20:20 Print Exchange 2018

This year, I submitted my 20:20 edition of 25 prints 20 cm x 20 cm with Prospect Studios, one of the 40 or more print workshops taking part. The 20:20 print exchange was created and is organised by Hot Bed Press in Salford. Every year, as it's grown and grown, their staff and volunteers face the huge task of sorting the work of around 500 artists, so that every one gets back a box with their own print and 19 other randomly sorted works from across the UK, and now internationally. This year print workshops in Iceland, Moscow and Melbourne, Australia took part.

The full collection of work can be seen on flickr - check out this link.

My 2018 print uses the same plates I cut for my 'Halo' linocut earlier in the year, for the 'Pennine' exhibition with Prospect Studios. Because it's a 3 plate multi-plate linocut, I returned to play with the colours and cut the finished print down to 20 x 20 cm, calling it 'Regenerating'.

I've included some pictures of its development below:

'Regenerating', 20:20 linocut by Carolyn Murphy

Three lino plates used to create 'Halo' and 'Regenerating' linocuts

'Halo' linocut by Carolyn Murphy, created for the Whitaker's Pennine exhibition

Printing plate 1 at Hot Bed Press

Using the Albion press

'Regeneratin' after printing one colour

'Regenerating' in the drying racks, after colour 2

Trimmed 20:20 prints ready to go for 2018!

It won't be long before I receive my box of prints. Fingers crossed for a box I really love! Having taken part since 2011 (sometimes for both Hot Bed Press and Prospect Studios)I have a great collection of 20 x 20 cm prints. Some are on my walls at home. Some have been on my office wall in the past. And I still can't resist picking up a few extras, when something jumps out at me, like yesterday at Hot Bed Press Open Studios, when I bought a print from Iceland's 2015 collection.

To learn more about my work, please check out my website www.carolynmurphy.co.uk where you'll find my gallery, online shop and links to my social media.

The Pennines and the Halo!

On Saturday 21 April 2018 a new exhibition of artworks by Prospect Printmakers will open at The Whitaker Art Gallery and Museum in Rawtenstall, Rossendale. It's inspired by the Pennines, the theme that unites the work of almost 20 artists in a range of printmaking techniques.

My new linocut 'Halo' was created for this exhibition and will be displayed alongside one piece of work from each of the Prospect Studios printmakers involved.

  

There's an Opening on Saturday 21 April 2 - 4pm at the Whitaker. All are very welcome.  I hope you can make it to the Opening or to the Exhibition itself, which runs until 17 June. Our small show runs alongside Liam Spencer's new exhibition 'Home & Away' in the main gallery space of the Whitaker.

I've outlined below some of the behind the scenes story of the making of this particular piece.

'Halo' refers to Haslingden Halo, an 18m diameter steel structure, sited on an exposed spot above the town, to mark the regeneration of East Lancashire. I hadn't visited it before working on this Pennine theme, but was interested in the juxtaposition of this large industrial-looking art sculpture and the barren moorland landscape. The Halo is lit at night too, giving it an other-worldly floating look.

The day I visited, I'd planned to make a number of sketches. It turned out to be in early March, during the snowy period and it was icy cold, windy and threatening to rain or snow any moment! I ended up walking the site and viewing the structure from all sides and taking reference images, before dashing for the car. I loved the shadows, the contrasts, the light. These are some of the photos I took:

Haslingden Halo with its shadows

The Halo looking alien in its landscape

Fantastic light and shade

Threatening weather

It was really in an exposed spot and I wanted to capture some of that sense of a big Pennine landscape. I decided to create the image from 3 lino plates, so that I could come back to the image and explore different colour ways. I cut the image from traditional lino 21 cm x 21 cm.

This is my first proof of the print:

First rough proof

From here, I made some changes to the colours and also cleaned up each plate further, cutting away stray marks. I was aiming for a more dramatic final image to reflect the light and shade, the storm clouds brewing and the warmth in the landscape.

I don't have images of every stage, but you can see that I've introduced a red/brown bracken colour and darkened the clouds. This is the print after printing just the first plate:

Printing plate 1

I have ended up with a small edition, which will be for sale at the Exhibition and later (unframed) on my website. I was printing this at the same time as drying my Macmillan giant linocuts and starting to work on new designs for my greetings cards. I'm definitely short of drying space!

 

Need more drying rack space!
 

To learn more about my work, please check out my website www.carolynmurphy.co.uk where you'll find my gallery, online shop and links to my social media.