Reverse Gear for now

I have a confession to make!  In my last blog post, I talked about making without outcomes.  That's one of my goals for 2022.

Lets back up to late 2021, when I had the opposite experience (which probably motivated the 'create without outcomes' mantra).  I am participating in a printmaking swap, where each artist is required to manipulate/alter another artists' print.

Each artist prints two identical prints.  One of those prints remains in its original state, the other is sent to another artist who then 'owns' that print and uses it as a starting point to print over or alter using printmaking processes.

This has probably been the most challenging outcome-focussed work I've ever done.  I didn't realise how much hesitation and fear is associated with touching someone else's work.  I felt like I was teetering on the edge of a cliff - I MUST do something to resolve an artwork on top of another's work with a looming deadline.

This is the print I was allocated -

Lino print using gray ink by Renee

I worked my way through all the options... work around the image?  work on top of the image?  Ignore the whole thing and just print dark over the top?

My signature printmaking technique is monotype, with lots of mark making, textures and colours.  This just wouldn't do, it would be so busy and everything would clash.  I thought about working around the bird image but its pale gray colour wouldn't provide a good focal point.

So I decided to go with collage, incorporating some basic monotypes and a lithograph bird for a focal point.  Collage also makes good use of existing prints in my stash, but for this one I needed a bird print on toned paper so I used an existing litho polyester plate to make some curlew prints.

Printing on Kozo, love that fleck

It takes a few prints to
get one or two that are good enough

I opted to use my favourite paper patterns for the monotypes, the transparency of the paper would allow the background lino print to come through without overpowering the curlew image.  I stuck to a neutral colour pallete to make the different elements come together.

After a few heart-stopping moments where the glueing went wrong, with subsequent frenzied peeling off of wet layers, I achieved a result I was happy with. I also had to seal it (the glue left it a bit sticky) and back it with stiffer paper so it didn't warp.  Of course, the image is very far removed from the original lino but that is the idea of the swap.

The prints (both original and altered) will be exhibited in Brisbane at the Logan Regional Gallery and in Victoria at Firestation Gallery later this year.

'Sub-Tropical' - the final print.
Monotype and Lithograph Collage

Detail, you can see the horizontal lino stripes in the background.
They contrast against the vertical lines of the paper patterns.

The Artist is in Residence - Playing with new Lithography Inks

Week one of my 'stay at home' Artist in Residence - I've been playing with lithography.

About a year or so ago I was introduced to Polyester Plate Lithography - this is lithographic printing using a special plastic plate.   Lithography is a printmaking technique based on the concept that oil repels water.

This week I have been printing a plate I've made using a drawing of a Stone Curlew - look them up HERE - one of my favourite local urban birds.  I did the drawing on cartridge paper using black marker pens (0.3 to 0.8), then photocopied the drawing onto the plate using a laser printer.  The heat of the printer fixes the toner to the plate, and its ready to print.  Easy!

I wet down the plate with a mix of water and Gum Arabic.  I then rolled the lithographic ink over the plate, taking turns of wetting and wiping with a sponge then rolling etc etc.  The plate must be wet so that only the image accepts the ink.

I then printed the plate using my Xcut machine on damp paper.

All good fun, I plan to do some more printing tomorrow.  Right now its time to get out into the garden and get some fresh air!  I just wish there was a real Stone Curlew out there.....

My printing area in my studio, you can see my Xcut printer
in the bottom right corner. 
My 'inspiration' pin board is behind my work bench,
looks kind of cluttered but totally OK in my mind!

My new inks, expensive at $40 tube but I'm
hoping will perform better than my etching inks.

My polyester plate on the left and print on the right.
Like two curlews checking each other out!

Wiping the plate with water between inking rolls.

Detail of the sponge in action.
Gloves are great for printmaking as well as for
virus protection....

Rolling the ink, back and forth, side to side.
Then wipe down with water again.
Repeat.

Disappointingly and not surprisingly,
the plate was a bit dirty and left marks on the print.
Perhaps an opportunity to monoprint onto
the background to disguise it? 

A finished print.
I did four, this was the best one.

Gum Arabic - the key to this lithographic technique.

Bio Blitz Exhibition - Completing the Circle

Earlier this year, I was one of the artists involved in an arts/science BioBlitz at Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve.  Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve comprises 55 hectares of subtropical rainforest overlooking the Glass House Mountains in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Whilst I was doing my Artist in Residence at Tweed Regional Gallery last month, I worked on a series of prints for an exhibition of artworks and science outcomes from the BioBlitz.

The works that I created during my residency explored the idea of mandalas as metaphors for the connectivity of the natural world.  The Wikipedia definition of mandalas is:

"A mandala is a spiritual and/or ritual geometric configuration of symbols or a map......In modern, typically American use, "mandala" has become a generic term for any diagram, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically; a time-microcosm of the universe, though it originally meant to represent wholeness and a model for the organizational structure of life itself—a cosmic diagram that shows us our relation to the infinite, the world that extends beyond and within our minds and bodies."

I have interpreted and drawn my mandala to represent the cycles of life within the rainforest ecosystem, with a sun icon at the top of the mandala as a representation of the importance of light within the rainforest.  All of the plants in a rainforest grow in accordance with their ability to access sunlight; the size of their leaves, the way they grow and use other plants to help them penetrate the canopy.

Incorporated into my mandalas are some of the insects from the rainforest, with monotypes of rainforest leaves in the background.  The layering of imagery in my prints tells the story of the interconnection of rainforest ecology.

These prints and others are currently being exhibited as part of the BioBlitz Exhibition at the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve until 12 January.  All of the artists that participated in the BioBlitz have work on display based on their experiences at the BioBlitz.  There is also very interesting information on the results of the scientific studies and a fantastic video documentary filmed during the BioBlitz.  Free entry! 9am to 4pm.  I will be onsite some of the time, running a fun drop-in activity for adults and children. 

Part of the exhibition

My work, part one.

My work, part two!

Jono (one of the artists) and I with the amazing trophy  "2019 Banksia Sustainability Award - Government'
won by Sunshine Coast Council for the BioBlitz

The Rainforest Mandala print - Longicorn Beetle

Rainforest Mandala - Dung Beetle

From Paddock to Mountain - Artist in Residence - Part 5

For two weeks I'm artist in residence at the Nancy Fairfax AIR Studio at the Tweed Regional Gallery in Northern New South Wales (Australia).

In my last post I was monoprinting mandalas with leaves then overprinting with a portrait of a scrub turkey using a polyester lithographic plate.

Over the past couple of days, I've been repeating the same sequences, but this time using a plate featuring my drawing of a magpie carolling (singing).

When magpies sing, they tilt their heads back to warble a beautiful melodious song, a long stream of musical notes like a flute, flowing up and down and around.  Check out this link to some audio recordings HERE.

I wanted to capture the joy of a singing magpie in my prints, so I used a pen drawing photocopied onto a pronto polyester plate.  I've used magpie imagery in my work before, but only as monoprint stencils.  Using a drawing on a litho plate gives me the opportunity to inject more personality and life into my image.

The downside is that I'm not a fan of editioning - printing the same print over and over is not very exciting.  I sometimes use too much ink or not enough ink.  And there is a high risk of ruining a successful monoprint when I print my litho plate over the top of it.

But I love my printing, and its always my happy place even if I only get one or two successful prints after a hard day's work.   All those 'not so good' prints make the successful ones even more satisfying and valuable.

Printing the litho plate over top of the monoprint.
The plate is transparent so its easy registration,
I'm using scraps of paper to keep the original paper clean.

This one has too much ink,so the Magpie has lost the detail
around his eye etc.
I'll wait until it dries and try a white Posca pen on it,

Not enough ink on the Magpie.
I can draw into the image with a black marker when it dries,
an easy fix,

This one is perfect, just the right amount of ink,

This is a monoprint that went badly wrong.  I put the magpie
mask/stencil on the wrong side.
That 'reversing of the image' printmaking rule caught me out
this time.  Arggghhh......

And this is where I fixed it.
Plan B - I printed the magpie litho onto a blank
piece of paper, then used that print to print onto'
my monoprint.
The magpie may need a little touch up with a marker pen when
its dry, but overall its a good outcome.
Never give up!  There's always a workaround.

From Paddock to Mountain - Artist In Residence - Part 3

For two weeks I'm artist in residence at the Nancy Fairfax AIR Studio at the Tweed Regional Gallery in Northern New South Wales (Australia).

Over the past few days, I've been progressing on my prints, spending from 9am to 4pm every day in the studio, with only a few excursions to get groceries and visit the gallery.  The location of the studio on the fringe of grassy paddocks is quite different - lots of open space with very few trees so the visiting bird species are limited to wood ducks, masked plovers, willy wagtails, sacred ibis, magpies and cattle egrets.  But they are great to watch and photograph from the verandah. 

I'm enjoying the change of scenery and being away from urban living, the everyday domestics and my usual routines, where I usually find many excuses not to focus on my art practice.

I have a few goals in mind with an upcoming exhibition and artist book projects, but its nice to also be able to pursue some loose ideas and experiment with techniques that I've had on my to-do list for some time.

My intention is to maintain my creative momentum when I return home, to change how I spend my time so I can work on my art more.

Enjoying the library at the gallery,so
many books, so little time!

Work in Progress

In the studio, my happy place!

And of course I took my bike, a great way
to explore the local area and
get some fresh air after a day in the studio

The view from my studio - sunset over Wollumbin (Mt Warning).
Its a shame the National Parks are closed due to the fire hazard,
but its important to protect natural areas (or are the closures
to protect the humans?).

The same scene, a few days earlier, during a bad
day of thick bushfire smoke.  Made for beautiful sunsets but
sad as well.

This young cow was giving me 'the look' as I
ate breakfast on the deck

A juvenile magpie attacking detritus in the paddock,
nope nothing to eat there!

A flock of Masked Lapwings (Plovers) hanging around the paddocks,
making lots of noise.

Next post - some of my prints, both good and bad!

Adding to my art toolkit - Part 2

In my last blog post, I talked about adding to my art techniques toolkit.  As well as the collagraph plates I discussed in my last post, I've recently been learning about Polyester Plate Lithography.

Lithography is a 19th-century printmaking technique traditionally used with stone and a lithograph press.  In recent years there has been an explosion of using different matrixes such as foil, metal, and now polyester plates.

Lithography is based on the idea that oil repels water.  Simple!

Polyester plates are relatively inexpensive and allow prints to be created using direct drawings onto the plate, drawings scanned and laser printed onto the plate, or digitally printed images onto the plate such as photographs.

Inking is via roller and oil-based inks, and printed with an etching press.

I was introduced to the method by artist Nicola Hooper last year in a short workshop and I was hooked by its simplicity and the direct connection between drawing and printing.  Since then I've undertaken workshops by artist Jenny Sanzaro-Nishimura and also Charles Cohan, Professor of Printmaking at the University of Hawaii.

This is another technique that I can combine with other printing techniques, including monoprint and cyanotype.  Nicola also tells me that she uses it to produce text for her artist books, something I must try.

The possibilities are endless with the potential for editioning - something that I miss in monotype printing!

Rolling up the ink onto the plate, with washes of Gum
Arabic and water

Heating the plate after drawing to set it

The three plates I created - left "Sparrow' is a drawing with
a litho crayon and black Sharpie pens, middle is a
plate created from a photo of Noisy Miner birds,
on the right is a plate printed from a scan of Kangaroo Grass.

The 'Sparrow' print.
I like the drawing prints the best, they
have a beautiful textural quality.