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Moving Along

I spent a couple of days doing test prints from a sample woodblock I cut, but today I decided to get on with the design for the commission, working it up onto a large sheet of Waterford watercolour paper with my own home-made walnut ink and some watercolour paint. I’m still in the early stages, each time I redraw my ideas, the whole thing develops and matures but I’ve a long way to go.

But I’ve come a long way too. Here’s my starting point, in the window of my studio, from about 4 weeks ago.

Taking Proofs

interior 1 — Inside my new studio on a warm and sunny afternnon

I did some test proof prints from my sample woodblock, using Caligo Safewash relief ink onto MDF. I did a few printings onto different papers and using different densities of ink – I mixed extender in for some of them. To be honest, I don’t particularly like any of them, they’re a bit too faded. I need to try out some different inks and papers to see if I get a better result.

From left to right: inking the block: rubbing the back of the paper with a Japanese baren, the prints hanging to dry on a clothes rack.

Geeky stuff

I’m starting to do some test wood blocks for my commission for Sky Arts Art50. I’m cutting into MDF, using a facemask as it’s a bit dodgy, although it won’t be generating any dust. I’ve tried MDF before and when I inked it up it soaked up the ink and I had to make 3 prints before I got a decent one, the ink sank into the porous surface. I asked around and was told to try sealing the block, so I cut a test piece earlier and I brushed parts of it with Shellac. Once it’s dried I’ll ink up the whole thing and take a few proof prints to see how the sealed and unsealed bits of the block print up. I love doing stuff like this. I’m so geeky.

I’m three days into my month-long residency at 216 High Street, Swansea, a very roomy shop with a generous subsidy from Coastal Housing Group – thanks very much.

Here Be Dragons! Have Your Say!

Filming on Thursday November 8th (15.00-18.00) and Sunday November 11th (14.00-17.00)

Come and be on the telly! I’m doing a commission for Sky Arts called ‘Here Be Dragons’ and part of it is filming 1-minute interviews on what people think it means to be British – or Welsh – or something else altogether – for programmes in March 2019. Please pop in to my studio for tea and cake and if you want to do a quick interview – you don’t have to – it would be lovely to see you.

“Here Be Dragons” at 216 High Street, Swansea

I’ve been commissioned by Sky Arts television to make a new artwork for an arts festival and TV programme early next year. It’s Art50, where over 50 artists or art organisations (in music, theatre, literature and the visual arts) have been commissioned to produce new art exploring the question, “In post – Brexit Britain, who are we?”

Coastal Housing Group has kindly given me a subsidised space to work in and I’m developing a large woodcut, but I’ll also be having four Open Studio days as well so that people can come in, have a cuppa and a bit of cake (home-made of course) and see what goes on in an artist’s studio. They’ll also have a chance to do a one-minute vox pop interview to camera, if they want, giving their views on what Britishness is at the moment. I’ll keep you all posted when they’re going to be.

Check out more about what I’m doing here …