Kerry Hedgerow

‘Kerry Hedgerow’ had its beginnings in bike rides along the lanes of around Cahersiveen and Valentia Island (County Kerry, Ireland) last summer. These lanes are lined with a dark canopy of blue-green leaves held by long pink stems that drip with pink and purple bells and an understorey of bright green blades and stunning orange florets. The fuchsias, natives of South America were introduced as a hedging plant over a 100 years ago and the crocosmias are of South African in origin.

The snaps I took of these hedges …

Became a quick sketch at the time ….

And then much later a half-finished watercolour ….

As a means of planning for a lino print.

 

The lino print was created from two blocks, one for the greens and one for the oranges and pinks …

 


And after four different layers of green, two pinks, two oranges and a purple, much complex, mind-boggling carving and 189 spins through the press I have an edition of 21 prints. Available in my Folksy shop and my Etsy shop (Special introductory price until 24th April).

Rossbeigh Sea Holly

Here's a glimpse at the processes behind creating a print from two blocks of lino.

Rossbeigh Sea Holly

This small edition of just eight prints is available in my Etsy and Folksy shops.

Ringed Plovers at New England Bay

New print alert!

Ringed Plovers at New England Bay

I love these little ringed plovers and the way they scuttle comically along the tideline. They blend so subtly with their environment that its easy to mistake them for tumbling pebbles. I watched this little group as the sun rose over New England Bay, Scotland.

I created this print from two plates - one for the background of blue blended to sand and the other for the details in buff, orange and black. The detail plate was cut back after each inking until only the little black areas were left proud.

The print was not without mishap. I convinced myself that the orange was too much but was happier when the black was added. And there was a tricky moment with a wayward leg.

TL - the wayward leg TR- the offending section removed BL - a substitute leg carved from a sliver of rubber and BR individually added to all 18 prints in the edition!

There are just 18 prints in this edition and they are available in Folksy and Etsy shops now.

New print and exhibition news

Physalis - Chinese Lanterns

I've been working on this new print since the beginning of the year. These Physalis or Chinese Lanterns have mysteriously found their way into an unproductive flowerbed underneath the privet hedge in my parent's garden. They brought a welcome shot of colour at Christmas so I am grabbed a few stems in the hope of retrieving some of the seeds. I really like the way these plants had decayed with the lower lanterns already turned to pale skeletons whilst the upper ones still glowed red.

I think this will be a very fitting piece for my exhibition at Stillingfleet Lodge Gardens in June. Click the link for the full (and diverse!) list of exhibitions at this venue this year and keep up to date by following @slgardens on twitter. 

Until then Physalis - Chinese Lanterns is available here and here. 

Mussels & Barnacles - a reduction lino print

A little while ago, (yikes nearly three years actually!) I wrote this post about my travails with the reduction method of lino printing in two or more colours. As an alternative I developed a way of cutting and registering multiple blocks that worked with my little nipping press and I was reasonably happy with the results on Giant's Causeway and Artichokes, amongst others. This way the lino cuts for each colour are maintained intact as opposed the reduction method where the single plate is gradually destroyed.

However although my registration (getting the different colour blocks to match in the right place) improved with each new piece it became clear that what I couldn't do was cut the same line in exactly the same way twice, let alone three of four times. So I have wandered back into the realms of reduction and actually this time around its not so bad. I am now a lot more familiar with the inks I use, the properties of the different papers that I like and how to get the best from press so more prints make it to the final edition.

Detail from Mussels and Barnacles - a 3 colour reduction lino print - the barnacles were cut out before the 1st colour was printed so as to be left white as the pale, mid and  then dark blue layers were added in turn - I could never have cut each and every barnacle in the same way on 3 separate plates.

 

 

 

 

Mussels and Barnacles - Highlights and barnacles cut away - remainder printed in pale blue

Mussels and Barnacles - Pale blue and mid blue printed

Mussels and Barnacle - complete!

 Mussels and Barnacles is availabe in my Folksy shop and in my Etsy shop

   

Iced Blue Caribou

I was over the moon when the lovely folk at Jackson's Art chose to use one of my images on their newsletter the week before last. If you haven't seen it please do click on the image above.

They also sent me a voucher and some ink & paint goodies. I splurged the voucher on the biggest of gelli plates  and can't wait to start experimenting, hopefully I'll have some results to share here soon.

Iced Blue Caribou is available to buy in my ETSY shop and my FOLKSY shop .

Green Surf Anemone

Green Surf Anemones - a five colour lino print (20x20xm)

Another print inspired by a trip to Vancouver Island earlier this year. As someone who cannot resist any chance to poke around in a rockpool the sight of these giant green anemones clinging to the fringes of the Pacific Ocean was bound to have me hooked. Unfortunately the weather didn't hold and our beach-bound activities became more bracing. On the plus side, in an attempt to escape the weather we did find the Uclulet Aquarium which is a fantastic hands-on experience with an excellent  ethos. 

Anyway back to the print. It was printed from two separate plates, one for the greys and one for the yellows and greens. The grey plate was cut for the rocks, printed in pale grey, cut again for the shadow and definition and printed again in dark grey. The yellow plate was similarly reduced twice after the initial carving.

 

Green Surf Anemones will be available shortly in my Folksy and Etsy shops.

Leaving Saltery Bay

Finished at last, the first of a series of prints I have planned from my recent travels around Vancouver. This was the view from the ferry that links the Sunshine Coast down to the city as it left Saltery Bay. This is clearly a commuter route because we were the only travellers out on the deck gawping at the landscape, all the regulars were hunkered down inside with coffee, phones and papers. I'd give up home working for a commute like that. Better still would be to make the trip by float plane as many do, though I am sure the novelty would wear off eventually.

I broke my own "no reduction" rule for this and printed four colours on two different papers. As you can see from the wee film below I cheated somewhat on the second colour by isolating that small background area for printing. I printed a small number on my preferred Zerkall paper, but the two or more layers of ink dries so slowly on these that I printed the rest of the edition on a lightweight tissue (whose names escapes me). This had the great advantage of taking the ink very easily with only a slight rub with a baren - no endless bending over the press :-). I am finishing the prints chine colle-style by bonding them to a heavier weight paper. I like the way the tissue "disappears" and the ink really pops.

 Leaving Saltery Bay - available here  and here

Goose Skein

Goose Skein is now available here and here, mounted, matted and ready to frame.

A reduction lino print in two shades of blue inspired by the flight of geese on a darkening winter's evening.

Geese - work in progress

Judging by this rather mean little pile of lino shavings I haven't cut nearly enough out of this lino yet. Normally I have mounds of the stuff wafting round my elbows, and eventually round my ankles. But here's a glimpse of the cut so far (photo taken on a v. v dull day :() .

Click here to see the original sketch for this piece.