2020 20:20 print exchange box

This year, the suspense was greater than normal! It took me until February 2021 to get my 20:20 print exchange box for 2020. In the middle of a global pandemic and UK lockdown, it was hardly 'essential travel' until I combined collecting it with picking up work returning from an exhibition. Anyway, it was worth the wait! 

My 2021 box

In my randomly sorted box, I received a great mix of original prints, including lots of linocuts and two works from a Russian workshop. My own image was a two-plate linocut called 'Towneley Hall' - a new colourway of 'That Window' which I created for the Impressions exhibition earlier in 2020. This is printed in water-based 'copper' ink and oil-based ultramarine.

'Towneley Hall' - my 20:20 submission in 2020

I also worked out that this is my 10th year of taking part. The first year may well have been 2011, in fact. In some mad years (2014 and 2016, I think), I entered an edition with both Hot Bed Press and Prospect Studio. Over the years, I've enjoyed the huge variety of work I've collected - some of which is up on the walls of my home. Some work was on the wall in my office at The Manchester College at one time. And I've picked up a few extra favourites over the years to supplement these!

I've pulled out below some of my own 20:20 prints, submitted over that time, just to see them together. I've started with my first one 'Distant Pebbles' from 2011...

'Distant Pebbles' linocut

'Hideaway' linocut

'Into the Woods' linocut

'Meandering' linocut

'Near Ragusa' screen print

'Regenerating' linocut

'Riviera' linocut

'Adjusting the Sails' linocut

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.

Drypoint exploration

Drypoint is an intaglio printmaking process, which means the ink is printed from the depths of the plate - the areas cut away, rather than the surface. In that sense it's like etching - except that with drypoint you scratch directly into the plate, rather than using acid to bite the surface.

The lines created with drypoint are distinctive, because the ink is captured within the 'burr', the edge of the cut line. It is possible to use metal or perspex plates. In either instance the plats have a shorter life - because each printing serves to flatten the plate.

Enough of the background! Here are a couple of examples. To familiarise myself with my new Hawthorn etching press, I created a small drypoint image of Pittenweem on the Fife coast of Scotland. It's an atmospheric, beautiful fishing village - with cottages hiding from the sea down narrow alleys called 'wynds' which often connect to streets on other levels. My husbands family spent many holiday in the cottage on the right. It has been wonderful to revisit this beautiful area with him.

Test print - Pittenweem drypoint (perspex plate)

This image started as this little sketch, below:

Sometimes, I find I use drypoint to test a planned composition. This is a drypoint which I created as a little study for 'Above Ullswater' to see if I like the structure. I then went on to explore how to create this in a linocut. You can see more about this process in my blog on the topic here.

Initial drypoint test plate for 'Above Ullswater'

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.

A Greetings Card Journey

My new range of digitally printed reproductions of my original linocuts launched in December 2017. I introduced just six initially, to sell alongside our Printmaking Exhibition in Chorlton's World Peace Café. They have sold well - especially the bees! - and I'm now thinking of introducing some more designs. My cards retail at £2.50 (plus p&p) through Love From The Artist, they are a UK not-for-profit organisation supporting artists. To buy my cards online, please click here to go to their website.

Original six cards in the range

I've been playing with design ideas for a new set of cards - for Christmas and big occasions, like birthdays. I'm planning to have these finalised by July. Not all of these will make the grade, but I'm having fun exploring what works. These designs are all monoprints. Let me know what you think!

Possible new designs drying in the studio

I'll also be adding some cards supporting Macmillan, based on the huge linocut commission I I have just created. All profits from cards based on the 'Serenity' print will go 100% to Macmillan. They will be available from the opening of the expanded Macmillan Information and Support Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital in a few months. These are the early proofs. I'll update and share information when the cards are ready and available to buy.

First proofs of Macmillan cards based on 'Serenity' linocut by Carolyn Murphy

I'm delighted to finally have cards to sell alongside my original prints. A big thank you to the small team at Love From The Artist for all their hard work. There are lots of great cards on their website, so it's well worth a good browse!

To see more of my work, please check out my website: www.carolynmurphy.co.uk where you will also find an online Shop with currently available work. Thanks!

My Twitter Art Exhibition (TAE18) Postcard

Last year I entered the Twitter Art Exhibition for the first time and loved it. I couldn't resist taking part again this year for TAE18. My work 'Strumble Head' (16 x 12 cm) went all the way to Canberra in Australia to find a new home and it raised 48 AUS$ for Pegusus as a result.

'Strumble Head' by Carolyn Murphy for TAE18

The Twitter Art Exhibition manages to create a great sense of community with artists all around the world and every year there's a fabulous cause. It works like this... Each artist contributes one original signed postcard-sized piece of work. An exhibition is created and all work is sold at a fixed price per card to raise money for a great charity.

Last year the sale was in Stratford-upon-Avon and it raised £18,000 for children's charity Molly Olly's Wishes. This year the exhibition was in Canberra and on Saturday 7 April the charity sale took place, followed by an online sale, all to raise money for Pegasus Riding for the Disabled, this year's  fantastic local charity. Original works are currently still available to buy on the Pegasus RDA website.

I decided to submit a relief print this year, based on a sketch I'd done a few years ago of Strumble Head lighthouse in Pembrokeshire. I created the image using 3 plates, a mixture of lino and wood for a change.

Below I've included the stages so that you can see the image build up. The first 2 colours are using linocut, whilst the final plate is a woodcut, using Japanese plywood.

Stage 1

Stage 2

The edges were left rough, as I trimmed the image down to the standard size of 16 x 12 cm. I also took a very rough early proof of the woodcut block, to see how that was coming along. This image is below:

Woodcut block work in progress proof

 

I then went on to continue cutting the wood until I was happy. Once I'd created this one-off piece I packed it carefully and sent it to Australia. I don't know who has bought my postcard - but I do hope they enjoy it and perhaps they'll also like seeing it as it developed.

To see more of my work, please check out my website: www.carolynmurphy.co.uk where you will also find an online Shop with currently available work. Thanks!

New 20:20

This year's 20:20 print swap and exhibition is going to be bigger than ever. Hot Bed Press has confirmed 500 artists from 40 print workshops will be taking part in 2013. The deadline for getting prints in is here and print sorting, a massive job, will be taking place this week, before the exhibition opens at Hot Bed Press in Salford (and online) on 30 November.

Below is my design - the first time I've put in a screen print, instead of a lino cut. I've really enjoyed the challenge. It's called 'Near Ragusa' and is a 4 colour screen print on 300g Canaletto off-white paper. I'm looking forward to getting my box of 20 swap prints. It's great to be part of such a big printmaking 'family'!

Manchester Christmas Markets 2012

The Manchester Christmas markets have just opened and - for the first weekend only - as a group of printmakers, with links to Prospect Studios, we have a stall in the centre of Manchester at Exchange Square. It's where the big wheel used to be, right opposite the Next store, so not too hard to find.

There's work from 10 or more local printmakers on show and for sale - original etchings, linocuts, aquatints... I had a great day yesterday on the stall in the afternoon with Jill Randall. We had a lot of interest and some sales - of prints and cards. It was a good chance to have a chat to people and get feedback. Fortunately it wasn't too cold - and it was close to the food and gluhwein stalls! Thanks to everyone who came along! It's continuing through until around 7pm tonight. Well done to Alan Birch for all the organising!