Return to printmaking...

Having found there are less hours in the day than is necessary to keep up with the artwork I need to produce, with several impending exhibitions I have no work for; I have decided that prints are the answer.

The word print means two things of course, the first being hand-made, and the second being a reproduction of an artwork. I intend to produce both, and am making enquiries about producing limited editions of my watercolours. Meantime it is back to hand-made prints, which I have a little experience of. I have always considered myself a novice printmaker, and that it is just something I dabble in, yet have sold a few in the past, my speciality is a kind of Lino/Monoprint combination

So feeling somewhat nervous, with little recollection of what to do I went back to the print workshop at Gainsborough's House. Above you can see a couple of the very old presses. If you look towards the left hand bottom you can see the handle I whacked my knee into resulting in some rather spectacular bruising.

After this painful start, and with help finding stuff from some of the other artists in the workshop that day, I was soon happily playing with ink. Printmaking comes a close second to mosaics in it's ability to ruin a manicure and leave you with stained hands. Having already got blue grout up my finger nails whilst helping my youngest private student (age 7) at the weekend, the addition of lithographic ink ensured the usual strange looks from WHSmith staff when I picked up my sewing magazine later in the day.

Soon I was happily filling the drying racks. What was I printing? A black and white wagtail bird, with a butterfly, and some daisies for making cards. Pictures will follow when I have finished, as I am only on the second layer, and these prints will have four different turns on the press before they are done.

Meantime I have had a big illustration project land on my work table, different company, I will show you when it is finished, but suffice it to say that this one has a distinctly Welsh feel! Illustrations come with deadlines, so prints and other artwork are on the back burner, it's all juggling as usual.

Good news to end with: Summer came early for a few days in Suffolk, which made me very happy, but perhaps not as happy as Gimlet who for some reason has taken to dust baths, like some kind of large bird, followed by basking happily in the garden...

 

Vote for Ethel!

The painting above is 'Newquay, Cornwall' by Ethel Blosse. I met Ethel in 2005 when I tutored an art project for a few months at William Wood House in Sudbury, working with some of the elderly residents for the 'Visions of Sudbury' project. The idea was to get them enjoying reminiscing about local places they had known when younger and the changes they had seen; and of course to create art! When the project was finished I continued to visit Ethel as a friend and sometimes for art tuition, she always has cake and a cup of tea waiting for me - there goes the diet again! Ethel's production of art is amazing and prolific. I often photograph her paintings and she turns them into cards for friends and family. The Newquay view was an old holiday photo of mine, taken on a sunny day, but somehow transformed into an atmospheric night scene by Ethel!

Both last year and this I helped Ethel to enter the EAC art awards for the over '60's, and this year she was accepted. Not only is Ethel over 60, she is 94 and shortly to turn 95. Ethel is frail, hard of hearing and has ongoing eyesight problems. This is an amazing acheivement. Her painting will be exhibited in Birmingham, and she is excited and delighted. As part of the awards there is a 'people's choice award. 

Please consider voting for Ethel via the link below. You do have to register (as usual to prevent spammers) but it takes seconds. Then you will be sent an email link, press the link and you will find yourself back on the site with three rosettes to award to your favorite artworks, you can also comment on the pictures. All the people in this competition have no doubt overcome various challenges to enter. Please show your support. It costs nothing to put a smile on someones face :-)

Vote for Ethel here!

Taking some water with it...

Yes, small things please small minds and I am ridiculously happy to at last have water in the studio. "I am going to make lots of mess..." said boyfriend fixing me with a look as he started the plumbing in the middle of my hoovering/clearing up time on Sunday. "I don't care," I lied, "just do it please".  He made lots of mess, I went out for a bit. I tried not to moan when it became apparent that having all the house doors open (it was cold)  and the kitchen dismantled was necessary. But it was worth it, I have water, and the studio is officially FINISHED. Yay!

Now is the time that all the exhibitions get started, and in a mad rush I have been filling in forms and entering work I have not yet produced. Nothing new there then, and I must start producing work super fast, as all of my existing stuff is out on display. First up was a small flower painting I started on a course last year, finished with the addition of a few white flowers we were using for class last week. 

Talking of work on display, I have added a new venue...

Thanks to my student S putting a good word in, my work is now in the reception area of the lovely new physiotherapy clinic in Sudbury. Initially the handyman put the hanging rail about an inch from the top of the wall, obviously not quite understanding how they work, but alterations were made and all is now well.

Last month was super for sales, and in addition to the gate painting I also sold this snow scene to a friend:

It had been on display in his offices, and he had grown attached to it!

And literally days after I finished it I sold the heart mosaic:

I had taken it in to show my students and one of them said the blue matched his new bathroom perfectly and his wife would love it...

On the subject of art class, I must share the latest trend amongst my highly fashion conscious students...

Yes, it's the broken left arm. R did his snowboarding (no comment), and J took a tumble at her home, easily done. 

On the home front Gimlet has taken my pleas to stop hurting birds to heart, his latest exploit is a rabbit, not just dismantled on the lawn, but eaten with gusto, causing him to spend many hours afterwards sleeping belly up and stuffed. The gap down the side of the garage has been re-named the cave of death, bits of fur and feathers litter the base. When we chose our cute little cat we had no idea we were actually giving house room to a feline Hannibal Lector.

The teen meantime is nearing the end of brace wearing, meaning many more trips to Haverhill 45 mins drive away for adjustments at the orthodontist. The conversation in the car started with an overview of world religions (she is doing philosophy and ethics for A level next year), moved on to a discussion of faith versus science (also taking physics), and ended with her wanting explanations from me of the politics/ religous history of Ireland and the IRA, the conversion of Britain from a Catholic to Protestant nation and the situation concerning the Israeli occupied Palestine territories. 

By the end of it I was utterly drained! All I cared about at that age was Duran Duran's latest video and whether I could get away with blue nail varnish for a whole day at school.

Finally this week I notice in an interview that Tracy Emin says her subject starts with herself. It appears mine does too. I scratched my neck during painting and felt a strange dry flaky area... Toothpaste perhaps? Hair gel? Nope, further investigation revealed Cerulean Blue.

Meltdown at Art Class

It has happened before, and it will happen again... my students lost it. The culprits this time J (on the right), who was so disgusted with her attempts at squirrel portraiture that tears and laughter burst out at the same time causing a phenomenon I like to call 'Art Class Meltdown'. It is of course contagious as can be seen by her friend D. Another student L had a camera, and I have permission from the lovely ladies to post the photo. If your art goes wrong the best thing you can do is laugh... and cry... and laugh some more.

In the past I have myself attended many art classes, some of which are sophisticated affairs with little talk, serious application and classical music. This, as can be seen (and heard) if you are walking past is not the sort of class I run.


Last week I took a day off, and checking my emails found I had sold 3 postcards from my shop, all with seashell art on, to someone in Minsk. Amazing! On the same day I sold this:

'Five Bar Gate, Marks hall'. Informing boyfriend happily of my 'day off' sales he said "perhaps you should take more time off!" The painting sold from some holiday homes in Nayland near Colchester, where the owners are kind enough to display my work.


Not currently having any illustration commissions, it is back to fine art, and a trip to Felixstowe on a cold and windy sunday gave me a little inspiration. The photos of the derelict boats being particularly interesting. In the end I settled on this one:

I started it with pure watercolour painting in mind, but decided it would be perfect for line and wash. Starting with a sepia dip pen drawing...

and then adding the paint in loose washes, using gum arabic to add shine and softness to the water reflections:

At the same time I was working on a couple of mosaics. The first one was supposed to be a red and white light house, until I realised that all my red crockery had been used up by students on the mosaic day I taught last year. So I turned it into a simple flower, with a mirror centre:

(The bar visible in the mirror is my camera tripod!) Luckily my friend S has since dropped a big red casserole dish, so the lighthouse may yet be made! I also made a vintage style heart from floral crockery and lovely warm blues:

So the production of artwork is going well. On a less happy note I can reveal I am harbouring a serial killer:

After the success of his mouse exploits he has moved up to massive pigeons. Despite it being so large he could barely carry it, he attempted to bring it into the kitchen. His delight at his kill was boundless and two days later whilst I was teaching a new private student in the studio, I glanced out of the window to see him happily torturing a poor blackbird. "Please excuse me" I said politely, dashing in the house and instructing boyfriend to get it off him. Another broken neck. As a member of the RSPB and having a genuine fondness for birds, I am mortified by this behaviour. I think a louder bell on his collar may be necessary.


I wish I could say he is wracked by grief and repentance, but I am afraid I would be lying like a rug. Gimlet sleeps soundly, untroubled by his conscience...

Musicals

Above: Happisburgh Beach

 

Well, you will be relieved to know I had my identity confirmed by the government. I was worried for a bit I might have turned into someone else. Unless maybe it was Lady Gaga, because then I would get to wear mad clothes which would be fun. Except for the meat dress, having been vegetarian for over 20 years I would have to wear something in cabbage leaves.

Last week being half term the teen was away with relatives. I finally finished the world’s slowest painting of Happisburgh (pronounced haze-borough don't ask me why, its Norfolk, they don't do logic) and the tower of London and other models went to the printer. It was a tough one, Elizabeth 1^st was particularly tricky as her skirts were so wide, and simply didn’t fit into the model template. In the end she looked like this:

However, just when I thought that one was hard, along came Westminster abbey:

I have to say painting it is difficult, but the model maker is a minor genius in my opinion. Presently I am working on illustrating the figures, which include members of the royal wedding party in outfits which are total guesswork, a rolls Royce and a horse. Cars and horses; my least favourite subjects; I will not be beaten however, after Boris Johnson on a bicycle, I think I can cope with anything.

I thought last week would be quiet, with the teen away but I was mistaken. Boyfriend decided to go through all his old tapes in order to put the best tracks on the computer and throw the cassettes away. I did the same a few years ago, but skipped the first couple of steps and proceeded straight to binning the tapes (life’s too short, iTunes are cheap.)

The teen plays constant music, which drives me nuts, but more because of the volume than anything else. Her taste is not too bad, and varies from old stuff through to German Industrial Metal (yes, that is an actual genre, apparently). Her liking for vintage stuff is of course a comedy of errors. “I love the ‘80’s” she told me dreamily one day whilst listening to Buddy Holly.

Boyfriend on the other hand has no need for lyrics in his music, or indeed for much that could be described as a tune. Some kind of maddening repetitive beat with added synthesizers that goes on for about 8 minutes is his thing. I could try telling him that the ‘90’s called and they want their illegal rave music back, but I am not sure it would have much effect.

Gimlet has on the other hand had a fairly peaceful week. Apart from catching his first mouse (SO proud of it! Yuk), he has been mainly doing what he does best:

 I mean what are humans doing as a species, working so hard? Why didn't we evolve to nap all day while a (supposedly) more intelligent animal gets us everything we need?

Identity crisis

Had to share this hysterical conversation I just had with the tax credits office. After some preamble here’s what happened:

Civil servant tax office bloke:   “You will have to have an appointment with someone at your local office; I can’t help you over the phone”

Me:   “Why? Can’t you just send me a form?”

Civil servant tax office bloke:   “No I am not allowed to send you a form, I cannot verify your identity, I would need to ask you lots of security questions”

Me:    “I don’t mind, go ahead!”

Civil servant tax office bloke:   “I can’t, I don’t have enough information about you”

Me:   “Just look at my old records, you must have tons of information about me”

Civil servant tax office bloke:   “I am not allowed to access your previous information”

Me:    “Because?”

Civil servant tax office bloke:   “The computer won’t let me access that information until I verify your identity, and I cannot verify your identity”

(This I would add was after I had given him my National insurance number, date of birth, current and previous addresses and partner’s name.)

These are the people who run our government departments… be afraid, be very afraid.

Fairies, Cats & Other Characters

Well, the last batch of illustrations are finished (fairies above) and apparently on their way with the model company to the Spring Fair in Birmingham's NEC. It's a new company so they are no doubt hoping for lots more clients/contacts and work. I have heard good things about trade fairs, they can be expensive to exhibit at, but generally if you have a good product I think the rewards are there. 

I finally got round to photographing the first two models and figures I illustrated, here is Big Ben, along with Boris Johnson on a bicycle that so amused the teen: 

And here is Norwich Castle, with suitably medieval characters:

They look big, but in real life are only a few inches high, the little people being about 5cm max!

The Tower of London, Fairies and everything else were collected on Monday, and on Tuesday I did the second of two workshops for clients of the Mind Charity in Colchester. The workshops were arranged by Slackspace which uses empty shops, unwanted in the recession, for art projects. Its a fabulous idea, but sadly their budget seems not to stretch to heating. Despite my layers of clothes (I learnt the first time that these were sub-zero painting workshops) I still froze.

The people who came were not mentally disabled (as I have worked with before), these were people suffering from various mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. They were great to work with and seemed to enjoy making the art, but I couldn't help notice how much they talked about their pasts. Despite being in some cases middle aged, their (often very harrowing) childhoods were still very much with them. I have read that the happiest people are those who live in the present, and I think it is true. Whatever has happened in the past, some people seem able to draw a line under it, whilst others let it invade their daily lives. Very sad.

Whilst I was freezing in Colchester boyfriend applied himself to building a proper drain for the studio, rather than the 'big bucket' method it currently employs. Gimlet helped with the concreting (he was obviously the artistic director.)

 When not walking in wet concrete he applied himself vigorously to napping. We are amazed by how stretchy he is. Yes one cat really can take up a (large) two seater sofa. The picture is dark due to the black sofa, but I dare say you can make him out:

 I also managed to take my day off on Wednesday, but made the classic mistake of forgetting that boyfriend was working nightshift this week. All I will say is it's no fun creeping about the house when someone is sleeping, and I was unable to use my sewing machine due to the noise. In the end I wandered round the shops for a bit, and finally ended up back in the studio after all. I didn't work though, just spent the day altering some dress patterns and internet shopping with the radio on. But at least it wasn't work, and I could make as much noise as I wanted.

The layout for the Westminster Abbey model has arrived, currently it appears to be a selection of random and complex geometric shapes, but hopefully during the course of next week, as I scale up the pieces I will start to get an idea of what goes where. Fairies are a walk in the park in comparison...