Our little shadow slipped away from us very early this morning after a short illness that has left us with a whippet shaped void we cannot imagine how to fill.
Dear, quirky Indy. Neither of us can quite work out what’s happened to us but I’m sure we will find out in the days ahead. So grateful for her unconditional love and no regrets on taking in an older rescue dog. We’ve had the best of times and just didn’t expect them to end this soon.
Nos da, cariad x
Printing samples for my evening group looking at intaglio inking. There are more ideas than can be fitted into 6 weeks so I am trying to ensure that what we explore can be replicated when working solo. I keep coming up with different ink combinations and have to remind myself to stay focussed. My test plate pulled print no. 59 today. Not bad going for a bit of mountboard!
I have two workshops this week to prepare for: Week 4 of Everything you wanted to know about inking techniques and a Book making day at the weekend, @poptypress using people’s rejected prints and incorporating them into new book forms or taking old covers and sewing in new content. Checking the plan chest for paper I got waylaid into the Bank Holiday chore of tidying it! It’s been like setting out for Everest but having to give up at Base Camp. I cannot remember when I bought all the paper I have but there’s enough of it to use it and still leave a legacy to a school in my will! I am overwhelmed by lots of prints and plates too but charmed to find these old friends rejected in a corner of the top drawer. Old followers might remember ( or possibly not) when I made these in response to the attire of judges in the Scottish legal system. And I also found book covers inked up for a 1/many at least 2 years ago! What can I say….finally dry and perfect demo material for Saturday. Anyone nearby is welcome to join us still but those little crosses need a home. They are untidy to be frank but if any appeal for a donation in the UK to charity just drop me a message. They are all original prints on 300gsm Somerset paper with chine colle or gold leaf.
As I clear out I hope to offer more. I need the space…..!!!
If you follow my good friend @sb.brown21 you’ll know she posts a Monday Musing video at the start of each week. Always worth a listen and the source of an idea I am now expanding for my current evening group. Sue’s subject was re-looking at collagraph plates that don’t quite work and trying different ways to ink them up. It particularly set my mind going.
I am often bleating on in workshops about ways to push plates further and why understanding colour mixing and the make up of printing inks and what they do is key to successful outcomes. So, I now have a course with a six week plan but it could so easily be twice as long. We’ll work with one plate and really try as many ways as possible to print it, binding all the results at the end into a reference book of samples. Using the consistency of the same plate will aid comparison I hope!
My previously rejected plates here have been aided by some chine colle for this week using commercial tissue, photocopies of my own photographs as well as newsprint offsets. In each case it has improved the original proof and unlocks the thinking about what else to do. Embossing and relief rolling are on this week’s agenda too and I am looking forward to it.
The more I find out, the more I want to know! Gosh but I love printmaking ❤️ and really hope to pass that on.
It seems like weeks ago that I saw some fabulous photos by @judithbach taken with a Holga Diana camera. It made me search out my Diana, a forerunner of the Holga version and made in Hong Kong as a toy camera in the 1960’s.
Controls and settings are minimal and I’ve never used this camera in all the years I’ve had it. I don’t know when it last opened its 60 + year old shutter but I bought a film and got on with it.
I picked the results up from the camera shop today after a three week wait. I was getting impatient and, in truth, my expectations were low so I was delighted when I looked through them.
They are not crisp and clear but the Diana is noted for its lo fi results and I love them.
A friend has offered some rolls of 10 year old film so I’ll try with that next!
Thanks to Judith for rekindling my love of analogue cameras, even plastic toy ones. Can’t wait to do more although my skills don’t go as far as being able to format them here. Must try harder…..
It’s about 100 years since Pendine beach was famous for being the site of successful world record land speed attempts by Malcolm Campbell in Blue Bird. Today, its length is governed by MOD firing signs but the currents that wash up here bring lots of plastics and other detritus with it plus a lot of shells and other sea dwellers for me to collect.
It’s only 10 miles from home so just far enough for the whippet with travel sickness. No sooner did we arrive this morning, in sunshine, than the weather changed. A quick run and a game of chase was enough today. No land speed records broken by any of the three of us on this occasion……
Thanks to everyone who has requested one of these prints for @oneofmanycharity There was a great response so I’ve printed another 5, making 15 prints on offer this time around.
They are drying so well that I’ve decided, seeing others post their work already, to bring my dates forward. So I’ll now be doing the draw on Wednesday 15th and posting by the end of the week.
If there’s anyone out there who’d like to join my list send me a DM or tell me so in a comment while there is time!
I am loving the variation in colour combined with the vintage French documents as chine colle. I am very happy to send these out into the world to raise donations to your chosen good causes.
Thanks again to you all. Roll on Wednesday!
Someone left me a kind comment about my pigeons the other day and I replied saying I was currently wrestling with a jay and a barn owl.
In truth they’ve been at the ‘embryo’ stage for a couple of months but ongoing sciatica and an arthritic thumb have stalled their progress. I decided to power through the pain this weekend and get one of them at least over the finish line. Close inspection shows where my dexterity has gone AWOL but it has a naive unfinished charm about it I hope. Now cluttering up the shelves with some of the others. I think it will be a while before the barn owl joins in…….
I have just spent 10 weeks online in the company each week of some wonderful artists sharing the expertise of @janeporterillustrator in a DIary Comics class. It has been a challenge for me to overcome that resistance to sharing my quick response drawings but it’s been such a supportive atmosphere I just ‘got over myself’ and joined in.
The culmination of the course sees everyone make a zine on a shared topic which Jane then compiles into a collection which we all receive.
Our topic was ‘Hats of the World’ and the results are diverse, funny, full of learning and a joy to receive. I have made a box for mine so they are neatly gathered in and stored safely. Mine took me back in time to I Spy books I used to buy as a child. I think I was alone in being able to remember that far back but I enjoyed it so much that I’m going to join a new zine group starting @poptypress locally next week. I love making books and mixing analogue working with a bit of digital input and if anyone thinks they’d enjoy the course Jane is starting again in a few weeks so do investigate. I highly recommend it!!
I started this afternoon with a plan to print some samples for a course I’m delivering this month. Trying out ink mixing, colouring, layering and application was all I had in mind until one series sparked an idea.
Weeks ago a friend gave me a bag of old letters from France, mostly early 19th century and earlier and some, very tatty as you’d expect. I thought I’d try my favourite ink combination with the letters as chine colle. What can I say? I was hooked.
All of a sudden the idea for @oneofmanycharity that I’d been struggling with this time around just seemed ‘sorted’!
So, here are 10 prints to be offered for @oneofmanycharity and posted towards the end of April when they will be dry.
We’ve all been here before so we know the score but it’s always worth repeating.
If you’d like one of these send me a DM or leave me a comment and tell me so. In return you decide its value and make a donation to any charity of your choice. How much is up to you. It relies on the integrity of both of us and I’m all for that.
I’ll leave requests open until April 25th when I’ll draw names from the hat (assuming more than 10 people want one of course!) and post them out.
@johnapedder has given us a long deadline this time and I was dragging my feet until I started to see others get organised. I’m really pleased with what came out of nowhere today. Let me know if you are too. Diolch x
Yesterday was the first day of Crwydro/Wanderings exhibition @oriel_myrddin in Carmarthen with works from artists Jane Ponsford and @kimnortondesign with poetry by @wainwright.lauraj . It’s beautifully curated in the gallery and I can’t explain in words the atmosphere and feelings I left with. It’s an exhibition I need to absorb and think about before visiting again and maybe again! Head west if you can. This is special indeed.
