Three Places At Once!

I’m really chuffed that I currently have screenprints in three group exhibitions across South Wales, in Aberdare, Neath and Swansea. “Women & The Valleys” in the Cynon Valley Museum and Gallery runs until March 30th – Aberdare is a great town for a day out. “Miners Imprint” at Queen Street Gallery is open until March 29th – Neath is on the train and has a nice market. Finally, “Come As You Really Are – The Swansea Open” at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery closes on April 27th – loads of things to do in the city. They’re all lovely galleries and interesting places to visit.

Twenty Five Years…

It’s 25years since Swansea Print Workshop began! To celebrate, we’re doing a load of special things throughout the year. I’ve recently been working on a new Mari Lwyd linocut and it’s my submission to an artists book we’re creating – 25 artists for 25 years. The theme is very loose, “Swansea”, and each print will be black and white, either relief- or screen- print and the whole set will be bound into concertina books, one for each artist and two for the print workshop. Tonight we met up to look at the first proofs, there’s a lot of lovely stuff there and I can’t wait to get my book.

Sketchbook Archives: 28

Looking through old sketchbooks from June 2013, I found these from a visit to Aberdulais Falls, near Neath. It’s a National Trust property and very scenic, it was once painted by none other than the great Joseph Mallord William Turner in 1795, although the industrial heritage goes back to 1584. I was going through a phase of using oil bars at the time, but I eventually gave up on them because I found them too clumsy.

#Caturday Archives: 19

A line drawing of a cat looking out of the kitchen window.

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.

Magic Is Her Name…

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.

Pulling A Proof…

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.

Nearly Finished Carving…

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.

Carving The Background.

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.

#Caturday Silhouette 16: More Stripey.

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.

Some Spontaneity…

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.