Save Stockport Art Gallery!

Stockport Council is planning to close Stockport Art Gallery & War Memorial during the week, instead they propose to open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons only. The council will also end temporary and community exhibitions at Stockport Art Gallery & War Memorial, which it has done since opening in 1925.

SKarts have revitalised the Stockport Open Contemporary exhibition in the last few years - and fear that this will be the death of the gallery because there will be nothing to draw the public to it. It is also an issue of great regional importance because Stockport Art Gallery & War Memorial is one of the few public galleries in the region where emergent artists can exhibit their work. As someone who has benefited from the chance to exhibit, I would love to see Stockport Council review this plan and support local art and artisits.

20:20 Print Exchange preparations

It's a fantastic relief to know that I my edition of 25 linocut prints for this year's 20:20 Print Exchange are completed and drying happily. I chose to make life a little more challenging - so this year my design is in 3 colours - on 3 plates.

I've included below a test print in a different colourway - and some views of the earlier stages. The print is called 'Hideaway' and is based on a sketch I made of a small cottage by the sea on the North Pembrokeshire coast. I hope you like it!

Stage 1 and 2 are shown below:

The Open Contemporary is now OPEN!

The Open Contemporary art exhibition 2012 at Stockport Art Gallery opened to the public today. I had a peaceful and enjoyable look round today. And couldn't help buying a couple of pieces of work - a beautiful oak bowl by Paul Jones and a small oil painting of Styal Country park by Stephen Jones.

Yesterday's Preview Night was packed out, the band was playing and awards were presented early in the evening. This year the exhibition spreads over both levels - which is a real improvement - and it feels like there's a lot of work there. You get an idea of the exhibition from the photos below. I hope you get the chance to come along!

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.