Artist In Residence: Day 7 – Moving On…

I’m cracking on with some work at my artist residency in Swansea’s Urban HQ . So far I’ve cut 11 small lino blocks and did some research drawing. I brought the 11 little lino blocks with me at the start, ready prepared for carving. I’m now moving on; I’m getting another block prepared for carving, a large one this time with a complex drawing. I’ve transferred it using tracing paper and graphite and now I’m inking over the graphite to make the mark more permanent.

If you’re visiting the city centre, please pop in and have a look and pick up a free postcard of my work. The dates and times of my residency are below. It would be lovely to see you.  

Tuesday             (9.30 – 3.30)                     21st / 28th       

Wednesday       (9.30 – 3.30)                     15th / 22nd / 29th

Thursday            (9.30 – 3.30)                     16th

Friday                 (9.30 – 3.30)                     17th / 24th

Saturday             (10.30 – 3.30)                   25th

Artist In Residence: Day 7 – Learn From The Best

Part of an art practice is research. so I set myself to it on Day 7 of my residency at Urban HQ in Swansea. I’d been having some problems trying to represent dark skin through lino printing so I turned to my book* on the African-American artist Elizabeth Catlett. She was a prolific printmaker, as well as sculptor, and I sat and studied her linocut portraits, how she made her cuts, what marks she made into the lino. Of course, it’s not the same, drawing with graphite and black pen onto white paper, instead of carving into lino, but by studying and drawing her image, I learnt so many lessons that I hope to carry into my next lino block. Some people think it’s quite old-fashioned to study from great artists, but I always say, learn from the best!

*Elizabeth Catlett An American Artist In Mexico by M. A. Herzog (2000) University of Washington Press

If you’re visiting the city centre, please pop in and have a look and pick up a free postcard of my work. The dates and times of my residency are below. It would be lovely to see you.  

Tuesday             (9.30 – 3.30)                     14th / 21st / 28th       

Wednesday       (9.30 – 3.30)                     15th / 22nd / 29th

Thursday            (9.30 – 3.30)                     16th

Friday                 (9.30 – 3.30)                     17th / 24th

Saturday             (10.30 – 3.30)                   25th

Artist In Residence: Day 6 – Skin Tone

It’s Day 6 of my residency at Urban HQ in Swansea, and I carried on carving lino blocks. I’ve been practicing portrait drawing at the life drawings sessions at Swansea Print Workshop and now I’m practicing making the sketches into lino blocks. Most of the models I’m working with are pale-skinned so I’m getting lots of practice with that particular skin-type. But one model is of African heritage and I have to create a different set of marks to represent darker skin. This is a challenge, especially as I’m working on a small scale – the lino blocks are 10 x 15 cms. I won’t know how these marks turn out until I take a print, which I’m hoping to do towards the end of my residency.

If you’re visiting the city centre, please pop in and have a look and pick up a free postcard of my work. The dates and times of my residency are below. It would be lovely to see you.  

Tuesday             (9.30 – 3.30)                     14th / 21st / 28th       

Wednesday       (9.30 – 3.30)                     15th / 22nd / 29th

Thursday            (9.30 – 3.30)                     16th

Friday                 (9.30 – 3.30)                     17th / 24th

Saturday             (10.30 – 3.30)                   25th

#Caturday Archives: 46

It’s #Caturday Saturday again and here’s another cat sketch from my sketchbook archives, January 2016. This is a very quick sketch as she didn’t stay still for long when she was awake back in those days. She was a mere 7 years old then, this Autumn she’ll be 17. And still as feisty as she looks in this photo.

I have three linocut prints in the Miniprint Cymru Wales exhibition in Mostyn in Llandudno, North Wales, open until May 2nd. It includes one of my linocuts of our cat Bill, aka William Chatnoir.

Artist In Residence: Day 5 – Hacking Lumps

Day 5 of my residency at Urban HQ in Swansea, and I carried on carving lino blocks. This one from an original drawing done with a life model is quite graphic-y. I decided to try out some different tools; I normally use very fine gouges but I went for this broad, slightly concave one which hacks quite big lumps out of the surface. I’m getting a bit more experimental now, a bit less fixated on realism.

If you’re visiting the city centre, please pop in and have a look and pick up a free postcard of my work. The dates and times of my residency are below (most days I take a lunch break). It would be lovely to see you.  

Tuesday             (9.30 – 3.30)                     14th / 21st / 28th       

Wednesday       (9.30 – 3.30)                     15th / 22nd / 29th

Thursday            (9.30 – 3.30)                     16th

Friday                 (9.30 – 3.30)                     17th / 24th

Saturday             (10.30 – 3.30)                   11th / 25th

Artist In Residence: Day 4 – Carry On Carving!

This is the reality of being an artist, you have to make your art and that involves day after day of repetitive slog. There’s no getting around it unless you want to go down the A.I./ laser cutting/ digital printing route, and I certainly don’t. So Day 4 of my residency at Urban HQ in Swansea, I carried on carving lino blocks. I’ve been practicing portrait drawing at the life drawings sessions at Swansea Print Workshop and now I’m practicing making the sketches into lino block prints.

If you’re visiting the city centre, please pop in and have a look and pick up a free postcard of my work. The dates and times of my residency are below. It would be lovely to see you.  

Tuesday             (9.30 – 3.30)                     14th / 21st / 28th       

Wednesday       (9.30 – 3.30)                     15th / 22nd / 29th

Thursday            (9.30 – 3.30)                     16th

Friday                 (9.30 – 3.30)                     10th / 17th / 24th

Saturday             (10.30 – 3.30)                   11th / 25th

Artist In Residence: Day 3

On the third day of my residency at Urban HQ in Swansea, I carried on carving lino blocks. They are 15cm x 10 cm, traditional grey lino and I’m using Flexcut tools for cutting.

If you’re visiting the city centre, please pop in and have a look and pick up a free postcard of my work. The dates and times of my residency are below. It would be lovely to see you.  

Tuesday             (9.30 – 3.30)                     7th / 14th / 21st / 28th       

Wednesday       (9.30 – 3.30)                     1st / 8th / 15th / 22nd / 29th

Thursday            (9.30 – 3.30)                     16th

Friday                 (9.30 – 3.30)                     3rd / 10th / 17th / 24th

Saturday             (10.30 – 3.30)                   4th / 11th / 25th

Artist In Residence: Day 2

On the second day of my residency at Urban HQ in Swansea, I carried on carving lino blocks but I also started to put some of my linocuts on display in the space. I’ll add to them as time goes on. If you’re visiting the city centre, please pop in and have a look and pick up a free postcard of my work. The dates and times of my residency are below. It would be lovely to see you 🙂

Tuesday             (9.30 – 3.30)                     7th / 14th / 21st / 28th       

Wednesday       (9.30 – 3.30)                     1st / 8th / 15th / 22nd / 29th

Thursday            (9.30 – 3.30)                     16th

Friday                 (9.30 – 3.30)                     3rd / 10th / 17th / 24th

Saturday             (10.30 – 3.30)                   4th / 11th / 25th

A Pensive Pose

Last week at life drawing group I really enjoyed drawing this 30-minute pose. The model looks quite pensive but I think that’s just how he looks when he’s holding a pose for half an hour – it’s not easy being a life model. I spent a lot of the time working on his face, analysing the proportions and angles using a 2B graphite block. It’s not a bad likeness but could be better. His pendant is part of an ancient mammoth tusk.

I have three linocut prints in the Miniprint Cymru Wales exhibition in Mostyn in Llandudno, North Wales, open until May 2nd. It includes one of my linocuts of our cat Bill, aka William Chatnoir.

#Caturday Archive: 45

It’s #Caturday Saturday again and here’s another cat sketch from my sketchbook archives, January 2016. Sparta Puss looks like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth! Don’t be fooled. This is a quick sketch with Faber Castell Pitt drawing pens.

I have three linocut prints in the Miniprint Cymru Wales exhibition in Mostyn in Llandudno, North Wales, open until May 2nd. It includes one of my linocuts of our cat Bill, aka William Chatnoir.