PRINT & DESIGN NOW! private view

My first private view!!
I have to say the SW1 gallery looked amazing with some superb work. My two prints sat neatly in one corner, nicely visible as you enter the gallery. I was introduced to the lovely Julia Alvarez, the brains behind the show who had some encouraging words to say about my work.

Most importantly, it had the parents seal of approval! All I need now is to sell some work. There is an online gallery here.

4 Colour process screenprint

Tuesday afternoon in the studio saw a bit of an experiment with 4 colour process printing. This is something I've tried before while on a course at the beginning of the year, with little success. The image was way too small (It was a Polaroid photo that my great Uncle took on a trip to the US in probably the 1960's) and the 120 dot screen was way too fine and kept clogging. So this time around I used a larger photo and a 90 dot screen. The results are interesting to say the least, but were hard work to get. The registration is the biggest nightmare, with the slightest movement creating offset, which at times gives a rather pleasing result.

This first image is with three colours; Yellow first, then Magenta, then Cyan.

It's missing some depth which only kicks in when you add the Black.

As you can see, it's quite dark in certain areas and very contrasty, but I'm rather intrigued by the effect. Some of this may be the inks being too thick and opaque and a over-absorbent paper giving a bit of bleed to the dots. More experimenting to follow. I'm also thinking of overlaying a clear, gloss varnish which might just richen everything. I've only ever seen 4 colour process done successfully on a litho press where the registration is easier to setup. On the screen bed there's so much room for movement, especially when the press's suction is pretty poor and me leaning on the frame to hold it down probably doesn't help. So I think a bit of Heath Robinson inventiveness may be the answer with a Geff Newland patented registration system being employed!

Today, sees my prints going in the post to Bearspace for the PRINT & DESIGN NOW! 2011 show. Fingers crossed they get there ok. I then just need to work out pricing. Gulp.

Tonight is the last night of the 10 week pottery course at South Hill Park. I've signed up for another 10 weeker in September where I have plans on some slip casting.

PRINT & DESIGN NOW!

Had some news over the weekend, in that I have had two pieces selected for the Bearspace PRINT & DESIGN NOW! travelling show. This is my first proper show that I've submitted work for and as I'm a seriously 'unknown', the result of an email saying I had been chosen was a huge surprise. They've chosen two....

...which I have to admit surprised me too! Out of the three submitted I felt sure that (had they been chosen) they would go for this one...

...which seems to be everyone's favourite so far. I shall not not be arguing though! So the dates for the first show at the SW1 Gallery are 28th July to 23rd August with the private on the 28th July from 6 to 8:30pm. I'm slightly gutted as I won't be able to make the private view as I have to shoot up to Bath for the day. Typical!

Ceramics

Bit late on the blog for this, but Tuesday was my first open access at South Hill Park, on top of the course I'm doing on Thursdays. I couldn't wait seven days to get my hands on some clay! The photos below are of the pieces I'm currently working on that were thrown last week.

My first foray into terracotta, which is lovely to work with, but not as stable as Stoneware as there's no grog in it....and the red stuff gets everywhere as I'm a messy beginner. Two pots, turned and ready for biscuit firing.

The following pics show four items thrown on Tuesday evening. I have had a request for a pot from my mum, so this chap should do the trick.

And this one will probably end up in the house somewhere. Fruit bowl anyone?

I've been putting it off, but Tuesday night saw my first attempt at throwing porcelain. It's a bit like working with wet plasticine and gives a beautifully smooth finish. Another pot. I seem to being doing nothing but pots!

So I tried something a little different, a bottle. It started off as a large mug, but it collapsed as I went too high and too thin. So with what was left, this little chap appeared out of the clay. Think I might keep the wobbly top as it offsets the hard lines of the body.

Tonight is the course again and I will attempt to turn the vase I'm making for my wife. A surprise, so it will only appear on here when it's finished and in her hands. Besides, plenty could go wrong tonight!

Finished Screen Prints

All three prints are now done and dusted and are in an edition of 5. I struggled a bit with the screen clogging as the studio is getting unbelievably hot at the moment (for some reason the central heating is still on!). Using a 90 dot screen has helped not only with the clogging, but also with dot definition once the image has been printed. I originally used a 120 which was just insane to work with on such fine details in this heat. You live and learn.

They are taken from photographs I shot around the Meatpacking district in lower west side Manhattan, New York. The Highline (a disused elevated railway) has recently been turned into a park and the area surrounding has be rejuvenated into art galleries, boutique shops and condos. An excerpt from my artist statement:

'My intention is to draw the viewer away from the immediately obvious and hone in on the detail, be that a insignificant battered roller shutter, a faded wooden water butt or just an intriguing opening in a wall. These are all objects that are more often than not, completely dismissed due to the immersive and overwhelming nature of the environment in which we live and work. With this in mind, I took these unusual and striking viewpoints and highlighted the often-bypassed objects within the landscape, through the use of vibrant, block colours under a halftone screen. The viewer is now drawn away from the main subject matter and forced to focus upon the less prominent detail within.'

 

410 W 13th (above) is definitely my favourite and seems to be the one most people prefer too. This has turned out to be a bit of history captured as the graffiti no longer exists, painted out for ever.

161 10th Avenue. The back of a giant billboard with a water butt sat on the roof of the building opposite.

843 Washington Street. A condo that straddles the Highline. Very impressive building with this strange hole in the wall that just seemed to lead to nowhere.

I have entered all three pieces into the Bearspace travelling show; Print & Design Now 2011, my first serious show. I'm slightly worried and more than a little bit nervous! I'll keep you posted on whether or not my work is selected.

Saatchi and Saatchi have created this surreal advert for Walls sausages. I laughed my pants off when I first saw it. Genius.

Mumbai taxi artists

If only London cabbies were so loving of their taxis. Nice article about the collaboration between Grandmother India and Mumbai taxi artists on the Creative Review site.

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/back-issues/creative-review/2009/april-2009/typo-taxi