Here’s a little scribble of Sparta Puss from my sketchbook archives way back in April 2013, when she was just 3 years old. She was still naughty though! She’s sitting on top of our gas boiler looking out of the kitchen window at the amelanchier tree which is just starting to bud. On the left is a weird vase that we once had, it leaned in on itself. There are tulips in it, probably my favourite cut flower.
I printed two proof prints from my latest linoblock yesterday and today I took them down to Swansea Print Workshop. It’s our 25th anniversary this year and we’re doing a whole load of things to celebrate, including making a large concertina book featuring new prints (lino and silkscreen) from 20 or so of our artists, on the theme of Swansea.
My inspiration is the Welsh tradition of the Mari Lwyd. Husb and I made our own during the Covid pandemic lockdown (from a kit designed by David Pitt for TRAC) and we have taken her out a couple of times a year since for local celebrations. She’s the model for this linocut.
Mae hi yw’r Fari Madarch Abertawe a Hud yw ei enw. She is the Swansea Mushroom Mari and Magic is her name.
I finished carving my latest Mari Lwyd linocut this morning and pulled a couple of proof prints, which are the first to be printed and give you the chance to check out the image and see if the block needs any more work. I’m pretty pleased with it, I will cut into a few of the thinner lines that are so small that they’re holding the ink and coming out black, but that’s a quick job, so I’ll be getting ready to print the edition sometime soon. I might think about adding some chine collé as well.
This is based on some sketches I did at night at the Gower Wassail and Mari Lwyd celebration at Hen Galan.
I’m so close to finishing cutting my new lino block, I hope another hour or so tomorrow and then I can do a proof print to see if it needs any more work. I’m getting excited now!
This is based on some sketches I did at night at the Gower Wassail and Mari Lwyd celebration at Hen Galan.
I’ve more or less finished carving the head of the Mari Lwyd in the foreground so today I gave some attention to the background. I wanted some detail in it, but not enough to compete with the Mari Lwyd. I wanted to have some light showing in the background but I didn’t want a solid white, I wanted to retain the sense of darkness, as this is based on some sketches I did at night at the Gower Wassail and Mari Lwyd celebration at Hen Galan.
It’s #Caturday Saturday again and here’s a positive silhouette of Bill aka William ChatNoir, our sweet little black rescue cat. She’s on the same background as last #Caturday. It’s Fabriano drawing paper I prepared with a couple of coats of gesso and then dribbled my home made walnut husk ink onto it. When it was dry, I dragged some of my Daler Rowney oil pastels along the stripiness. I sometimes take these prepared papers out into the countryside to do landscape drawing, but I don’t go out of the city very often (I’m a city girl) and so I have a lot of these prepared sheets hanging around.
I did some more drawing on my new Mari Lwyd linocut, it is almost finalised, and I got on with some more carving today. I rarely complete the drawing before I start carving because I often want to change some of the design when I see it starting to take shape on the block. Some printmakers make very precise designs but I like to allow for some spontaneity when I’m printmaking.
I went to the opening of a lovely exhibition for International Women’s Day, at Cynon Valley Museum in Aberdare. The show is called ‘Women & The Valleys: The Valleys’ Daughters’ , curated by Karin Mear and runs until 30th March 2025. I submitted my screenprint, “Smiling and Splendid” inspired by the Miner’s Wives struggle of 1984/1985. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 9.30 – 3.30. The South Wales Valleys are often overlooked as a destination to visit, which is a pity because there’s a lot there, culturally and historically.
I started to carve into my large lino block this afternoon and a shaft of Spring sunshine glowed across the room and onto my work space. The strong shadow made the cutting difficult, but I thought it made a good photo. I’m using a Flexcut gouge and traditional grey, hessian-backed lino.
Back in May 2013, I visited the USA to do a residency at Wingtip Press in Boise, Idaho. Here are some of my sketches from that visit. It was a fascinating journey, Idaho is the Wild West and the culture and geography are so different to the UK. I’m used to wet Wales and Boise is extremely dry.
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