Visual Narratives Online Course

I am chuffed to announce that my online course Visual Narratives opens for enrolment very very soon !!

The course has been running for a few years now and I am very proud of what my previous students have achieved from this course.

This course is in-depth and covers a diverse range of media including; photography, drawing, printmaking, stitch and collage.

Fundamentally it helps you develop and explore ideas through to a more resolved body of work.- the kind of work you make will be up to you.

You can follow it at your own pace as you have lifetime access.

In addition, for the first 8 weeks I will be available online for interaction and support via a facebook closed community group. During this time there is also 2 live online interviews. where you get to ask questions of any aspect of the course.

It’s all great fun and feedback from the previous students has been incredibly positive

This course has been produced and released via the Fibre Arts Take Two Team and I am so pleased with what we have achieved together.

If you would like to be notified when enrolment is open you can register your interest on the Fibre Arts Take Two website.

In my next blog post I plan to publish photos and visitor comments from our first official Open Studios at the Old Pay Office- it was an incredible 3 days.

Also, especially rewarding for me to meet a few of my previous ‘Visual Narratives’ students.

If you were one of the visitors who made the journey to see our studios at The Old Pay Office - a heartfelt Thanks. : )

Here is a flavour of some of the wonderful mixed media work produced by previous students on Visual Narratives

you can also see the previous work via this Online exhibition of the theme ‘In Retrospect’ and ‘Reveal Conceal’ exhibition : )

Kathy Tucker

Rae Jones - Evans

Lindy Dickins

Current Exhibitions, Open Studios and Work in progress

We are barely into Autumn and already there is a raft of events happening in the local area and beyond. (Where did giddy summer go !? )

I count myself lucky to be part of a thriving and diverse Arts Scene here on the South Coast of England and you can also experience a little part of that yourself at the end of this October when we have the Portsmouth Open Studios Event.

POSE , for short, has this year been organised by City Arts Portsmouth - who have approached this years event with the spirit of ambition at their core.

As part of that, many artists studios and Arts venues are opening their doors to visitors over the weekend of Friday 25th / Saturday 26th / Sunday 27th October 2024.

Most have visual arts exhibitions happening at the venue. Some also have performance, workshops, demonstrations and film screenings. At all venues will be a chance to meet artists and makers..

For a full list of studios opening, the map location and opening times - you can either pick up a cute pocket-sized booklet from arts venues or shops in Southsea and Portsmouth or you can download the information from the City Arts Portsmouth website.

At The Old Pay Office (Dockyard Studios) we will be opening our studio doors over the three days. 25th 26th 27th October.

We are based at The Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Main doors at Victory Gate open at 10 and close at 5 and it is Free Entry is you're just going to see the Arts Studios..

I will be in my studio each day between 11 - 4.

There are 3 great cafes on site, public toilets, plus a free museum next to the Boatyard 7 cafe. Lots of public parking nearby.

Our studios are located - just past the Porters Lodge and opposite the No 6 Cinema.

We are - a small group of resident artists and charities who are guests of the Portsmouth Historic Quarter .

Come along to our Open Studios to meet artists / makers / designers / architects and more.

Pay office Studio Residents - - -

Sustainable Conservation Trust, whose initiative to preserve and develop heritage sites into thriving spaces for artists and practitioners has made it possible for many artists, students, and practitioners to benefit from access to projects, funding and collaboration. Click on their link to see more businesses and projects they have been involved with.

Clarke Reynolds, Katy Bennett - Home of the Good Chair, Spencer (screenprint) of Zoo Poo and Cat Askew, - guest artist for this event. . Also, the fabulous Charity Crying Out Loud.

we are also planning some events and I’ll be making some printing plates. maybe also if the weather is nice?? in the back yard turning some of katy’s old chairs into an installation - be very afraid !! : )

Also at the Historic Quarter for POSE - 4 artists at the Porters Lodge ( I can see the sea) and 6 artists at Storehouse 9.. wow !!

Images above - Ceramics by Hollie of Nice Pear Ceramics, a former resident artist. Also the Screenprint space - home of Zoo Poo.

What is POSE - . ‘POSE is more than an Open Studio event; it's a community of passionate artists coming together to celebrate art in all its forms. Our aim is to showcase the talent we have in the city and surrounding areas, and elevate the status of our artistic community.’

Just some of the other venues around Portsmotuh opening for POSE -

Case Mates Music Studios is a local practice and rehearsal space, which is also hosting live music, displays by Making Space artists and workshops - over the weekend.

Jack House Gallery. - Will be hosting the Omega Printmakers Annual Show. 27 local printmakers, including myself, will be showing recent work in this exquisite gallery space in Old Portsmouth. Open each day over a 2 week period and coinciding with the POSE weekend, there will be an artist present each day, to help you explore the work.

Treadgolds Warehouse , Omega Printmakers, Corner Collective, Fat Clay Pottery, The Box Gallery, Hotwalls studios, Poolhouse Studios, and many many artists studios at homes, mostly around Southsea.

Take a peek at the article on the Strong Island article about the event for additional info and recommendations

From room to room, mixed media bookwork, detail

Pre Pose Exhibition at The Box Gallery, - over the past 9 days The Box Gallery on Castle Road has been hosting an exhibition titled PRE POSE. This is has been a prelude to the main POSE weekend for which Charlie and Gary put together a small invited selection of artist’s work to draw attention to the main event - a wonderfully curated exhibition and it was a treat to be introduced to some additional local talent through their work.

Where water stands, photogram and stitch.

part of Pre Pose at the Box Gallery

This work was created at the start of a project titled Illuminations where I was interested in exploring what to do with lots of acetate pieces I had drawn on, and cut up, after a residency at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire.

Hope to see you sometime during the Open Studios weekend !!

Open day at The Old Slaughterhouse and events this Autumn

It’s the first proper sit down at my worktop today - after a whirlwind summer, featuring a house move and two music festivals. ..phew !! (the first exhausting, but wonderful and the 2nd two fabulous)

At the top of my to do list is to get back to some bookmaking that ive been working on as part of an upcoming Open Day at a heritage site in Gosport, which takes place this September.

Taking place for one day only on Friday 13th September, this open day will be a chance to see this fascinating space at Clarence Marina, in Gosport. Currently disused, the interior will be transformed by artists works, installations, projections, performance and workshops. A group of artists with links to the Sustainable Conservation Trust have come together to highlight the importance of recognising heritage buildings and throwing a spotlight on their value for our future.

The Old Slaughterhouse, Clarence Yard, Gosport,

A few weeks ago I went to this space with some of the SCT team, and spent an hour or so wandering around and discovering the magic of the building through the lens of my camera.

Sited right next to Clarence Marina, the first thing you notice is the large arched windows that surround you. Looking up, there are more windows that stretch across the roof area of the space.

The building was previously used by a fitness group and there are still mirrors dotted around, leaning against some of the walls, creating yet more illusions.

Walking around with my SLR I became captivated by the refractions and reflections. The distortions and the transparencies.

For this Open day organised by the Sustainable Conservation Trust I am creating some concertina books and mixed media drawings using the photographic imagery collected from my visit.

Also coming up this Autumn,

I’m excited to announce that i’ll be running a One day mixed media workshop at the Old Pay office, on Saturday October 5th. ….More details and booking page coming in next few days..

25th - 27th October - Open Studios at the Old Pay Office as part of Portsmouth Open Studios - POSE . a chance to visit my studio space at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. There will be free entry.

25th october - 2nd November. Omega printmakers Annual Exhibiton at Jack House Gallery.

Opening Exhibition at Fat Clay Pottery and Gallery

A beautiful new space in Castle Road, Southsea has its Opening Exhibition starting this Friday 12th July., with a launch event 6 - 9pm

Fat Clay Pottery is a new thriving ceramic hub and gallery space sited in Castle Road in Southsea. Work on show features ceramics and mixed media by local artists.

I am delighted to be invited to showcase a collection of my mixed media work there. All work is for sale.

Gallery open times ; monday - sunday 11 - 4pm

This Opening Exhibiion ends 27th July.

mixed media work using found books displayed in studio

Come along to the Opening Exhibition launch this Friday evening 6 - 9pm.

Silent Cover, mixed media print on paper using Photopolymer etching and machine stitch.

News update - The Old Pay Office

I am not very good at this news / blogging milarkey, as I am woefully behind with updating this site with the images from my last exhibition. My excuse is that i’ve been moving bit by bit into a new studio space. We are also hoping to move house soon …but that’s another story for another time !!

It’s rather uncanny to say ‘new’ studio - as this quirky space, that is tucked away in a corner of the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, is anything but new.

The Old Pay Office dates back to 1754 and was once the work place of Charles Dickens father John Dickens. The vaulted ceiling in the main large office space is magnificent as is the glass sided entrance that runs along the front of the building. A perfect space to take a break with a cuppa.

The consequence of working on the last exhibition Spatial Fragments has meant that i’ve been itching to get my hands dirty with printing ink again. So, moving my things into the studio has been a high priority. Happily, its a fairly functional space now and in fact i’m finding that the space is helping move my ideas onto something new. I think that as an artist the environment around me has always had an influence of some sort. Previously, the garden studio had an influence on the scale of my work. The light is really good there and its a very homely space.

View towards Boathouse 7

Inside the Old Pay Office

The studio space in the Pay office is a larger grittier more urban space and my instant urge was to work on some larger scale drawings which observe and absorb my surroundings. This process, together with taking my camera around parts of the building, really helped me to look and discover.

Following on from these initial drawings i’ve been reintepreting using quick media such as monoprint, gelli plate drawing and ink drawings. Yesterday I also worked on small collages in the sketchbook. I am enjoying the way the collages collate and explore even further, giving me the opportunity to select marks, patterns and shapes that appeal to me. It’s also a fun way to take risks. These drawings are going to stay in the sketchbook so I can be as experimental with them as I want.

Some Exciting news to end on;

We will be taking part in the POSE Open Studios in October 2024 (at the Pay Office) . More details of this, and who will be opening their studios, to be announced soon.

Starting this week I am taking part in the printmakers Exhibition Small Wonders at the Jack House Gallery. Do join me on Thursday evening at the gallery for the opening event at 6-9. The show will continue to the 15th June and features printmaking from 56 Hampshire based artists.

Fat Clay Pottery Gallery/ shop in Castle Road Southsea has its official launch on Friday 12th July, with an accompanying exhibition of work by local artists. I’m delighted to have some mixed media framed work that will be part of this exhibition. I honestly love all the work that has been selected for this show.

Portsmouth Historic Quarter - Historic naval Dockyard.

Your Invitation to Spatial Fragments Opening event

I am delighted to share our poster for our upcoming exhibition. Our preview evening and opening event is on Friday 5th April at 6 to 8pm. To give us an idea of numbers we are asking all those that intend coming along to the PV evening to register on the Eventbrite site. scan the QR code to take you to the eventbrite site or click on the link.

Location - Boathouse 5, Portsmouth Naval Historic Dockyard, PO1 3LJ

Entry is free, just come along to the Dockyard via the Victory Gate entrance. During the week of the exhibition. One of us will be there each day to greet visitors.

Day time opening times - 11- 4.

Spatial Fragments is a location-specific project that seeks to record and respond to research into the existing architectural features, artefacts and archives linked to Storehouse 9, an historic building in the heart of Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.

Working with combinations of printmaking, drawing, sculpture, book art and installation Fine Artists Pippa Charlesworth and Sally Tyrie and Architect Deniz Beck have been making work that reimagines and reinterprets the discoveries they have made from their repeat visits. The resulting work and installations seek to convey a personal interpretation of a sense of place. A collaborative celebration of the building, its history and the ways in which art can capture and preserve the essence of a place.

An authentic, personal and beautiful reimagining that observes and celebrates their fascination with the space. A homage and visual reminder of the beauty of imperfection and decay.

About my work for the Exhibition;

For Spatial Fragments I was inspired by the experience of spending time in the fascinating abandoned spaces of Storehouse 9 at the Portsmouth Naval Historic Dockyard. Opened in 1782 this building has an industrious past, once housing essential provisions and supplies for the naval vessels that docked along the wharf. Evidence of its role, sometimes subtle, can be seen on every pillar, windowsill and littered across its floor. The historical and actual exist alongside each other.

My research, both visual and historical, has taken me on a journey with mixed media printmaking, translating my findings into book making, fabric printing and photography. They reveal discoveries from the archives and overlap this with the question of why we are drawn to derelict decaying spaces. What is it about ruins that attracts our attention?

 The resulting work seeks to make visible the time spent in these quiet captivating spaces. To tell a story that interweaves material and process with ideas of absence and presence, darkness and light.

Spatial Fragments

This April I am delighted to be putting on an exhibition that brings all the work together from my residency at Storehouse 9.

Exhib dates - April 6- 14th . opening times 11 - 4 each day. In Boathouse 5.

Special preview evening Friday 5th April 6 - 8pm

We will be posting an Eventbrite link very soon to register if you are coming to the Preview night.

This March

A quick post to tell you about some upcoming exhibitions and series of events, happening soon !

Women In Art is a multi event celebration of local women artists organised by the Grateful Arts Club. I am proud to be part of this as I have some work in the Aspex learning space. The exhibition at the Aspex Gallery opens this Thursday at a Celebration evening and is followed by a series of events at the weekend. Also in conjunction there will be an exhibition at Hot Walls Round Tower as well as a show at Artspace.

events at Aspex gallery

check out the websites for each event for precise opening times.

In Retrospect

I am delighted to present mixed media work by Students of the Visual Narratives - - Print, Paint, Stitch course. Since July they have been working their way through the 10 modules that guide and support them on their printing and markmaking journey with me.

To conclude their course they were invited to explore and develop work to the theme: In Retrospect

This remarkable exhibition, beautifully Curated by the Fibre Arts Take Two team, showcases students' responses to the theme criteria:

Sadly it wasn’t possible to include many of the images in this post, but you can view the entire collection, and read about the work, in this online Flip Book.

𝐈𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 challenged students to explore time, memory, and introspection through diverse sources. The theme encourages delving into the rich tapestry of meanings and contexts associated with chosen subjects. Students are prompted to think of it as a question, fostering a deeper understanding of their artistic pursuits. The focus is on investigating qualities, processes, and nuances to create a narrative and considering whether research or creative process should guide artwork creation.

Judith Coe

Nici Gibbs

Lindy Dickins

Ann Keeling

Visual Narratives, my Online course with Fibre Arts Take Two, will be re released for a specific time in November 2024. You can register your interest and hear about dates for it’s release here.

Kathy Tucker

My Online Course goes on sale Friday 28th July.

I am delighted to announce that Visual Narratives, the online course I created with Fibre Arts Take Two goes on sale this Friday - the 28th July. To express your interest and be notified when this course is on sale please click on the link which will take you to the Fibre Arts Take Two relevant page.

Watermarks, detail, 2023 . part of a group of work created from my time in Wales last year.

About this course (from the FATT website)

“Fine Artist Sally Tyrie is ready to share her signature methods used to create her stunning works of art with you through her new online course with Fibre Arts Take Two.

Your training will begin with researching and examining areas of interest, before revealing ways of reimagining mark-making and collage from Sally’s considered and painterly approach. Use various print techniques without a press, including gelli plate, photo litho and collograph printing whilst learning to abstract visual narratives from any source of inspiration to create an ambitious body of work.

Students will feel like they are invited into Sally’s world for an intimate workshop & deep dive into her processes and techniques whilst experiencing both urban and coastal landscapes that inform and inspire her work.

All course materials, including self-paced beautifully filmed streaming videos and comprehensive resource guides, are within an easy to use member portal and yours to access and revisit at any time. 

Join a worldwide community of enrolled students who come together in a private online forum and share printmaking adventures directly with Sally Tyrie. Ask questions, bounce ideas, share knowledge and benefit from this course being your resource for life! 

Watermarks, Print and stitch, 2023. For a group of work from the Mawdadch Residency.

This is the 2nd release of this course and the cart will be open fro approx 2 weeks.

There is a limited number of places available.

As part of this course, which includes approx 10 hours of short beautifully filmed and detailed videos and tutorials, you will be invited to join an optional online Facebook closed group. This is to share your insights, ongoing discoveries get support and advice. We (myself and the FATT team ) support your studies by checking in online. We aim to pop online each day but of course there may be some days when that’s not possible — eg;; im dancing at a certain upcoming huge music Festival !! ! :))

There are also from time to time some live question and answer sessions.

All in all a very generously supported course.

A not very flattering image of me behind the scenes of filming - but i kinda like it :)

Angela from Fibre Arts Take Two and myself out and about capturing some harbour views for filming.

At the start of the course you are encouraged to identify an area of interest that will inform your drawings, prints and mixed media work so we take you out to various locations and you get to see how I collect inspiration and what I then do with these drawings and photos when i’m back in the studio.

This is very much about finding your voice and taking you into exploration.

Pastel drawing, 2023.

It was such a joy chatting online to the students, who signed up for the course last year, and seeing what they made. Here are a few of the feedback comments about the course, that came our way.

“The course content is excellently thought through and packed with information. Sally presented in a friendly and professional way through a series of concise and clear videos. All the content is made available at the point of registration, allowing one to work selectively and at a pace that suits. The Facebook group provided great support and encouragement for sharing explorations, as well as being a great place to ask questions. Sally’s course has given me so much confidence to build on my photographic skills through play and exploration. I now have a much clearer understanding of what it means to have a line of enquiry. Go for it! There will be no regrets! “ K. Williamson.

“Learning with Sally was a great experience and a thoroughly enjoyable one. I have learned some new skills, which work alongside others learnt on a previous FATT course and I look forward to using them in my work going forward. Using the skills learnt on Sally’s course will help in approaching a project in new and different ways. Photography had been something I used to use a lot when at college but it had fallen out of my skill set, so it is good to relearn to use it as a starting point and as part of the resolution of a project. I can see that in future, many things that I have learnt will be put to good use! Don’t hesitate! Do the course. FATT courses are simply great, making online learning a very enjoyable experience. “ L. Milan

For me the most important part of Sally’s teaching was how to develop a meaningful body of work. I enjoyed every aspect of the course including the input of the amazingly supportive and knowledgeable artists within the Facebook group. Story is an important element of my work, this course helped me to clarify how to develop that further. If you are looking for a course which can add depth and meaning to your work you’ve found it. N. Slack.

Register your interest and be informed as soon as this course goes on release here .

Vestiges

I have a new set of work that i’m delighted to be showing soon n a group show titled

Time Traces Transformation.

Vestiges, Print and mixed media on paper.

Slippages, Digital print on Kozo with mixed media.

Mixed media bookwork

My exhibition statement

My work for this exhibition draws from research into the notion of dwelling places and rituals. The mixed media prints i’ve created reinterpret a group of lumen prints that I made to document momentoes, fragments and chance finds, mainly collected from the daily walk. My resulting works reveal my interest in ways to combine photography and printmaking to investigate narratives about transformation. Multi-layered imagery that offer alternative dialogues and explore the tensions between materiality and immateriality.

Precious vestiges, mixed media bookwork.

Exhibition dates - 18th May to 25th June.

Meet the Artists Event - Sunday 21st May 2- 4pm

Location - Parndon Mill Gallery, Parndon Mill, Elizabeth Way, Harlow, CM20 2HP

Opening Times - Tues to Friday 10-5. / Sundays 2-4.

workshop news

My copy of the exhibition book ‘Reveal Conceal’ arrived recently and it’s been such a joy to look through. This book put together by Fibre Arts Take Two is a selection of work made by students who enrolled onto my online course. It’s an opportunity to throw a spotlight on the work they made and the ideas behind this work.

I’ve been looking through some of the work the students have been sharing on the Facebook group we’ve been chatting on and its been lovely to see the development of their work from first ideas and thoughts through to the outcomes and more resolved pieces.

Slit book by Nicky Oram

Jacqueline Quinn-Howarth collagraph print

Rae Jones Evans, collage

As part of the online course participants have been learning processes I use in my work and predominantly that’s techniques that combine drawing, photography and printmaking. In the online course I also teach processes in bookmaking, collage and collagraph printmaking.

Fundamentally, this is not a techniques driven course but my Signature Course that supports students to discover areas of interest through research and learn ways to take these ideas into a sustained and ambitious body of work.

video of book

If you are interested in either finding our more about the online course Visual Narratives - that i’ve collaborated on with FIbre Arts Take Two, or expressing an interest in this course when it gets re-released - I’ve heard this week that the course is being re-released in July.

To sign up to get early notification of this re-release click on - this link - which takes you to the Fibre Arts Two website.

The re release is scheduled for July 14th and will be available for a limited time as we can only release a set amount of places - students get our online support the first few weeks and the opportunity to submit to an online exhibition in addition to the 10 modules of indepth learning.

In the studio Jan 23

Time Traces Transformation

In May I’ll be taking part in a very special group show at Parndon Mill Gallery.

Special because it’s with 5 artists that I met whilst a Fellow at Digswell Arts in Hertfordshire . Titled, Time Traces and Transformation, we will have our work on show in this beautiful gallery alongside our Sketchbooks.

Digital print from Lumen Print.

“ I had a flashback of something that never existed” Louise Bourgeois

Working primarily with analogue photography, mixed media and printmaking the explorations i’ve been undertaking for this project have been inspired by ways to map the tensions between materiality and immateriality.

Digital image from Lumen print.

At the start of the project I did quite a bit of reading and went to some shows that I thought might help my ideas. My early sketchbook investigation shows a rather non linear and conflicting search for ways to develop imagery and ideas that responded meaningfully to this project. However, on reading and re- discovering the work of FD Cartier I had a kind of light bulb moment that kick started and led to current investigations.

No. 12 Lumen print

“Through the Art (of FD Cartier) we rediscover the temporal multi-layeredness of the photographic image (and the) magical effect of natural light interacting with light sensitive materials”

David Drake, writing about FD Cartier

No 8. Lumen Print

In researching and exploring ideas for this project it felt important to me to begin with objects. I had thought that i would continue with landscape themes but I was also keen to do something a bit different here - To use this project as an opportunity to work in a different way and to go back to more analogue photo methods. By exploiting light and shadow and using objects in my studio I created a group of tiny Lumen prints.

“The only thing we can grab hold of with any surety is the nature of impermanence”

Antonia Shaw writing on Cornelia Parker in Silver and Glass

Objects used for these prints represent random fragments collected on walks, things given, and even small slices of imagery that sit around my studio walls. Once I had fixed them I examined the imagery on the computer screen and played around with alternate versions. I noticed (and was drawn to) the more ethereal versions of these edited, inverted and layered interpretations. Some looked more enigmatic and uncanny. Dissolving forms that are held and suspended.

No 15. Lumen Print

“.. and all these notes and stones and so on are precious vestiges of something that took place and played out” Claire Louise Bennett, POND .

The studio exploration has currently moved to the print room and although its early days i’ve been very happy with the results. I have been enjoying working from a plate that I created using some of the (Lumen print ) imagery that I was more drawn to. This first involved making quite a few photo collages to try out some compositions and proportions.

Collage and sketchbook exploration, studio Feb 2023

Collage in sketchbook, Studio feb 2023

“The artists concern is not to render an exact physical likeness of things but to make visible what lies beyond what we immediately see. the hidden meanings which underline the gulf between reality and appearance” David Drake writing about FD Cartier.

Photopolymer etching on Somerset Satin. In the Portsmouth Printmakers Studio, Omega Centre. Feb 2023.

The next stage of this work is a case of getting to know my plate. I always say to my students that once you’ve created your plate then begins a kind of relationship with it - a journey where you need to discover ways to get the most from the plate. No plate is the same as another even if you’ve used the same processes.

More about the Exhibition;

Dates - 18th May - 25th June 2023

Location - Parndon Mill Gallery, Harlow, Essex.

Other Artists participating- Caryl Beach, Mary Down, Jonathan Emmerson, Marian Hall, Declan Hoare,

Reading list referenced,

Silver and Glass - Cornelia Parker and Photography

Wait and see, F and D Cartier

Pond, Claire Louise Bennett.

Thinking for Printing

The upcoming Printmakers Council exhibition, titled Thinking for Printing, takes place at the start of February at the wonderful Bankside Gallery, along London’s Southbank. I am delighted that one of my recent mixed media prints, Titled Semi Permeable and created as a response to drawings of Mawddach estuary, has been selected for the show.

Location - Bankside Gallery, Thames Riverside, 48 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH

Dates - 31st Jan - 5th Feb 2023

Times - 11 - 6

Semi Permeable is part of a group of monochromatic drawings that respond to an immersive time looking at, and drawing from, the Mawddach Estuary in Wales during a residency in May 2022.

Sketchbook page, monoprint and graphite

Thinking for Printing features work by members of the Printmakers Council.

‘For this exhibition, the Printmakers Council sent each of their members an A5 sketchbook and invited them to record and respond to the concept ‘Thinking for Printing’. The result of this exciting project will be displayed alongside the finished artworks at Bankside Gallery’.

Sketchbook page, print and collage

Some reflections on making.

The timing of the arrival of my pristine new A5 sketchbook, courtesy of PMC, just before the Welsh residency was perfect. I love working in sketchbooks though will admit that I found the A5 size quite challenging - definitely out of my my comfort zone. I tend to go for A4 landscape shaped sketchbooks and i think that the reason for this is that it encourages me to be more flexible with shape and composition. Looking back over the drawings in this cute A5 book i’m noticing them to be more compact and with more of a square format. I did try some stretched out, more panoramic drawings but they done feel as strong.

Sketchbook page, collage and print

Working in a sketchbook for me is an opportunity to take risks, to explore, write, rub out, tear out; it doesn’t matter, and thats why journals and sketchbooks are great. I always love looking at other artists books so it’ll be a fantastic bonus to have these books on show with the finished work. They really are - and should be - an insight into the artists mind.

Reflecting on the process of making these prints, it hasn’t at all been a straight route. My initial sketchbook drawings reveal a fascination for the textures, and chance finds along the shoreline of the estuary and local town of Barmouth - The historic structures and fragments at the waters edge.

Sketchbook page, print and collage.

The area I was studying sits at the base of the Snowdonia National Park. The varied landscape of intertidal waters, peat bogs and distant mountains was quite simply outstanding. So much possibility and only 2 weeks to study it !! My solution to this was to focus on 2 aspects. One focus was the estuary itself and the other was the area of land behind our lodging at Mawddach Crescent. This was Arthog Peat Bog of which I write a bit about in an earlier Blog Post. In this previous post I also write about the benefits of working alongside fellow resident Artist Sue Jarman .

Sketchbook page, Photo collage

So, having decided on working on 2 sketchbooks - one for each focus (and group of work) - freed up my brain to compartmentalise each aspect of this study and how to make the best of the 2 weeks. This post examines the stages of creating prints that respond to the drawings, collages and research into the Estuary.

Prints in progress at Portsmouth Printmakers studio,

The sketchbook development and especially the collages, helped my mindset for what followed. A new way of ‘seeing’ the estuary. A way of revealing what was drawing me to this subject. After a couple of very immersive studio days at Portsmouth Printmaking Studio in early Autumn, working with some new A5 photopolymer plates, it was back to my garden studio with the prints and some more collage ideas.

Prints in progress, studio view

It felt important to keep the prints very monochromatic because it was the patterns, movement of water and sheer beauty of all those varied shapes that drew my eye. I had also collected quite a few of the images at night time and was drawn especially to the light on the water. Often silvery and always mesmerising.

Work in progress - studio view

Collage, like printing, is a process. I find it helpful to begin with something that acts as a foundation and then build up layers from there. Sometimes I use layers to push back a part of the print or break up an over busy image. Often I use stitch to draw attention. Maybe to reveal line or strengthen tone. I also like to draw into the work but I try to make this very minimal. Adding stitch is better than drawing as it can of course be easily taken away if it goes too far.

Semi permeable i, work in progress - At Portsmouth Printnakers studio

Some of the prints from this study On show at;

Jack House Gallery - current show runs to 15th January

Bankside Gallery - Thinking for Printing - 31st January - 5th February.

Drawings from Storehouse 9

Over the last few weeks i’ve been working on and off location for a collaborative venture with Ankle Deep Studios. Although still in the early stages i’ve been very intrigued by the direction the project is taking me.

For a specific time period I have been granted privileged access to one of the empty storehouses at the Dockyard. Also with support from the Dockyard Trust, I have been photographing, drawing and researching in order to unpick this rather eerie and unique space. History is everywhere you step and look.

I have been recording my trips and development in a project sketchbook and have amassed a stack of drawings and photos that explore in particular the glimpses, textures and marks on the floors, pillars and walls especially. I love the fact that everywhere you look the soft light from the windows imbue a soft and ghostly light on the surfaces. Sometimes in long slanted projections and at other times a dusty haze.

Underpinned by regular informal meetings with Claire and Deniz of Ankle Deep Studios, it feels to me that this work and project is moving at an exciting pace. Collaborating with them is adding another layer of possibility. Another fresh perspective. We have some very exciting plans .. its a case of watch this space ..

For more images see the gallery page on this site

For more info about Ankle Deep Studios.

Back home

In September I visited Australia for an 18 day trip. Part work part rest.

Our first week was in Melbourne - We just loved this place !! Very arty and a calm but vibrant buzz., especially in the area of Fitzroy, where we were staying. Melbourne’s reputation for being the best place for coffee is NOT exaggerated.

The second week was further North in Ballarat with the hard working team of Fibre Arts Australia.

My 5 day workshop was focused on Printmaking combined with collage and assemblage. I was super lucky to have the most wonderful bunch of 12 workshop participants. Generous, caring and talented. A dream workshop bunch.

We were all based at Ballarat Grammar for the week. A large complex of buildings and gardens including some wonderfully austere red brick buildings. It was early spring there , so a bit nippy !! Huge thanks to Kerrie Maloney for the pic of me with Margaret, Sally, Jenny, Wilma and Barb. Also, on the course the lovely Leanne, Annette, Sally Rose, Kerrie, Julie and Laura.

Im delighted to share with you here a little peek at the work my wonderful bunch of workshop ladies produced. They were so dynamic and I’m super proud of what they created. We had a laugh at every minute. An exhibition at the end of the event provided a very useful and satisfying way to see the work made.

Ps ; Hubby came with me too, which was really really good - here’s the man : ) standing next to Ned Kelly’s armour at the State Library of Victoria.

You can visit the Online Exhibition from the Fibre Arts Australia event and see what the students made on all the courses. An inspirational insight into what goes on at these events held by Fibre Arts Australia. A beautiful way to all see the work made.

Exhibition at Jack House Gallery

This October I’ll be joining 27 other members of Portsmouth Printmakers to showcase our current work. The beautiful Jack House Gallery in Old Portsmouth will play host to our work which will include Screenprint, Lino print, Collagraph, Book work, Monoprint, Etching. We have lots of new members and many will be exhibiting as part of the membership for the first time. The exhibition is on for two weeks and there will be a Printmaker member invigilating each day.

Portsmouth Printmakers Instagram link

October will be a busy month as Fibre Arts Take Two will also be realising my online course. It has been so rewarding and fascinating working with them and I am excited and rather nervous to see how it all looks on screen. I must admit that I don’t like seeing myself on camera.. gulp !!

During filming week - working with Fibre Arts Take Two - for my online signature course.

We feel confident that the course will be a beautiful way to delve deeper into how I work and an invaluable way to learn if you can’t get along to an actual on site course with me.

At the end of the month - on the 22nd and 23rd October - I’ll be doing a Two day Printmaking Course at Portsmouth Printmakers studio. This will focus on some of my favourite techniques that combine photography and printmaking. This course can be booked via the Makers Guild Website. places are limited to 6.

Behind the scenes

In little over month now I will be heading over to the other side of the world to visit Australia and deliver a week long workshop for Fibre Arts Australia. Preparations are going well, although my work planning has been slightly delayed by a bout of Covid this last week. Happily I feel more clear headed now and I’m back in the studio getting on with some jobs on the enormous ‘To do List’.

In the studio, image courtesy of Fibre Arts Take Two

The Australian trip was meant to involve 2 workshop weeks but the organisers have sadly had to cancel the first week very last minute. The main large event in Ballarat is still going ahead so this means that I now get to spend a week seeing the sights of Melbourne before heading north to Ballarat.

Following my trip to Australia I will be taking part in a few events upon my return to the uk (at the end of September and into October.)

Drawing on location at Farlington Marshes and rain clouds are heading our way. image courtesy of Fibre Arts Take Two

The First one is the release of my Online Signature Course through Fibre Arts Take Two. This is a mixed media course which looks at methods I use in my work. Specifically, photography, printmaking, collage and stitch. We have packed loads in so participants really do get an amazing detailed course. In depth instruction on methods and approaches is also followed up with online support, interviews and feedback.

Collagraph plates in the studio, image courtesy of Fibre Arts Take Two

We are currently in the process of editing this course and adding the material for the course content. I’ve been making lots of sample work to show students that specifically will help them with their own development.

We filmed the course way back in April in my home studio in Southsea, Portsmouth, over a week which was beginning to experience some surprising hot weather. it was mighty hot in the studio !!

In the studio, April 22. image courtesy of Fibre Arts Take Two

The amazing team of Fibre Arts Take Two work work with very talented artists based all around the world so I was chuffed to be invited to work with them. They’ve recently sent me some behind the scenes photos and I am delighted to be able to share them here.

Angela and myself on our location shoot at Langstone Harbour, Uk April 22

My studio is not at all a big space so the team had a challenge fitting everything in - but we did it !!

ITS A WRAP !!

In my next post I will be promoting the exhibition which i’m taking part in during October. This is an exhibition of current work by Portsmouth Printmakers, of wish I am a key holder and technician. Exhibition dates are 5 - 16 th October. In the meantime if you are interested to be notified when the Online Course becomes available head over to the Fibre Arts Take Two page for my course.

Reflecting on recent collaborations

It’s Sunday and I have unexpectedly found some time to write an update of the things that i’ve been doing. Admittedly I should probably be catching on some domestic chores - hey ho. !! … Also, I do find that putting things down like this helps me to organise my thinking and aids the whole reflection process.

Photo Credit - Lorna Tyrie

In this blog post there are some pictures and reflections from my time working with the talented team of Fibre Arts Take 2. They spent a week with me, mainly in my studio, in order to film an online course which will take the form of my signature course. This course is now in the editing stage and will be released later in the year. It covers many of the processes and techniques that I use in my own work. I share my approaches, ways of thinking and methods of developing ideas and generating outcomes to specific starting points.

Farlington Marsh on day 1 of filming - location visit to collect images

Being involved in filming of this nature was fascinating. I learnt so much not only about the technical aspects of filming both indoors and outdoors but also about myself, what I do and why I do it. There were a fair few comedy moments, mostly caused by some classic bloopers on my part.

It was a wonderfully focused time and I am so looking forward to sharing my course later in the year when it will be released. If you would like to register your interest in my Online Course just follow the link.

Photo from Fibre Arts Take 2 ( Instagram) filming in the studio

Photographic prints from recent visits to Langstone Harbour (below) marsh areas and Mawddach Valley (above)

A few weeks after the Fibre Arts take 2 filming I went off to Mid-Wales for a two week immersive artistic period following an invitation from the team behind the Mawddach Residency. Situated on the top floor of a large house, which overlooks the tranquil and at times breathtaking Mawddach Estuary, this Residency ‘provides the opportunity for selected artists-in-residence to fully immerse themselves in their work’

On day 2 - Sue drawing the Mawddach valley from a look - out point at Barmouth, Gwynned

The objective of this time was to work on my current ideas and make new work. This was also a collaborative time as I shared the residency studio and accommodation with Sue Jarman, a friend and colleague who I met at Digswell Arts. Sue’s work is quite different to mine and this was especially appealing to us. To work with someone who approached things differently. To learn about our methods, share ways of working and view the environment through different eyes.

A trip at dusk to collect photos - photo credit Sue Jarman

Day 3 - Mawddach Estuary

My main intention going to Mawddach was to investigate the estuary itself and its marshy wetland edges which hug the various inlets of the estuary. However, my interest was especially piqued by the peat bogs that straddle the area at the back of where I was staying. The Arthog peat bog is managed by the RSPB and is a ‘remnant of a vast raised bog which once covered much of the Mawddach valley.

Day 6 - Arthog Bog,

Editing photos in the studio.

Although a relatively small area it was fascinating to investigate and quite simply wonderful to discover on foot. The ditches that criss cross this area became an obsessive pursuit. I especially loved photographing the ditches very close up but did get a few funny looks from nearby campers - probably wondering why on earth I was photographing a muddy ditch !!

The images I have come away with reveal an aspect of the bog’s ditches that especially drew my attention. namely, the fluorescent, coppery, molten-like surface that appeared in certain light conditions. I read that millennia is literally locked up under these bogs. …. A sobering thought.

I also was delighted to learn that ‘work is under way to bring this area back to its natural state’ since having gone through a period of being drained when peat was removed.

The contribution of Peat Bogs to the Climate crisis due to their ability to store carbon and to ‘slow down’ and store water is immense. Bringing them ‘back’ would ‘suck’ even more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Gelli plate drawings working from the Peat Bogs on fine Japanese paper - photo credit Jake Spicer

Bogs haven’t had ‘good press’ and there is a fair bit of resistance to the RSPB conservation measures from local landowners so it’s a delicate and complex ongoing discussion.

There is more about the Value of Peat Bogs on the radio programme 39 Ways to save the Planet

The enormous quantity of photos and images that I collected over the 2 weeks was such that I am still going through them all. I also began some print exploration towards the end of the residency. Its going to be fun taking these starting points into the newly revamped Portsmouth Printmakers Studio.

Final day - our work laid out in the studio. Photo credit - Jake Spicer

Follow Sue Jarman’s work

read about the Mawddach Residency

The Pull of the Print

Currently on show till the 21st May - The Pull of the Print. At the Linden hall Studio, Deal, Kent.

Seen unseen ii , phtotopolymer etching, collage and pencil. 2022

Im chuffed to have this work included in this group exhibition. This mixed media print reveals a personal obsession with marshes but more importantly an interest in wetland habitats and their environmental importance.

The group exhibition at Linden Hall features work by members of the Printmakers Council.

Beautifully curated It seeks to highlight the part that contemporary printmaking plays in the visual arts.

Opening Times : Tuesday - Saturday - 10am till 4pm

Linden Hall Studio, 32, St Georges Road, Deal, Kent, CT14 6BA