Thank you for visiting – Cambridge Open Studios 2007 : weekend 3

The studio seems very quiet this morning - I really enjoyed meeting everyone who visited, and I always learn things from the observations about my work. A few years ago a friend from the village who is a fashion designer pointed out little shapes and repeating patterns which recur in my prints, paintings and sketches. This year another neighbour (and hen-keeping enthusiast) observed that the background pattern in the Buff Orpington Hen print was a negative image of the background pattern plate used in the mix-n-match mini-prints – I really hadn't noticed! But I'm delighted, the little framed prints make perfect companions to the Buff Orpington Hen.


I sketched two more of our Maran hens for mini-prints, drawing directly onto a small block is great fun and the block is soon cut. I'm looking forward to adding to the series. All the new prints will soon be on the Gallery page of my web site and unframed prints can be ordered by post.

Mix-n-match mini-prints - part 2

Last weekend I started work on a set of small blocks to use for trying out various inking techniques. Yesterday I printed three versions of the Maran Coucou hen block: the first version uses the hen block on its own with dark grey, pale pink and red ink applied with a sponge and small brushes. Here is the result . . .



For the second version I inked the patterned block and then masked out the area under the hen. The hen block is then printed over the pattern. The third version has a lightly printed background of mottled light grey under the pattern - this gives softer grey tones under the dark grey of the hen. And there's just time to frame some of the prints before my studio opens at 11am.

Mix-n-match mini-prints - part 1

Here's another good outcome of the studio tidy-up - I found lots of small off-cuts of lino and decided that I should use them for some experiments on a small scale, and they would be perfect to have as "work in progress" over the Cambridge Open Studios weekends. I usually plan a print in detail before I start cutting, with the mini-prints I would try out various techniques I'd gleaned from looking at other printmakers work.

I chose two pieces of lino and cut them to exactly the same size 10 x 13cm. On one block I cut little lens or leaf shapes - subconsciously this shape recurs over and over in my pictures, it seems to have become my signature. Between the little "leaves" I cut swirling lines like the brush marks in a sky painted by Van Gogh.


I printed the plain block in a pale grey, dabbing the ink onto the block with a sponge (it was too close to opening time on Sunday to get out the sheet of glass and roller, besides it was only a tiny block). I pressed the paper onto the block using the palm of my hand. The result was a texture like lichen on old stonework.

I inked the patterned block with pale green and positioned the block exactly over the now dry grey mottled background. This time I pressed the paper against the block with the baren - to achieve a more definite impression. And here's the result . . .


On an even smaller lino block I did a little pencil sketch of one of our Maran Cocou hens who was standing by the studio door. I don't usually sketch straight onto the block as the result will be a mirror image and I like to visualize how the finished print will look. It was fun to start cutting the 'hen' block before I had any real plans for how I'm going to use it - but there are lots of possibilities. These are the start of my mix-n-match mini-prints series.