Sunday 2 March 2014

Still seeking solutions.

Moments of uncertainty and magic.

Well the quest continues and presents some wonderful serendipitous moments. Despite the years that I have been making etchings it never ceases to amaze me how it still comes down to that moment of peeling the paper away from the plate.  There is a real sense of the unknown, the interaction between the etch, ink and paper. 

Having the opportunity to make work that is open to possibility has really enabled me to explore and pursue ideas with a sense of freedom. The psychological boost that the Award offers cannot be underestimated, it promotes 'space' - space to create, space to make mistakes, space to take risks, space to reflect - SPACE. So important.

As mentioned before it has been a technical learning curve at Edinburgh Printmakers. There have been moments when I have hankered after the solvents and the nitric acid. It's not because I am resistant to change but rather because of that precious commodity, TIME. I have a limited amount of it, once a fortnight and only 4 hours! It's not enough!! 

These are the latest works, some monochromatic single plate prints and others colour two plate prints.
























As is the norm, reaction and reflection is part of the process. The works orientation is flexible, each individual image dictates the way it is viewed. Each print is a one off and this is deliberate choice, etching naturally offers limited edition printing but this requires a known outcome, something that I am striving not to do. 

The two paintings that follow have been revisited since the last post, keeping in line with previous statements about conversations being started up again. What's said may differ slightly or offer up a completely different viewpoint, nevertheless its history is embedded in the painting, it is a document, a record of a dialogue, hidden layers, memories.