Behind the Scenes on my Twitter Art Exhibition Postcard 2019

2019 was my third year of contributing art to support the Twitter Art Exhibition and its chosen charities.

Here I'll show you more about the development of this year's work, 'Above Ullswater' - an original one-off piece of work, from a one plate linocut, printed onto a monoprint background. 

Let's start with the location itself. It's high on the fells in an exposed spot. We visited friends nearby and walked up right from their door. 

Ullswater in the distance

I decided to explore this image and the composition initially in a drypoint 'sketch', before going on to cut the lino plate itself and play with mono-printing backgrounds.

Exploring the subject in drypoint

Testing out ways to mono print backgrounds

These were some I felt worked best for starters

In the studio I tried a range of mono printed backgrounds, drawing on the colours of the landscape, some redder, some darker. I then selected one image for my Twitter Art Exhibition 2019 submission - and posted it off.

Exploring backgrounds

A range from which to select the one

My #TAE19 donation 'Above Ullswater'

I was very excited to find out later that my work featured as a Board's Choice in the exhibition catalogue and that David Sandum, the founder of the Twitter Art Exhibition, had selected it and explained why. What an honour!

'Above Ullswater' in the 2019 #TAE19 catalogue

The full page with Board's Choice text

If you would like a very quick flick into the catalogue, to see some other favourites, you can see a bit more in this short video:

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.

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.

New card designs

Following the North Wales Print Fair and some lovely feedback on some of my newer prints, I decided to add to my card range. My cards are produced by a fantastic charity called 'Love From The Artist', based in the South West of England. They aim to make it possible for artists to boost their income with cards, calendars and digital reproductions, producing these using digital technology and environmentally friendly paper stock. Check them out on the Love From The Artist website

New to my range are cards of my 'Halo' linocut, 'Little Boats' etching and 'Portnahaven' linocut. You can now buy these online

Halo

Little Boats

Portnahaven

It's fantastic to be able to choose suitable card sizes and shapes, rapidly set up new designs and order small quantities to test their appeal. With digital printing, there is no stock in the system, so when I order 5 cards of a new design, it's only 5 that are printed, making things more affordable and creating no waste.

The public can buy cards directly from the Love From the Artist website too, personalising the inside with messages and images (at no extra cost) if they want to. For Christmas cards, occasion cards or artists' cards of all types from a huge number of amazing artists, it's the place to go.

Love From The Artist also supported me with the Macmillan Cancer Support project earlier this year, creating a home for 'Serenity' cards and A3 reproduction prints, so that all profits go directly to the Macmillan Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital via their Serenity page

If you're thinking of creating digital cards from your own artwork, I'd highly recommend you consider the lovely team at Love From The Artist!

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!

'This Way' or 'How to create a multi-plate linocut'

This post shows the development of my new multi-plate linocut 'This Way', which I created for the Northern Collective exhibition in Keswick. The image is of a stone stile, small gate and footpath marker which I came across on a walk in the Elterwater area of the Lake District.

Why choose multi-plate over the reduction process? It's a fair question to ask and I do use both techniques, depending on the project and image. Both methods have their relative advantages and disadvantages.

For me the benefits of multi-plate are:

• you can come back and explore different colour ways
• you can make the most of overlap colours
• you can use the plates again in other projects
• if one plate goes wrong, you can re-do it!

Some useful tips...It's critical to plan your plates and use of tones, before you start! Also you need to transfer your image to each plate from the master image with care and accuracy. My master image was on tracing paper, as I reversed my sketch because I wanted to reflect the real place as closely as possible. I like to test the plates in a quick, often wet-on-wet prototype poof, just to check everything is fundamentally working, before playing with colours.

'This Way' is made up of four plates. In the prototype you can see how each one of the plates builds to create the image:

After colour 1 - rough proof

After colour 2 - rough proof

After colour 3 - rough proof

Final rough proof - with all 4 plates

This proof allowed me to adjust tones and make different decisions for the next stage of the development of the print. I wanted the colours to be more vibrant and was trying to create a sense of light and shade, as well as distance, in the linocut, so I tweaked the plates a little more, before printing the edition.

I printed the final edition of ten, at Hot Bed Press in Salford using Intaglio oil-based inks on the wonderful old Albion press.

The final colour is a deep grey / blue

'This Way' edition drying on the racks

 

A good example of the benefits of multi-plate can be seen in 'Halo' and 'Regenerating' - both linocuts use the same set of three plates, but the colour choices and different paper stock, transform them:

'Halo' multi-plate linocut

'Regenerating' multi-plate linocut

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!

 

 

 

 

 

More about Macmillan and 'Serenity' cards

On October 17th, I spoke briefly at a Macmillan volunteers and fundraisers event at UKFast in Manchester, with Debbie Smith, the Macmillan Cancer Support Information Centre Manager at Wythenshawe Hospital. I explained all the support I have received from the Centre over the last two years and the difference it has made to me. I almost managed not to get too emotional!

Debbie talked about her role, the people she supports and how the new extension will help.

We also showed the A1 sized 'Serenity' linocut I was commissioned to create for the new extension to the Macmillan Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital. It's now framed and on the wall.

Macmillan Centre Manager Debbie Smith (left) and Carolyn Murphy with 'Serenity' 

Carolyn Murphy with her reduction linocut 'Serenity'

I donated a second original linocut from the edition, which is now in the Macmillan family room in Wythenshawe Hospital.

Now cards of 'Serenity' and A3 reproductions are available to buy online via the charity Love From The Artist. All profits go directly to the Macmillan Information Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital.

'Serenity' cards now for sale online

2 designs from 'Serenity' are available - this one is 'Balloons'

You can follow the creation of my first linocut commission on this blog by following this link to the first in a series of blog posts I wrote at the time. I was also delighted to be featured in a blog post on the 'Probably Prints' site.

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.

In the 'Northern Collective' Exhibition in Keswick

I'm very excited to be part of this large group exhibition, which has just opened at the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick. The sixteen artists involved are united by spending time drawing together in the Lake District and various venues across the North West. Artist Geraldine Walkington, from Kendal, organised our first group exhibition.

On Tuesday we delivered work to the Circle Gallery promptly at 10am, for it to be hung by the team at the Theatre. The exhibition opened to the public the following day & runs from 10 October to Sunday 11 November. We held a private view on Sunday, which was my first chance to see all the work on the walls. I'd highly recommend popping in, if you are in the area. The Theatre is in a fantastic location, right by Derwent Water, with a café with views to the Lake - ideal for a lunch stop! The exhibition itself is really varied in media and style: including paintings, printmaking, textile art and assemblage.

I decided to include my large 'Serenity' linocut, which was commissioned by Macmillan, plus 3 smaller linocuts - 2 with a link to the Lake District. 'Over Morecambe Bay' is based on a sketch I did whilst up at Grange on one of Geraldine's Drawing Days, whilst 'This Way' is a linocut of a Lake District stile and footpath sign.

I've included in this blog post more detailed pictures of the whole exhibition, so that you can get an idea of the work on show and the artists exhibiting as the Northern Collective, even if you're not able to make the journey to Keswick. Images of the Preview are on my website. I hope you enjoy a look around, in person or online!

Artworks by Colin Binns in the exhibition

Textile art by Jaini Hadley on show

  

Paintings by Geraldine Walkington in the show



Work by Gerry Hickson

Assemblages by Petra Hartmann

Linocuts by Carolyn Murphy

  

Mixed media artworks by Ann Marie Foster

Paintings by Janette Phillips

Printmaking artworks by Lynn Pascoe

Artworks by Barbra Cropper

Katie Bentley paintings in the show

Julie Emary's work

Angie Mitchell linocuts in the exhibition

Priscilla Edwards & Marian Jazmik's work

Christine Sandford's artworks

After the exhibition preview, we had time for a short stroll near Derwent Water as the sunlight was fading. It was a glorious autumnal drive to Keswick and back home!

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!