Why do people stop posting on their blogs ???

I just don't know why this is.   Maybe I felt like I had lost the thread with what I was doing,  although that is not true.  I have been working away in my studio all the while so it isn't that I have not been working.

I did 'lose the thread' at one or two points though however as regards making my artwork but these were just hiccups really -  I managed to get going with things again once I just physically got on with doing printmaking activities or drawings.  That's the way to bypass these things "energy follows action" and all that.

I was working on my book edition for most of last year .....well up until August September (2011) that is.    I plan on uploading a description of the process of making the edition on my bookart blog at some point in the future.  There is a  link to that blog on the navigation bar under the heading of the blog.

One of the things I  considered at the beginning when I knew I would be making the edition of artists books was a 'tri-fold' book.  I have always liked the alter like tableaux that one sees when looking at medieval and early renaissance art in particular.

So I asked Bill at the workshop to help me cut some mill board into the shapes but with the folds too. These took a good few hours to do.

At that point I was researching lots of book formats and technical information regarding stitching and binding too.

Anyway that was how I came to have this shaped cardboard in my  studio and how I ended up making it into a collagraph - this was done  around August September time.    I felt a sense of urgency as I started working with it desperately wanting to make larger work - all the book stuff had been around A4 size (20 x 30 cm) so I just wanted to break out of the frame as it were.
It was done on impulse and  really,  I ought to have known better but I guess I was rather 'taken' with the shape and I had developed some drawings of birds that were kind of  lifting up a figure that was in a sort of cruciform gesture.  The idea wasn't quite finalized but I knew I wanted to take this into the tri-arced shaped plate.

At the beginning I was creating the print with a specific exhibition in mind.   I planned on making a submission to a project for a show in Poland.   Although I had plenty of potential prints,  the required  'format' for this show was that the print  be  56 x 76 cm in size  (as well as 2 other 'smaller' size prints).

It was an S.S.A project which had in a way been what had motivated me to join the Society of Scottish Artists.  This being almost 2 years ago now.

Technical Process

The collagraph plate ended up with loads of set backs, many originating in my having chosen to use cardboard for the base which was not suitable and which was a mid brown colour.    Of course this makes it difficult to 'read' the extent to which the plate has been inked/ wiped etc............ never mind anything else. I had paper cut outs for the figures on the plate, bits of textured wallpaper and torn card from the plate surface itself.  Early on in the process I applied cut out shapes using drypoint card, I then scratched into it with a scalpel to subtly define the figures body / torso area and it gave a lovely effect. The first one or two proofs , were excellent, well especially in terms of giving the ghostly effect, that I had hoped for,  this effect was one which was unique to that material.



I decided I needed to add some dark tone behind the central right and left figures  and I thought if it was graduated - getting lighter as it rose to the top of the picture that it would look good.  I scanned the proof into Photoshop and did a 'mock-up' to see how it would look (as you can see above)
Of course while I was doing the mock up I couldnt resist fiddling about with the visual elements and was considering locating some of them  ouside the picture edge.

Getting back to making the collagraph plate.......................  OK so I thought I needed to add some tone to the plate.  I made up some Lascaux Pastel Ground, in three different strengths to apply to the plate.

I would add 1 part pastel ground to 2 parts water, or 2 parts pastel ground to 1 part water and so on an so on.  It dries fairly quickly e.g.,  20 minutes and then you can, if you want,  take a proof although given all the fiddling about I had to do,  with the graduating  effect I was after -  I had to take my time.  I seem to remember that I used several natural sponges.

In terms of what the inspiration was  behind this piece ................... well............. this is something that is never easy to explain.......I develop a ‘collection’ of images figurative as I go along.  Mainly using photos of figures from books, newspapers, the web or sometimes taking photos myself.  I then usually simplify them taking them down to the bare  essentials.  It’s often the bearing or the gesture of something that engages me and that for me expresses something in particular.

I then amend and hybridize them to communicate some particular emotional state or similar.  Often I will then do drawings then trace monotypes then scan them back into the computer then re-scale and hybridize them and so on ..............If I analyse it too much then I would never do anything.

I have referenced a ‘crucifix type’ image previously in my work so that’s probably harks back to my Catholic upbringing.  That certainly wasn't what I was aiming for with the piece - it was the birds lifting the fabric of the vestment of the figure - the idea of humans and creatures being tender to one another.  Of these beings sometimes telling us something about ourselves.

INKING

Ugh !!.......... this proved to be a considerable effort and as I mentioned above working on a brown surface is not conducive to 'reading' the extent to which one has sufficiently inked up the plate nor wiped it............

It took 2 or 3 hours to wipe the plate and I am going more and more off this kind of thing - I must say.

At that same time I was  also working on images that were  3.25 x 4 inches  or 8 x 10 cm in size - these were to submit to  the British miniprint competition by the way which were due  Sep 21st 2011.
But more of that in another post.

Cat

Thierry Chollat

Reincarnation ?

As you will know if you have read this blog from about a year ago well less in fact.............my dear furry friend Toby passed over to the other realm and I miss him still so much.

I was delighted this evening to get a sense of how Toby was through encountering these moving pictures
of a fellow called Henri.

For Those of You who Happen to be in Riga ? !......

There has been a fair amount of items in the news the last week or so about it being the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  It was on again this lunchtime with coverage of people queueing to go into a shop to buy Titanic 100 memorabilia.  I think that, that's rather 'sad'.  By which I mean spending ones money on that sort of trivia and tack.  Apparently there's a group of people on board a ship heading out to the spot where the Titanic sank.  OK some of them are relatives of those who lost their lives and of course for them it really is something special and meaningful.  But outside of that is it not just a rather voyeuristic  / ghoulish activity.

Having said all of that........... maybe I am also 'jumping on the bandwagon' with having participated in the "Titanic 100" exhibition with the Latvian artists association at their art gallery in Riga.
See this LINK to view the artworks I created to submit to this exhibition.  The thing that most appealed to me about participating in this exhibition (if I managed to get selected) was the theme which was described as "Strong Waters" which is in fact a direct translation of the printmaking term 'aquatint' or perhaps more so,  as it is written in the French language i.e., "aqua forte" - water strong.

central overhead view of "Silent Witness" installation

It's a theme I had previously explored in my installation called "Silent Witness" which began as an homage to those who had lost their lives in the 'coffin ships' which is how this phenomenon is/was termed by people in Ireland.  They were the ships that took people from Ireland, ostensibly to America , during and following the Famine in Ireland in the 1830's.

Here is a LINK to photos and the artists statement of that installation which surprisingly is still on the web even though I am no longer officially on the Other Peoples Pixels website.  I previously had a website with them but was unable to maintain the annual payment.

Here is another in case that one expires - this second link is the installation as shown at The Bhavan Centre in London where I exhibited with the Riverside Artists Group.

Its a beautiful art gallery but as you will see from their website they don't really make any effort with documenting all the lovely exhibitions  that go on there which is a shame.

I wasn't so happy with the way I had to show it there - I mean it wasn't a patch on how it looked, when I first exhibited it at the art gallery in  Osterley House.  
Being a  huge grand country house (that is part of the National Trust ) its art galleries  are spacious and very atmospheric, so it was  a pleasure to install and view the exhibition there.  BUT where the documentation and promotion of its visual arts program is  concerned I am afraid its scores marks are equal to the Bhavan Centre (as referred to above).
Anyway its just to  give an idea of the nature of the artwork and for those who are interested you get a sense of where it was first shown..

Here is the invitation/ publicity material as sent to me today by artist printmaker, Nele Zirnite, who curated the exhibition.  I think these are rather nicely done.

Etching Linoleum with Caustic Soda

Lino  Intaglio + etch with caustic soda

Isn't this gorgeous ...it's by Jo Sculthorp who keeps a blog called the green room - check her out she's an interesting artist.  It's lino printed relief and she has used lots of caustic soda.

If you decide to use caustic soda on linoleum - then you need to get all the materials organised and prepared keeping in mind that caustic soda is dangerous stuff.

Having said that I don't want to put you off using it.   You just need to be sensible.

Items / Implements You will need


SAFETY

Rubber gloves

Maybe some eye goggles in case of splashes

Old newspaper to protect your surfaces

protective apron

  artwork by Steve Edwards - its a relief print but

 I just love what he has done with the caustic soda

ITEMS TO MAKE THE MIX

Caustic Soda Granules

Wallpaper paste flakes

A glass container  such as a jam jar or similar to mix the caustic in.

A stick or old wooden spoon to stir the caustic soda mix

A Tea spoon and a Tablespoon  for measuring.

Cold water

You will need a lid  too, to seal it  if there is any leftover.  I can not remember how long this stuff keeps but I seem to have the impression that it does actually keep for  a long time.  We had some at the print workshop I go to (FDPW in Dunfermline) and Bill (our technician)  says he made it years ago - it still works !!

To Create Your Mix

Take your glass container and fill it one third full of water.  
Into that  sprinkle two teaspoons of the dry wallpaper paste flakes.
Mix this together and leave it aside for five minutes, during which time it will  thicken up.

Put two teaspoons of caustic soda granules into this mix and then  stir it with a wooden spoon or  stick. ( don't use metal !!)

The mixture will get warm but don't worry - this is just the caustic soda reacting with the water/paste.
I think its a good idea to get a pencil or biro and write a label to stick on the jar .e.g.,
"2 tablespoons caustic soda and 2 teaspoons wallpaper paste"
 also put the date.  The mix is  ready for you to use on your linoleum.


Of course before you apply the caustic soda mix to your lino plate you will need to consider if you want to first apply some 'resist' onto the plate.

RESISTS

I have to add here that I came across some old book where the person had made a walled off area on a lino plate using putty or modelling clay so I guess you could do that too - I haven't done that myself so don't know about the 'ins and outs' of that approach.

I have also heard that you can use sellotape and parcel packing tape.  Actually I did a little test area on a small piece of old lino and used the shiny buff coloured packing tape and made a hole in the middle of it.  I put some caustic mix on it and it worked the area covered by the tape remained unaffected.  You can remove the parcel tape by slowly pulling it off or one time I removed it using acetone or nail varnish remover or it may have been methylated spirits.

I have mainly used wax crayon as a resist and also scratch into it. I can sharpen a kids wax crayon to a very fine point and do fine lines or I can cover a large area and then scratch into that for the caustic soda mix to etch into.


 I like this method because I can remove the wax crayon later on by scraping it away gently.  If there's still a small amount left then this can be removed by placing  brown paper over the surface of the lino, placing  a heated clothes-iron on top of it, not too hot though.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO LEAVE IT ON FOR TOO LONG !!!

Iona Johnson - Australian artist (she doesn't have  a website)       Lino etch

Etching ground (bitumen based)

You can also use the old fashioned dark brown (syrup like consistency) as a resist - I tend to stay a way from it because of the need to use white spirit or similar to remove it.  I am highly sensitive to the fumes from it (it makes me feel really ill).

TIMING - 1 hour max

The caustic soda  mix achieves its maximum etching effect on the lino surface  after one hour.  No point in leaving it on longer than that. You might like to do a strip test and do a band of say 6 areas to/  get 6 different tones.

Wash the caustic mix from the plate under a hot tap using an old  dish (washing-up) brush or toothbrush to clean the surface thoroughly.

You can create a good range of tones by using acrylic hard ground and caustic soda combined 

Bear in mind that by using the caustic soda to create darker tones than the natural tone of the lino surface when you wipe it with ink (as you would e.g.,  an etching or dry point)

in combination with Lascaux Acrylic etch hard ground ( which you can dilute to different strengths)
as well as the lines you make in the linoleum itself - I use a  "cheap-ish" etching needle which they sell for students to use.  They have a long wooden handle and sharp pointed metal tip.  I have also used a triangular-shaped plate scraping tool.   It has a nice pointy tip - you just need to wrap some tissue paper around the shaft,  to protect your fingers as you are holding/ using  it.

          Iona Johnson       lino etch (details as above)

Here is a link to the post I wrote re. the print edition,  I made for the Dundee Contemporary Arts, print studio portfolio exchange -  using lino and caustic soda with the Lascaux Acrylic hard ground.  I diluted to about 3 strengths.  `one part water to 3 parts LAHG, 2 parts  water to 2 parts LAHG and finally 3 parts water to 1 part LAHG.

The Lascaux acrylic Hard Ground is available to buy at Intaglio printmakers suppliers in London.

It isn't cheap - but it is such a versatile and useful product.  You can use it in a collagraph fashion on  a metal plate to 'edit' your plate.  Of course you can also use it for collagraph making, in itself.