with lovely ragged edges. A close up shows how the ink is reacting with the edges and the copper leaf.
Is it my imagination or do the spare bits and pieces that we just muck about with often work better and are more interesting than the pieces we spend days working on?

Monday 26 October 2009

COLLAGRAPH COMMISSION

This is the first of a set of four images I have been asked to make.
The collagraph plate is made from grey board and wood glue with the details cut and carved. I very rarely work to commission, so this is an interesting experience for me and I am enjoying making fish again.

Monday 19 October 2009

NON-TOXIC ETCHING EXPERIMENTS

So... I come back from participating in a one day etching workshop a bit frustrated. As you can imagine there is little one can achieve in a day using a very traditional wax hard ground and a slow biting ferric chloride on copper plate when the weather is cool. I manage a very unsatisfying, thinly drawn paint brush, which although it was in the ferric for 2hours did not achieve the richness I am use to with quick biting zinc and aluminum in copper sulphate.
I brought the plate home and was inspired to get my ferric chloride tank going again so that I could rework the brush. My tank has an outer tank of water which is heated, this speeds up the biting process, I also have citric acid added to my ferric, it gives a cleaner bite. I made an extra piece from deeply bitten aluminum and re printed using viscosity inking for the aluminum plate.
Happier than I was but not completely satisfied! But it is this bit that really interests me, I can see myself dispensing with the brush...watch this space.
I apologise for this post, it has been a bit technical, it has been aimed at my fellow non toxic etching enthusiasts. Let me know what you think?

Wednesday 14 October 2009

A ROOM OF ONES OWN

Woman's Hour, a Radio 4 show for all those who do not listen to British radio, are asking for women who have rooms of their own to work in, to send in photographs to put on their web sight.

They are running a feature based around Virginia Woolf's premise that creative women need a room of their own or perhaps a sanctuary away from the mundane domesticity of their daily lives.
I tend to agree, but then as a printmaker I have rather a lot of kit which would be just awkward in the middle of the dinning room.

But the room of ones own is only part of what Woolf was trying to get across, the whole message is , 'money and a room of ones own', the two are obviously linked.

I would love to see everyones working spaces, it says so much about us, the green chair is where I have the odd nap as the sun streams in through the window in the afternoon...that might change your image of my working practice?







Tuesday 6 October 2009

SKETCH BOOK EXPERIMENTS

I have been spending a few weeks making work for my galleries as earlier postings have shown, chickenless heads and little birds. This stock of work has meant that I can give myself some experimental time, hence these images.
I spent Sunday morning locked in the shed with gum arabic transfer, ink and acrylic paint. Deep down I long to do abstract images, but I am constantly drawn to the figurative, this is why
all these paint brushes have appeared. I quite like the idea of the printed wall paper texture
appearing from an implement we associate with a more spontaneous mark...sorry that sounded a bit arty!!!
The celebration of tools, check out Bridbird's latest posting.
I am not sure where these will go if anywhere, but it is useful to look at them dispassionately through a screen.