Stockport Open Contemporary 2012

I'm delighted to have had 2 prints accepted this year into the Stockport Open Contemporary art exhibition. It opens to the public on Saturday 12 May - and goes through until June 24. And it's free!

You can see the prints below - and if you get the chance to visit, please look out for "Kata Tjuta" and "No beaten path".

"No beaten path" is a 2 plate linocut with an etching over the top. The image is from one of my sketches of a mid Wales landscape. The linocuts are printed in oil-based inks onto canaletto 300g paper, which proved strong and even enough to withstand wetting, in order to print the etching plate over the top.

"Kata Tjuta" is created through 2 processes using water-based ink and printed entirely by hand. The colours reflect the heat and hues of central Australia. Firstly I hand-painted aboriginal-inspired designs onto a perspex plate to create unique backgrounds, then I overprinted my linocut design of the Olgas (Kata Tjuta), allowing the 2 layers to interact and capture the clash and interplay of cultures.

Prospect Studios

I've just spent another fantastic weekend at Alan Birch's printmaking workshop at Prospect Studios in Waterfoot, Rossendale, experimenting with a mix of etching, drypoint and multi-block lino cut printmaking. I had plans to do a vast amount - including monoprinting - which I've had to leave until next time.

These workshops are great and I feel like a regular already, despite this only being my second visit. The atmosphere is relaxed, the group size is small, with around 7 or 8 people, everyone is busy on their chosen projects and Alan manages to help and guide everyone - and supply plenty of tea! Perfect!

Below you can see how things went. I created a 2 block linocut using oil-based ink, then added a drypoint image over the top. This is the first attempt at this image. I have refined the lino blocks ready for next time, when I'll print in softer colours. I've also created an etching along the same lines, with 2 linocut blocks to match. Photos will follow next month...

Going Back in Time

Today I had a very enjoyable and unusual day of printing at Hot Bed Press in Salford. Instead of printing my own lino work, I spent the day experimenting and printing from stunning, very old woodblocks, on behalf of their owner.

 The first block is a delicate wood engraving of an orchid, which I printed on a range of papers as well as mountboard card, using the Albion press and the lightest covering of ink to bring out the texture and detail. You can see below the press, the block and one of the printed image.

The second block is a coppered textile woodblock of a bull, almost certainly the trademark stamp of a former Manchester cotton trader. This block would have had a handle on the back and would have been stamped onto cotton by hand.  I used a spare pillowcase to get an impression of the image and to trial a mixture of acrylic paint and textile medium, normally used in textile screenprinting. I applied this using a roller and pressed the large woodblock onto the fabric, which I had pinned onto a textile mat to provide extra give. This worked fairly well, but I’m planning to experiment further in terms of ink, pressure levels and material – probably giving calico a try next time. The effect was good all the same and it was marvellous to see this very old woodblock share its image of a bull in chains again after what must be many years.

I will be returning to this project in the next few weeks and will be investigating further ways to enhance the printed images, including hand finishing the wood engraving with a subtle watercolour wash. A very interesting day!

Hot Bed Press, Salford - Open Studio

Open Studios Weekend – 26th & 27th November

All 3 studios housed in The Casket Works in Salford [Hot Bed Press, Suite Studio Group and Cow Lane Studios] will be opening their doors to the public this weekend from 11 am to 4 pm.

It’s a great opportunity to see the Hot Bed Press print workshop facilities and a wealth of art and creativity in one visit. There will be free demonstrations, the full 20:20 exhibition of 238 prints will be on display, and there's an ‘Under The Bed’ print sale, to help raise funds for the workshops and offer some great bargains! See Hot Bed Press website www.hotbedpress.org for more details.

Open: 11am to 4pm this Saturday and Sunday. Address: Hot Bed Press, The Casket Works, Cow Lane, Salford M5 4NB

If you would like to take a look, you’ll be made very welcome. I’m planning to go along on Saturday for most of the day.

20:20 Print Exchange Online

This year's 20:20 print exchange has just gone online at Flickr.

19 printmaking studios across the UK and Ireland have taken part – with over 230 prints in the total collection, including my latest linoprint “Distant Pebbles”. It's the first year I've got involved - and 20 other Hot Bed Press artists participated in 2011 .

The print exchange, organised by Hot Bed Press, is growing in popularity each year and covers a wide range of printmaking media and styles. 

To see my print and the rest of the Hot Bed Press artists, click HERE

Or, to see the entire collection of 238 prints please click HERE

Enjoy!

20:20 Print Exchange 2011

This year's 20:20 Print Exchange goes live on Flickr on Saturday November 19, to coincide with the time that 230 printmakers from across the UK and Ireland swap prints. I'm delighted to be taking part for the first time. 19 print workshops are participating in the biggest 20:20 event so far, organised by Salford's Hot Bed Press. Each printmaker has created an edition of 25 prints with the paper dimensions 20 x 20 cm. Almost 6,000 prints will be sorted and randomly re-packed so that every printmaker will receive back a boxed set of 20 original prints - their own and 19 others.

The rest are used to promote the Print Exchange and are included in physical exhibitions, like the one taking place in Salford as part of the Open Studios weekend on 19 & 20 November at Hot Bed Press on Cow Lane.

My linocut design, called 'Distant Pebbles' , was created in 2 stages. Firstly I printed a yellow and blue background, using both colours on the same roller. See below for the rather unexciting background image:

 Over the top of this I add the main image in a blue / grey ink:

The beach is one I love in South Wales, full of rockpools at low tide, close to Nash Point. I hope that the printmakers who end up with one of my prints in their pack enjoy them! I'll add the link to the 20:20 Flickr exhibition to the blog once it goes live.

Until 26 October!

Thank you to the lovely people at Didsbury's Cheese Hamlet!

Our work will now be on display in their window on Wilmslow Road in Didsbury village right through until 26 October, when they will be filling the window with Christmas stock! This is a fantastic extension to the Didsbury Arts Festival's 'Art over the Counter' event and we have had some great interest as a result.

Below are some pictures of our work - Cathy Gibson's and my own - in the window. We loved being there and really appreciate the help from the Cheese Hamlet team.