Open Studios

,,It’s that time of year again. Local artists are preparing to throw open the doors of their studios to welcome visitors to view their work. The one I’m taking part in isn’t until August but I thought I’d get my prep done early as things are pretty intense down in the data mines at the moment. Spent the last couple of days packing unframed prints and ordering frames so I’m all ready to go. Fingers crossed for a sale or two.

Etching and monoprint

Back to the printmaking briefly. Had a rare day printing with friends at Red Hot Press last week. Still on the Greek theme - etching and monoprints.

Preparing for Prometheus

Had a great day monoprinting at Red Hot Press on Friday. Working on a series of prints relating to the Prometheus myth. These are a few small trial prints which I want to develop further. Still using the colour combinations found on Greek ceramics and experimenting with light on dark. Going in the right direction I think.

Starting a new plate

Had a day at Red Hot Press this week minding the shop. Managed to make a start on new plate Dramatis Personae. Transfering the basic image onto the plate to make the first line etch. More characters will be added but this is the initial drawing to get started.

Building on a Foundation at Southampton City Art Gallery

 
Prints by members of Red Hot Press are on show at Southampton City Art Gallery at the moment. I have two pieces on display - my dragon roof tile and of course, PB has to get in on the act! He wouldn't miss out! On until 24 June 2016.

Imprint2

It's up! We hung the show at Harbour Lights today. More pictures to come. Opening on Tuesday evening from 7 to 9pm. Join us for a glass of wine and meet the artists.

Guest blogging

This week I'm guest blogging for Red Hot Press. We're hanging Scratching the Surface next week so Katherine and Sarah asked me if I'd say something about preparing for the exhibition. You can read it here. And of course, please join us at the private view on Thursday 7 May from 7 to 9pm. The exhibition continues until 16 June.

Scratching the Surface

At Cowprint last week, we had an interesting session looking at and selecting work for Scratching the Surface, a Red Hot Press members' exhibition of etching and drypoint. Some lovely work... it's going to be a good show. Plus we are very lucky to have Ali Yanya, drypoint master, showing with us too. Private view on Thursday 7 May from 7pm to 9pm. Come along and see what it's all about.

Ball Rack Gallery

 

The Ball Rack Gallery at Red Hot Press is great for holding mini exhibitions of work by students on the various courses at the workshop. This week, work by my Monday evening students is on show; a lovely selection of drypoints, card cuts, linocuts and monoprints. The prints will be on display until 17 November so have a look if you're in the neighbourhood.

  

Monday evening printmaking

Bee by Alison

I am in the middle of teaching a block of six intaglio printing sessions at Red Hot Press. So far the group have produced some lovely drypoints (see photos) and made card cut plates. We'll print these at the next session, then round off the course with two weeks of etching (saving the best until last of course!).

Expressive life drawing by Elwyn

Adrian's stormy ram

Yvonne's delicate flowers

And on we go

I made a start on my next Pirate Baby print the other weekend at the Red Hot Press Open Studios where I was demonstrating etching all day. This one is titled 'Requires Improvement (or petty bureaucracy and the things that stop us doing what we should be doing)'.

Looking back at the images I've made over the last few years, it struck me that most of the time, they contain solitary figures. That's fine - there's plenty of scope for narrative there - but I think I want to start introducing more characters into my images to explore the dymanics between them and how they interact with each other. There doesn't seem to be much interaction between the figures in 'Requires Improvement' but that is how it's meant to be. Lack of communication, lack of interest in what one is trying to say, futile hoop-jumping... That's what Pirate Baby is trying to convey here.

Influences 6 - Ali Yanya

Ali Yanya ~ Conversation, Drypoint, 2014

  

At Red Hot Press, we've just have the privilege of being taught for two days by Ali Yanya, master of drypoint, mezzotint and etching. His drypoint is so rich and tonal which he creates not only with a whole range of marks on the plate, but also with very delicate wiping, almost like painting on the plate with the scrim.

Ali Yanya ~ Portrait of my father, drypoint, 2013

Ali Yanya focuses mainly on figures in his work (right up my street!). There's a mystery to these figures, things left unexplained. What are the two men talking about in Conversation? Why is the newspaper blank in Man reading a newspaper and what are the two shadowy figures behind him? His composition is amazing too; in Portrait of my father, all but the head and a band is left white, and the diagonal band of black which locates the head and gives it weight. Fabulous.

More to follow on the workshop itself.

Ali Yanya ~ Man reading a newspaper, drypoint monotype, 2014

Letterbox Prints: Postcards from the Press

Postcards by members of Cowprint hanging in Red Hot Press during July. The artists are

Sue Anderson
Linda Bennett
Jenny Goodhand
Sheila Lockyer
Jutta Manser
Naomi Parsons
Jo Price
Jenny Rickman
Maureen Riley
Irene Smith
Tim Watson

Ten Public Hangings

This linocut will be overprinted with drypoint

Pirate Baby is taking a break whilst I work on some other projects. Having messed up his solar plate, I got a bit stuck about where to go next. The fog is slowly lifting on that one but in the meantime, I'm making headway with the Cowprint postcard project in preparation for our exhibition as one of the Ten Public Hangings at Red Hot Press over the next few months. Intrigued? More details soon.