Sunday 31 January 2010

EXPERIMENTATION

Is it just me or is January a really difficult month to navigate artistically? I have always found it hard to motivate myself after Christmas and in the past the winter blues have stayed with me through to February. I now deal with it in two ways, acknowledging how I feel and half starting things to carry on with after Christmas.
I have at last made the collagraph plates from the drawings I made around December. I intend to make screen prints of strong colour to place behind these two birds.
The plates are made from card, tile cement carborundum and wood glue.
More enamel experiments. I have technical issues with the thinness of the copper, but I quite like the crazing, but I fear it may look like bad enameling to those who know.
I am very excited that it is possible to draw in pencil onto the enamel and fire it on, this opens the way to drawing and writing on to the pieces.
I have also spent a great deal of time deeply etching copper with ferric to work onto with enamel.
I am also exploring screen printed enamel transfers. Using my own photographs, I am working on a series of winter landscapes.
So much to do, so little time.....!!!






Saturday 9 January 2010

Brrrrrrrrr!

How are my fellow British bloggers coping with this chilly weather?
I have to say it is making everything look picturesque, but it is very slippery under foot.
I have spent 3 days in my shed, unable to get out and about, but have got loads done, starting 2 collagraph plates and etching some copper to enamel later in the month.
I cleared the snow off my car this morning and miracles it started third time, not that I intend to go anywhere, I have far too much to do now I don't feel so trapped. I have put this picture in for all those who know me and my 2CV...I might use this image for next years Christmas card?

Monday 4 January 2010

FESTIVE EXPERIMENTS

I couldn't completely hang up the inks and ignore the etching press over the Christmas holiday, with a set of screen prints to experiment on. The results are below.
The bird and the moths are collagraph in carborundum and tile cement, the dark blue is a screen print.
Very much a work in progress, I need to redo the screen print to give it more punch.

I quite like the idea of a bonkers colour...like the pink underneath the intaglio.
Lots to play around with in the New Year.
I spent some time doing more drawing in preparation for plate making and trying out this
coloured background thing I have on my mind. Smaller scale than the crows.
I find this time of year tricky, after the festive break it is hard to get going again. For the past couple of years I have solved this stall by having half finished projects to safley slip back into. I hope this plan works again! Happy New Year everyone!!