Work in progress and events coming up

As I type this, It’s Sunday and outside its blowing a hooley. Storm Eunice hit the south coast on Friday lunchtime but the aftermath has left some very dreary wet and windy weather. So, a good time to sit and type out some studio news.

Dusk at Farlington Marshes, January 2022

January can be summed up with - Discovering the Wonderful environment of Farlington Marshes which is just on our doorstep. In fact this small coastal Marsh, which is managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is only a 10 minute drive over to the Eastern edges of Portsmouth. Farlington is ‘internationally important for the migratory wildfowl and wading birds’ and in winter is home to a ‘staggering number’ of migratory birds. We went there a few times in January and it will be fascinating to see how it changes through the seasons.

Farlington Marsh, January 2022

At home I was hooked on watching Winterwatch on the telly, and I loved their new’ Mindful moment ‘ feature- just wonderful. Even though the landscape trips have been a bit scattered and fewer than I would have liked they have inspired some new work that’s been evolving In the print studio and the home studio.

Using mainly photopolymer plates - some old and some new - I have been working on a series of prints that take my fascination with wetlands and marshes into some new interpretations.

As yet, I don’t have any great photos of work in progress so I shall only pop this one on here. They are all very much in the stage of making but I am pretty excited about how they are looking.

Bookmaking at the studio, Photo credit Lorna Tyrie

Another preoccupation is the ongoing bookmaking and I have been exploring some different approaches and ways to work with the wetlands imagery in the book format.

Coming up -

2022 is going to be a mixed picture as I have some different ventures and excursions in the diary.

In April I will be working with another company who will be filming at the studio. I am beyond excited about it. There will be more news about this when I am able to announce more. For now I have lots of planning and prep to get on with.

In May - I will be heading to Wales with a stash of paper and art media to undertake an art residency at the Mawddach Estuary. During the 2 weeks of this very immersive residency I will be working with another friend and artist who I met at Digswell Arts. We have been looking for a project to do together for some time and when we saw this opportunity it felt ideal and perfect for our work. We will be sharing a studio and also have the opportunity to work in a print studio on the ground floor of the house. Most of all having the beautiful welsh landscape right outside our window will be very fulfilling and ideal for the current threads of my work and ideas.

Also in May - My book work ‘10 inches to 1 mile’ will be on show at The Turn The Page Artists Book Fair.

In September I will be heading to Ballarat in Australia and working with the team who deliver Fibre Arts Australia. I am delighted that finally it does all look promising and hopeful that these wonderful ‘live’ events will get the green light. It’s great news to hear that my workshops are fully booked.

Farlington Marsh, Jan 2022

Studio news

A round up, and a look back, at early Autumn and events coming up;

Its been a funny old few weeks. Trying to keep some sort of momentum going in the studio and work in progress amidst other distractions has proved challenging. The distractions have been fruitful though. Several trips to London (at last !!) to see shows, meet friends. Also, a series of workshops and a chance to meet and work with other local artists. On a few occasions, some location visits with my camera.

At Omega Print Studio, Monoprint and Drypoint day.

With just one more workshop to go in December before we say a farewell to 2021, its been an enjoyable remergence into running adult workshops. I like to mix it up a bit so i’ve delivered a Collagraph day, a day focusing on combining Drypoint with Mono print and a Bookmaking day. In Spring 2022 I have 2 Bookmaking days in the diary and am planning a few more. The published dates are on my Workshops page.

Shoreline at Portchester, Hampshire

The few occasions i’ve managed to get to the shoreline with my camera have been bliss. Myself and Helen Terry have a new project under way and we have both been endeavouring to collect source inspiration. On other (cloudier) days i’ve also been doing some reading - although i’ve found that since the pandemic started my patience and ability to pour through a book has been much more flighty.

Looking towards Portsmouth Harbour from Portchester. Oct 21

Perhaps that is why making Artist books has me hooked. There is something so satisfying and calming about the stages, the absorption in the process. I’ve just finished a new book piece called 10 Inches to 1 mile. its about the fragile, transient shoreline around Portsmouth Harbour. Learning that parts of this area were under threat from urban expansion piqued my curiosity. I wanted to see this wetlands environment, and the development plans, for myself. This book piece is a kind of love letter to the natural environment around Tipner and pays homage to the super powers Wetland landscapes possess amidst the context of rising sea levels.

10 Inches to 1 Mile, detail, mixed media bookwork, 2021.

10 Inches to 1 Mile, front cover. Mixed media Book.

A few hours at Omega Print Studios.

I was recently sent a bunch of photos by newly graduated photographer Lorna Tyrie - yep, also my daughter !! The images in this post, courtesy of Lorna, record me working at Omega Print studios on some new Photopolymer prints.

Lorna graduated from the Bournemouth BA Hons Photography course in July and is currently taking part in ‘Opus Collective’ an exhibition at Pen Gallery in Poole, Dorset. She is exhibiting a stunning group of Cyanotype prints on glass. :)

Acetate drawings on the light box - used as part of the photopolymer etching process.

photo credit; Lorna Tyrie.

Creating photopolymer etchings is a rather long process, but I find it to be a very rewarding one with lots of possibilities. Most of all, this process allows me to work with my photographic work. I print imagery onto acetate and then spend time adding and taking away parts of the image. Layering acetates together also creates new altered versions and reinterpretations.

Acetate drawings on the light box at Omega Print Studio. Photo credit - Lorna Tyrie

When i’m happy with the acetate, I expose the image onto a light sensitive photopolymer plate and then once the plate is washed and ‘cured’ it’s ready for the creation of prints.

Silent cover ii , photopolymer etching on Somerset satin. edition of 10.

One of my outcomes from this process is titled Silent Cover ii . It is printed using deep grey green and I have made an edition of 10 from this plate. I’m thrilled that 5 of these are being sold as part of the Art Uk Print Sale, coordinated by The Auction Collective. It is listed online and sits alongside an amazing group of artists. The money raised will help Art uk grow its schools learning resources adding more artworks to its platform and tell the stories about underrepresented artists.

New handmade books

One of my obsessive occupations during lockdown has been learning about book making. This journey started a few years ago when I attended a short course run by the London Centre of Book Arts at the Barbican Gallery. I’ve been following a number of courses this year, which have mostly been online. Its been pretty intriguing learning about different binding methods. Lots of my recent work are glued books but I also love making stitched books. I hope to exhibit a group of book works later in the year. A small selection can also be found on my online shop.

Sediments

Sediments

Closing window

Recommended suppliers;

London centre for Book Arts / Shepherds London / Ratchfords

Of other spaces, hand made book with archival digital photography, 2021

Pictures from Studio 64

If you type in Studio 64 into google you might come across a music recording studio based in France. Or google might show you the famous Studio 54 nightclub which was based in New York. I quite like the nod and a wink the name pays to one of my favourite Tv shows; actually called Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The new studio, sited at the bottom of my small garden, mostly references where I now live.

It’s been an interesting adventure getting settled in and It was fun being involved in the studio design and various decisions about fixtures and features. The light has proved ideal for taking photos of the work and I also love the peace and quiet. A big plus is that the commute to work is now a lot cheaper (on petrol). I’ve also noticed that the light and influences around me are creeping into the newer work. For instance colour and structure.

The following photos were all taken inside the space and some of this work is ongoing.

Studio wall. Studio 64

Paper pile. Studio 64

Work in progress. Studio 64

Work in progress. Studio 64

News from the Studio

Tea break time and just a short snatch of time to update my news page. So, here is a round up of things going on. Exhibitions my work is taking part in and some things coming up.

The Design Room. A Printmaking showcase at Artizan Gallery, Torquay, Devon in May and June. I am really delighted to have 4 prints on show. Till 27th June. Purchasing can be online or in person.

A quiet that seems coordinated, digital print on Fine Art Archival paper. 2020

Proud to receive the Flourish Magazine Award for this digital print, exhibited in the English Riviera Photography showcase, at the Artizan Collective Gallery. This photographic image is part of a group collected at the start of Lockdown, Spring 2020. The light last spring was amazing. I couldn’t use the general studios so converted the small shed into a makeshift space. A time when I was navigating a ‘new normal’. Luckily also productive creatively. These images sparked off some new thinking and ideas.

I am happy to report that I now have a larger purpose built studio In the garden of my new home. There will be more about this space in a future post. It’s been quite an undertaking and adventure !!!.

Also, currently showing;

Postcards from Great Britain - I am taking part In this Shutterhub exhibition taking place at venues across Europe. Postcards from Great Britain is a largescale project where photographers share their visions of British culture through photographic images, creating conversations and exchange.

Pop-up exhibitions are being held in locations across Europe, showcasing thousands of postcard-sized images. 

My photographs were taken when I visited the old abandoned Shredded Wheat factory in Welwyn. Soon to be a new living working and cultural quarter called the Wheat Quarter. I was captivated by the abandoned derelict site and chimneys sitting alongside the emerging new development.

Shredded Wheat Factory i. Digital print, 2020.

Printmakers Council - A feature about my work

Thank you to the Printmakers Council for featuring my work for a two week stint and highlighting my work in progress. Posts on instagram, their website and on various other social media have had lots of positive engagement and enabled me to have interesting conversations and connections. Also this prompted me to make a short video about my bookmaking and work in progress.

English Riviera Photography Showcase

I have been invited to show 2 digital prints during April and May at Artizan Gallery, Torquay, Devon.

A quiet that seems coordinated, digital print on Hannemuhle Bamboo paper, 290gsm. 42 x 30 cm unframed size. 2020. (archival)

Descending into the hush, Digital print on hannemuhle bamboo paper 290gsm, archival, 2020, 42x30cm unframed size.

Descending into the hush, studio view

Exhibition Dates: April 19th – May 16th

Artizan Collective Gallery, Unit 5, Fleet Walk, 74 Fleet St, Torquay TQ2 5EB

Exhibitions & events in March & April

After a relative quiet artistic period of time making, reading, navigating (our current new normal) I am delighted to have my work in a number of new exhibitions.

Here, (group) mixed media on japanese paper with collage and stitch. 2020

Restriction

an online group exhibition of miniature works in letterpress drawers.

Organised by Amanda Lynch and in partnership with Clayhill Arts, Somerset. A correspondence collective online exhibition which will be followed by associated events 23rd March - 6th April

All works are selected following an Open Call and are inspired by restrictions of the pandemic.

Here ii , iii

Responding to our multilayered and complex relationship with Dwelling and my experiences during Lockdown.

This online exhibition is viewable on the correspondence collective website. (Link above)

The Virus who came to tea

an online exhibition curated by Roisin projects. A showcase of 68 invited artists whose work explores ‘the nature and act of staying at home. You can also view selected works on the Roisin Projects Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/r_is_n.projects/

Dwelling, book work on Japanese paper. 2020

Artists Responding to…

I am chuffed to have my work from the Tracing Shadows project, exhibited last summer, featured in this monthly Zine.

Artists responding to …is a monthly publication ‘which uses creative depictions and literature to highlight current world issues, news and movements that aren't getting the attention that they deserve. A political and environmental platform to help ignite conversations and spread awareness through visual and written poetic responses.’.

In issue 7 / March my work featured uses alternative photographic processes, including photograms, chemigrams and photographic lithography. It incorporates words, articles and documents about ways to manage the coastline and the importance of the natural environments of the salt marshes to ‘hold back’ and help contain rising sea levels. Words that provide ways to mitigate a possible flooded future.

Time window, detail - digital print on Hannehuhle bamboo of photogram, 2020

Coming up - I’ve been invited to show some of my digital prints in a gallery showcase in Torquay, Devon. This exhibition starts in April and will include an opportunity to take a digital tour. More to follow : )

In our Garden

Supported by the Broadway Gallery, The Letchworth Culture Project and Digswell Arts, an exhibition by artists based at the Forge Studios, Digswell Arts. A celebration and reference to the Garden City Movement.

At 33 - 35 Station Road, Letchworth, Herts. SG6 3BB.

8th March - 11th April 2021. For enquiries about work please email  forgestudioswelwyn@gmail.com

Supported by the Broadway Gallery and The Letchworth Culture Project

Sue Jarman, (window illustration); Suman Gujral, Declan Hoare, Marian Hall, Mary Down (sculpture)

Poster design; Sue Jarman

Time Window, Mixed media on canvas. On show at 33 - 35 Station Road, Letchworth, Herts.

8th March - 11th April 2021.

Full list of artists - Caryl Beach, Fiona Chaney, Mary Down, Declan Hoare, Suman Gujral, Marian Hall, Sue Jarman, Dave Nelson, Sandra Smith, Sally Tyrie.

Due to Covid restrictions this work is installed and able to view as a Window Display.

Current examinations and inspiration

Digital print on Japanese paper, Book work. part of current investigations.

The light in winter is always quite special and when it’s not raining and overcast is wonderful to capture. Current work and studio experiments are being led by thoughts and ideas around place. Contrasts between outdoor and indoor space. Ideas around restriction, isolation and displacement.

Descending into the hush, digital print

Studio 6, Digswell Arts, work in progress

Right now I feel fortunate to feel like making and creating. Quite a few ideas are bubbling away and this is a time to explore, read, make and photograph. Studio explorations have involved collage, adding, subtracting and pulling apart. Quite cathartic activities in fact.

Tracing Shadows - Pond Gallery Sept 2020

The dust has well and truly settled since our show in September so high time to share some photos of the Exhibition Tracing Shadows - at Snape Maltings in Suffolk.

Pond Gallery, Snape Maltings, Sept 2020

We have both been busy navigating our uncertain and strange times during the current lockdown, so this has taken a little longer to share than hoped. Since the show I have been enjoying some immersive and reflective time in my new studio space at Digswell Arts.

The images in this post represent a highlight and overview of the exhibition. Very shortly I will be sharing some more images that take a closer look at the work we produced.

We had such a great week and were impressed with the space and location, sitting alongside reed beds and the River Alde in Suffolk. A creative atmospheric venue and event space.

Beyond the edges group, Photogram and stitch with etymology pins, Sally Tyrie, 2020

Emergent Occasions, Helen Terry, Pond Gallery, Sept 2020

Beyond the edges, photogram & mixed media in Archival boxes, Sally Tyrie, Sept 2020

Mixed media book work, Sally Tyrie, Pond Gallery, Sept 2020.

Mixed media Prints in display boxes, Sally Tyrie, Sept 2020.

Tabula Rasa group, Helen Terry, Sept 2020

Exhibition news

We have been delighted with the response to our exhibition and will be posting some images from the show just as soon as the dust settles and after I have finished lying down in a darkened room !!

On one day we had over 100 visitors so i’ts been mighty busy - a huge surprise given the strange times we are having.

Here is our Exhibition Statement.

“People may stand and stare and imagine what lies beneath that pool of water, behind the easy lapping of the insistent waves, with their steady rhythm.  Marking time and yet somehow timeless.”

Stephen Wade, “Lost to the Sea”

Tracing Shadows forms part of the ongoing collaborative partnership between artists, Sally Tyrie and Helen Terry.  Through the collaboration they have explored the process of observation, reflection and development that underpins the creation of artistic work.  While there are key differences between Helen’s and Sally’s work, there is significant common ground and a focus of their collaboration has been in exploring this crossover through dialogue and joint studio sessions.  

The work in this exhibition has been inspired by the fragile coastal margins of England’s east coast, particularly the eerie landscape of Bradwell-on-Sea and the Crouch estuary.  The landscape here has been shaped by water and continues to evolve, coming under increasing pressure in the face of climate change.  At the same time, traces of medieval to prehistoric human activity emerge from the mud at low tide and are re-submerged at every high tide – shadows of the past.  A chance find of a Victorian maritime map of the Thames Estuary also inspired an interest in the conventions of mapping and in the poignancy of the attempt to fix something that is constantly evolving.

Both artists are interested in themes of change; ambiguity; the idea of things being alternately buried, revealed and then concealed again; things coming in and out of focus.  Rather than a literal representation of landscape, the work in this exhibition is an exploration of these themes.  Print-making, photography, mixed media and stitch – both on paper and on cloth – are common to both artists’ work, with photographic elements being a significant part of both Helen’s and Sally’s process.  Helen has incorporated photographic imagery in digital and screen print on paper and cloth.   While Sally Tyrie has explored alternative photographic processes, including photograms, chemigrams and photographic lithography.  

Previous exhibitions:      Reflections & Revelations (Babylon Gallery, Ely and Wicken Fen) 2018

                                    Illuminations (Fenners Gallery, Letchworth) 2019

Tracing Shadows

We are thrilled that our exhibition at The Pond Gallery, Snape Maltings, planned for September, has the go ahead. At least one of us will be at the show each day to welcome visitors, and answer any questions.

The ‘Covid safe’ arrangements involve a one way system around the Gallery space, hand sanitisers on the way in and a perspex screen at our desk. There will also be a maximum of 4 people at a time In the gallery. Purchases are by card payment. The gallery is cleaned regularly.

Snape Maltings is a sublime location. Surrounded by reed beds and close to the Suffolk coast it’s in a perfect setting. I am looking forward to my week there but will have to avoid the temptation of spending too much money in the surrounding shops at Snape. Last time I was there I came away with an antique dining table :)

Snape Maltings, Suffolk. Near Aldeburgh.

Snape Maltings site map.

Close up of new work to be shown in the exhibition. Mixed media work that explores captured imagery from the East Coast landscape.

Helen and myself will be posting updates on our Instagram pages - such as Information about how to purchase our catalogue that accompanies this exhibition. Also news of how to view the show if you don’t get a chance to visit.

Good Days Quiet

I’ll own up that the title for this news post is taken from a book i’ve recently treated myself to. I can’t stop looking at it. It’s a catalogue of 31 black and white photographs by Robert Frank published in 2019. Mesmerising, peaceful, moving. This collection titled ‘Good Days Quiet’ and ‘Memories’ could be a visual diary of his own experience of ‘Lockdown’.  In fact this is 'Robert Frank’s final book and ‘organises Frank’s archives in the twilight of his career, alternating ‘photographs (interior and exterior) of his home in Mabou, Nova Scotia with portraits of family and friends’.

My own visual dialogue of this time could look a lot less focused. I’ve constantly found myself moving from one thing to another. I’ve probably always been a bit of a ‘flitter’ - is that even a word ? So, this unprecedented and surreal time seems to have heightened this tendency more.

When the lockdown started I was working on a small group of mixed media pieces, on Book covers, for a group exhibition titled In Our Garden - These unfinished pieces sat on my wall for quite some time. My intention was to use the sewing machine to work into them. To layer and collage. In the end it was using acrylic paint that helped resolve these 4 works to a conclusion that I felt reached their intention. I have popped them on to my shop page and will leave them there for a limited time.

Immersed

On reflection, although I intended to use these pieces to explore a general narrative about our relationships with garden spaces, In the end they are more personal than that. In fact they speak more about my own use of the garden space around me to escape. A refuge from Lockdown. A way to distract and control the situation. It seems to work that they are small and intimate.

My new Shed Studio surroundings, adapted whilst on lockdown, has provided some fresh inspiration and i’ve been working on a new group of paintings based on photos, drawings and small mixed media experiments. It’s proving to be invigorating doing something different. I did say at the start that I tend to move and shift focus. I think it’s oddly a way for me to be more productive.

Time Window - digital photographic exploration

The first couple of experiments just played around with the light and shapes. Also the surface. I didn’t have much In the way of board to work on so I just used some mount card to start with.

Then I moved on to thicker board. Exploring a more minimal approach. More space and less form.

Experiments on Board for Time Window

The larger paintings are on deep canvases. These are collages with thin painted layers of acrylic ink. I had been working on these at the previous studio at WaterHall Farm and when I saw the photos of the blind I realised how I could resolve these.

Time Window I , Mixed media on Canvas.

Next up, my plan is to explore and examine this imagery with some other approaches . I like the idea of a more 3 dimensional surface so Ive been building up and painting on a gesso board.

Work in progress, May 2020

Amongst the new ideas, and more experimental trials, I have also felt uneasy at leaving work unresolved from the Tracing Shadows Project I had been working on with Helen Terry. We have (Helen and myself) had some really good online conversations since lockdown, exchanging ideas and comparing how we are getting on. We were so close at finally getting to reveal our work, but will just have to wait a little longer. Our project Catalogue for Tracing Shadows was nearly completed and we love how it looks, and we have included lots of pictures from our studio sessions.

Photopolymer plate inked up at Digswell Arts print studio, SJT

With that weight of the ‘unresolved’ on my mind I managed last week to revisit some of the prints I made during the first phase of the project. Although they are quite varied they have in common a small intimate approach and they represent a stage where I was exploring new plates and methods. Now that I’ve finished them I feel pretty chuffed with how they look. I have popped a few of them on my shop page and will be adding more later on.

Managed, detail. Collagraph etching with collage, graphite and acrylic ink.

Last few weeks

The last few weeks have been bizarre, unsettling and transforming. Initially, like many of us, I felt ‘at sea’ emotionally and practically. It was very hard on Mothers day to not be able to give my mum a hug and in April not be able to celebrate my son’s 25th birthday with him, face to face. We have tried very hard to make the best of the new situation though. I’ll admit its been ‘up and down’ . The daily news continues to speak of heartbreak.

Shed interior

One of the first challenges was adapting to working from home instead of going along to the wonderful printing space at Digswell Arts.

In addition when we all went into Lockdown I had just joined the membership of Omega Printmakers in Portsmouth so it was gutting to miss out on my first visit, to begin using the spacious print rooms. Hopefully I won’t have long to wait before using the lovely etching press there.

There are however a few small morsels of positives from our current Lockdown. One is adapting our small garden shed, at the bottom of the garden, into a temporary Art Studio space. The lack of heating or electricity hasn’t stopped me from making good use of this cosy space. A lovely long dry and sunny spell helped.

Shed exterior

It’s especially good for photographing work. Ironically better than any space i’ve used before. It was fun converting the shed, though my husband is missing his den for dumping garden stuff. We did have to buy another small storage shed !

Book work in progress on desktop

A second key outcome from our ‘New Normal’ is that it’s finally given me the motivation and time I needed to set up an Online Shop. Squarespace make it very easy, which helps my non computer brain. Like many of my artist friends I am experiencing a sudden loss of income from exhibitions, events and workshops. For that reason I have joined the Artists Support Pledge Initiative set up by the Artist Matthew Burrows. This is a pledge to purchase another artists work when an artist reaches a target of sales. Its very straightforward and I have been eyeing up other Artist’s work, eager to purchase some pieces on my wish list.

Seeds, Monoprint and stitch on Gampi Tissue; mounted on sketchbook page

To start with I have been going through some past sketchbooks and putting pages onto the shop site. I have also identified some ‘one off’ Prints, in my folder of recent work, that I will be photographing and putting on the site.

After a few weeks of not making much work, and the only creativity being in the form of baked food, it’s good to be in a studio (of sorts) again. I am currently working on some ideas around the theme of Navigating These Times.

Driven by a desire to work through a mix of responses to the current times caused by this Pandemic, I decided to start a new sketchbook documenting, writing, drawing and making. In essence a series of drawings and words that respond. Im trying to avoid over thinking and just go with more ‘gut’ responses and what works and feels good to do.

The idea for this theme was initiated by Fellow Forge Artist Fiona Chaney. As a group of artists we wanted to turn our current experiences into a group of work that we share and, at some future time, put on show at the studios. Posting regularly on Instagram with the hashtag ‘Forge Artists Navigating These Times’ - it’s lovely to see the work being made from their home environments.

New skills I have acquired during our ‘Lockdown’ have been plentiful and keep on coming. Including: how to send Internationally Tracked Parcels: how to apply loads of Thermal Insulation Foil to the shed interior and then hide said shiny foil; How to host our weekly artist Zoom meetings; How to teach my college students remotely using Whats App; How to make a video of myself showing my mum, (who has quite rightly shunned immersing herself in the overly online world ) how to use Zoom on her iPad ; a tricky manoeuvre that involved several devices, hubby as assistant cameraman, and several attempts, plus a very strong cup of coffee for both of us. :)

Blind and Olive Tree, shed interior.

Postponed to September

Our Exhibition Tracing Shadows has been postponed to September. Our new dates are 4th - 9th Sept 2020. at Snape Maltings

Helen and myself are pretty gutted to have to reschedule our exhibition to later In the year. We were so close to revealing the work from our shared project and were feeling very excited to show what we’ve been up to.

The Silver lining is that the organisers of Snape Maltings are able to offer us a week at the start of September 2020 in the same gallery space, The Pond Gallery.

We are crossing fingers our situation and current lock down in the Uk will have been relatively lifted by then.

Viable detail , Photopolymer etching with collage & stitch.

I shall continue to work on ideas and projects and of course we now have more time to ‘polish’ our Publication to accompany the exhibition. This publication will include a section devoted to text and images from a ‘conversation’ with Kailas Elmer. Kailas is the Publisher and Founder of Trebuchet Magazine and has been generously offering his time and knowledge to collaborate on a ‘conversation’ with both of us to help us ‘draw out’ some of the influences, methods and experience from this project. Its been a real pleasure working with Kailas.

I shall also be working from home for the foreseeable future and today I have been making some changes to my small flat to ensure it’s a bit more practical to continue my ‘making’ .

We all have some really difficult challenges in the weeks ahead. For now its ‘regroup’ and ‘chin up’ .

Stay safe everyone. x

Risk mapping, Current work in progress using Photo polymer etching, collage and stitch on paper.

Cyanotype print with photopolymer etching and stitch on paper.

and lastly.. Helen and myself will continue to collaborate and work on ideas and development. You can follow Helen’s Work on her Instagram Page.

Also… Determined to keep some sort of routine we at the Digswell Arts Forge Studios will be making and sharing a piece of work per week online.

We are calling this project Forge Artists Navigating These Times.

We hope to display all the work we make, at the Forge studios, when this is all over. You can follow this project on the Digswell Arts Instagram page

Tracing Shadows

I am delighted to announce that myself and Helen Terry will be showing the work from our collaborative project at Snape Maltings this Easter 2020.

Time - at the Highgate Gallery

Silent Cover has been selected for the upcoming Printmakers Council Exhibition at Highgate Gallery, based at the Highgate Scientific and Literary Institute in London.

This work was produced during a period of time spent studying Wicken Fen Nature Reserve and takes inspiration from ways at looking at this unique, magical wetlands landscape.

‘Time’ is an exhibition featuring work by members of The Printmakers Council and promises to be a showcase of contemporary printmaking. Many wonderful printmakers taking part.

Press release

Silent cover, Photopolymer etching, mono print, acrylic ink & machine stitch

Exhibition dates - February 7th - 20th , Highgate Gallery, Highgate Scientific and Literary Institute, 11 South Grove, Highgate, London, N6 6BS. Opening times; Tues - Friday 1 - 5pm / Sat 11 - 4 / Sunday 11- 5 / closed Mondays. Admission Free

Everyday Delight

Here is some news of current and upcoming events that I am involved with. Also a snippet about my recent experimentation.

Everyday Delight, 05/12/2019 – 28/02/2020, Free Space Project, Image by Karen Weik

Delighted to be taking part in this group Exhibition with a title that seems especially pertinent right now. An exhibition by Shutterhub Artists all about looking for the joy in the small things, finding the magic in what might at first appear mundane, and discovering the beauty in the everyday.

At Free Space Project, Kentish Town, London Kentish Town Health Centre, 2 Bartholomew Road, London, NW5 2BX. 05 December 2019 – 28 February 2020

Opening times: 8.30am – 6.30pm, Mon – Fri.
(Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day)
Exhibition Launch Event: 6.30-8.30pm, 05 December 2019
RSVP: info@shutterhub.org.uk

Flyer design; Jonathan Emmerson.

We will be holding a one day Open Studios event at the Forge Studios, Digswell Arts, on Sunday 1st December. Times are 11 to 4pm. Come along and meet the artists and see current work in progress. Festive Refreshments on sale. Free parking.

I will be there all day showing some of my recent mixed media work. Find out where we are and who else is here by checking out the Digswell Arts website

Boden Press, image from a day making a sugar lift etching plate with Helen Boden.

Last spring I attended a group of courses around the country led by some fascinating artists, to broaden my knowledge of traditional and contemporary printmaking processes. One plate I produced was an etching plate on copper, at Boden press, which involved markmaking with a sugar lift technique. Since then I have been mainly exploring ways to interpret these plates; I had made quite a few very different plates in the end but felt this was only a starting point. How you print with a plate can vary so much. In particular I have enjoyed layering imagery with different plates. Also cropping plates and adding to the resulting print with collage and ink. The fascination for me is with the exploration of the imagery and discovering different methods of translation. Other courses were at Ochre Print Studio, London Print Studio and Stoneman Press

Crossing I, etching and collage on Somerset satin.

Crossing i is one of the prints from this period of experimentation of method and context. This work is currently on show at the Ropewalk Gallery, Barton upon Humber till 1st December. A Printmakers Council selected group Exhibition.

Land Sea Sky, till 1st December,