i mentioned that i took some laminated drypoint paper with me to iceland, didn't i?
having started to put into practice my 'spending time at the print studio plan', i've begun to finalise and edition some of the plates that have accumulated but needed a printing press.
so, here are, invariably titled greetings from grimsey; otto helms, grimsey; or: opa uelzen war auch auf grimsey. titling through memorised tool: i took the swiss army knife my dad had rescued and cleaned from one of my, by then rather confused, granddads 'de-cluttering' sessions (aka: throw everything you have in the nearest nettle bushes). while the knife doesn't go everywhere, it made it to iceland and was a rather able tool of choice for some drypoint experiments. and while it's unlikely that he ever would have come along to iceland (travelling was definitely more his wife's thing), i very much enjoyed the thoughts the improvised tool provided for the journey and after.
four 'postcards' from the island, inked up as intaglio and printed on one sheet. each card is about 7x10cm.
they have moved since. but, frankly, it's a bit of a mess. i am trying constantly to figure out how and what and also for whom i am recording.
i am thinking back to the many discussions i. and i used to have about diary writing, about keeping records. for ourselves or for others. i am also thinking about diaries burnt on a frequent basis so as not to leave a record.
part of my current recording mess is to do with teaching instructions: to keep a logbook of your learning. hah - something i turn to also when i am teaching. reflective journals abound to provide a space to externalise, reflect and thus absorb more easily what is to be learned.
do i record textually, visually, aurally? organised by subject; by approach; by who it is for?
all these questions stop me from recording. i need to figure out the entirety before i can get started. and the entirety needs to provide plenty of openings for unforeseen developments. oh dear... thinking and living in wholeism can be a bit daunting.
so, i'm devising ever more journals in my electronic journalling software notetaker (very good, exc. that it is not half as integrative as it claims to be, and exporting to pdf is a bit of a pain); have written notebooks (divided in three; currently: General/Research - Art - Skills work); and plenty of sketchbooks, divided into portability, assignment work, and general.
my plan is to work on 2-3 art projects at any one time; my plan is also to organise these a bit like course modules. there are three in development: (1) soundworks/ (2) landscapism art, naturally/(3) body identity makings. the middle one is the most clearly formed (somewhat easily so: it's a more decisive interrogation of my fieldwork paintings/drawings/prints to take in also an urban element (beginning with matta clark) and some details of nature). the media for these will largely be drawing and printmaking (etching) for the next year.
[the 2-3 limitation is a bit of a cop out, easily unmasked: there are as much as 20-30 strands on the go at any one time, and i maintain that i can maintain these with ease... ever optimistic]
today, (2) landscapism in art, naturally, acquired its first page in the new a3 sketchbook that will be the overall holding file for it. phew. that only took me six weeks, largely due to my recording hang ups, see above.
... is now. with a grin on my face i'm mounting this and that. pulling another folder out out of the depth of 'underneath my bed' or 'behind my wardrobe'. oh, yes... i should have another drawing of this. somewhere. (there have been plenty of 'portfolio days' over the past few months but now we're approaching physical handover day on friday).
portfolio making is curating. in an a1 bookformat. as such it is intriguing: to observe the juxtaposition of disparate pieces in approach but in similar palette; to place next to each other sketchbook pages and a relief print from some time later as the latest development of a sketch. and to see and acknowledge the sheer amount of labour that has gone into this - visible and invisible - over the years. as well as the threads, lines of inquiry and departures across a variety of media and approaches.
a pair of fresh eyes, hands and thoughts and the resultant placing of sheets next to each other makes all the difference. thank you, l! though i know that you don't really see the point of painting ;)
this one is one of the sheets. the collagraph at the bottom was the result of my printmaking before christmas. i still need to retry the transfer process, have indeed already sanded the plate down a bit further, and want to try on coloured paper. but placed beside the flattest of flat relief print it starts talking in unanticipated ways. keep it up, i think. i'll be listening. or should that be watching?
... much more about the OCA Printmaking course. And that wasn't for the fact that it wasn't happening, only other things took over.
But when I came back, I had received back the comments from my tutor for the third assignment: it included the Fieldlines Reduction print, and various other pieces to try out different surfaces and different tools.
So, I printed with clay, styrofoam, hardboard, strips of lino and other vinyl surfaces. Used saws, hammers, screws and knives to make some marks. I did all that in May/June, over a number of weeks and was concentrated enough to build a nice wee register of experience: what tools do what on what surface but also more systematic trying out of different papers to print on, different applications of the ink and taking the print.
These are some of the prints I really enjoyed. The techniques and the marks are stored away for future use: Assignment 5 will be a series of different prints combining various techniques, tools and materials.
Untitled 1, lino print on printing paper, A4 Mixed white layer overprinted on mixed black layer, Marks with screws, sidecutter and potato peeler What effective fog this technique produces... so much can disappear in here...
Untitled Blue and red, 20x15cm, relief print on printing paper the plate is styrofoam, marked with sidecutter, overprinting, On different paper, it resulted in a shiny, metallic top layer
La luna y la Cordillera 1, Relief print, 20x15cm Various plates, incl. lino, clay and foamboard; Various marks, incl. saw, potato peeler and sidecutter. Remember the full moon/sunset beauty in Chile?
Now: the next assignment is on collagraphs, I'm in two minds whether to start and try to finish in October, or to postpone it amidst all the hassle. But the hassle looks like a bit of a walk in the park, so...
BTW: the OCA now also offers a Printmaking 2 course. How exciting... I am tempted. And may end up getting an Art Degree in the end?
The other WIP besides the new oil piece is this reductive linocut. I had done two layers before Chile and last night had proceeded with the next one.
First: the current layer in orange.
Fields, WIP (layer 3) Linocut on Cartridge paper, 25x20cm
Now, that's a fairly graphic linocut. I was actually surprised to see it like that after having printed my edition of thirteen (for luck) sheets.
Surprised because the accumulated ultramarine, lemon yellow, orange looks rather messy like this:
Fields, WIP (three layers) Linocut on Japanese paper, 25x20cm
Admittedly, the blue got a bit darker in value than planned, I mixed the yellow in various values and with differing amounts of whites - the idea was to get to a green for the forest in the background and a light, opaque field in the foreground. The idea is to add two more layers: a darker green and a dark purple. - It's the field image developed here.
The aim: to paint with linocutting. I.e., to trick the imagery away from sharp, distinct, graphic fields of colour to a much softer, painterly image. I remember the linocut that Tom bought a while back from the artist Ruth Robertson. So I thought, I could try and trick the medium into behaving like paint. Probably five layers (even with shading/dabbing) won't get me there; neither will it probably not get me there with the variety of cut marks and playing with the interplay of positive and negative spaces.
But: I'm having a good go at it nonetheless. It's actually very good fun. I am thoroughly enjoying the relief cutting by now and am almost sorry for progressing onto more experimental markmaking and collagraphs (glue, mold stuff onto the plate to print with collage). However, these tasks are giving me quite a good sense of what may be possible. I could spend far more time with this and am certain, that any art in future will be more hands on than merely holding a brush.
I like the process of losing fear and acquiring respect for a medium, its shticks and moods. I think that's also one of the reasons why I do like posting WIPs... to see where something goes, how it develops, falls aparts, changes form and character and so on.
... no, not to wrap yesterday's cheese, but yesterday's monotype experiments.
Well, for all the time we were there it did not stop raining. Now, RAIN was a bit too strong a word, more a persistent drizzle and the paper put up some brave resistance. The sketching went well, preparing the acrylics with some Lascaux extreme retarder (love the title) worked well too - it remained workable for about 20mins or so, and the copper plates are nice and solid to work as plate.
But, the moment it all came tumbling down, or rather: blowing up in my face was when I tried to pull the print: too much wind blowing in my face, into the sketchbook and the assorted paper mess with which I tried to keep my hands, clothes, bags etc reasonably clean.
Ok: lesson learned: minimise on paper setup in gusty gales; acrylics mixed with retarder also means: it can leave marks on your favourite clothing a lot longer than normal. LOL.
But, these still made all of it worthwhile, don't you think so?
Wet Feet, Monotype on catridge paper a bit of newspaper and charcoal, too 20x15cm
More Wet Feet, Monotype on catridge paper a bit of newspaper and charcoal, too 20x15cm
Two cool moody made with dreich and Scottish wind on a March Sunday afternoon monotypes.
It's the corner of the Loch where the river opens up into it, it has some beautiful bares trees standing in water, some rather adventurous waves came rolling in and a firm breeze in your face.
It's a great spot - I'm not sure if H. fully appreciated it, but I did! It's very moody with low clouds over the distant hills; the phtalo blue was a good choice (despite the stains it left everywhere); and the acrylics/medium is good enough to work with - it'll go into my Chile bag; not sure how it will perform under heat, but I will find out.
Here's an earlier sketch with a bit more definition:
No wet feet yet, Graphite on Cartridge paper, 25x25cm
... the monotype gave me what I was after for a sense of different layers for a reductive lino cut.
Monotype, Edge lines 3 48x40cm on Tosa Shi paper
But as you can see: the marks are all a bit too squashy. I had already taken some of the excess paint off with a bit of blotting paper, had to rub quite extensively to transfer most of the ink onto the actual print, but it's a bit homogenous in terms of markmaking.
Nonetheless: I find using oil paints for this very worthwhile by being able to use actual pigments - again, the cadmiums are doing their work.
I've now started with the next linocut: I'm cutting a 20x25cm vinyl plate, and the first colour is a [paleish] ultramarine. I thought an edition of 10 maybe acceptable, but now have the washing lines across my flat stuffed with drying sheets - I'm using the Tosa Shi, another thinner Japanese paper and very smooth printing paper - it's interesting to see how different they respond to the ink.
That's for the art stuff today...
Here a bit music:
Du weisst schon, dass ich ganz, ganz froh bin ueber das, was du heute gemacht hast, ne?? So oder so gehoert da viel Mut zu; und auch wenn's erstmal etwas unbefriedigend ist, gibt's vielleicht noch ne Moeglichkeit zum Nachtreten. Und in diesem Sinne: etwas neue Musik, und auf die freie Wahlmoeglichkeit zur Bitterfotzigkeit. Mit nem Kuss und so :)
BTW: noch ein zweites? Vielleicht zuviel Elektroclash fuer deinen Geschmack, sie koennte auch locker unsere Tochter sein. Bisschen Annett Sonstwie mit dem Spielen, ne? Hier einmal klicken
Last week's misshapen pastel sketches on printmaking paper did offer up a few insights into the next relief cut. But before I want to proceed to that, I thought I'd try again some more monotypes. I was keen on trying them out on a larger scale than the previous 20x15cm.
So, with all the courage I could muster this morning, I inked up an A3 sheet of acrylic paper - I had assumed that its preparation for acrylics would have prevented the oil paint I am using for printmaking to sink in, well - nice idea; in practice, though, the paint sunk in rather quickly; and for the next prints I just used one of the large laminated boards floating about in the studio - that worked perfect and provided a large enough surface to fill.
The 'plate': a sheet of acrylic paper
I started with monochromatic: the remainder of my tube of burnt umber was mixed with a bit of stand oil and turps and pasted onto the board; I then proceeded with various rounds of markmaking (knives, tissue paper, etc), adding and removing ink as I went along. Printed one, then another and another.
I've been doing a bit of systematic exploration of different papers, there's some I've been using a fair bit by now, but there was a new, very smooth, sized printmaking paper in brilliant white on the go today, (interim verdict: I LIKE IT); the trustworthy Tosa Shi (but too few sheets of it).
I like these sparse monotypes a lot, and on the larger scale they are fascinating: so extensive and yet very reasonable (!). In reverse, I am also reconciled with the composition - last week I initially thought it was weak, but no, it isn't. I moved to another one in colour. But that's next post.
Monotype, Edge lines 2 45x38cm, Tosa Shi paper
By the way, if you want to have a look at a larger size of the image, click on it, the click on 'All sizes' on the flickr image, this takes you to the full resolution.
When I came across Wolf Kahn's monotypes I was intrigued to go back to monotypes. I remembered how difficult I found the painting on the plate - remember my complaints back in autumn here? I have also been meaning to use oil paints as printing medium rather than the oil-based, washable relief inks I've been using so far.
I am preparing for a couple of oil paintings of the two scenes I'm working on, but I am not quite there yet, I feel. But one way of moving towards these was trying to include some of WK's pigments of choice: notably cadmiums. I had bought cadmium reds and yellows very early on when I started oil painting but have never used them so far. There are a couple of powerful pigments I'm fairly familiar with, notably phtalos - no, that' s not right: I use them in acrylics, but have never used them as oil paints (except dioxazine purple), and I have stayed clear of the cadmiums.
But, yesterday was the day: I prepared a palette, including also a pale violet grey, a pale rose, lime green, prussian and ultramarine blue and some umber to soften this in-your-face-pigment-fest.
I had new copper plates I wanted to try and here are my results:
Trees on Water, Monotype 2 Monotype with oil paints on Tosa Shi paper, 20x15cm
Trees on Water, Monotype 3 Monotype with oil paints on Tosa Shi paper, 20x15cm
I diluted the paint with a mix of turps/stand oil, ended up wetting the paper and with the final, a ghost print, I did quite a lot backdrawing to get most of the ink onto the paper. The mix of paint/medium may need some more experimenting, but I am taken with the marks and the yellows.
I also tried some reductive monotypes: inking up the plate in ultramarine and removing ink to build up the scene - with brushes, painting knives, paper towels, and at points adding more paint (also in black and prussian blue). These are very different, much more abstract and moody. I will try this out more.
Trees on Water, Monotype 4 Monotype with oil paints on Tosa Shi paper, 20x15cm
While still mucking about with the relief prints (and likely to do so for another few months), I had come across these monotypes by Wolf Kahn a while back.
Just last week I had ordered a couple of copper plates to use as plates for some more monotyping experiments. And following Casey's exercise of copying one of WK's paintings to learn more about the process, I think I will put this on my list of things to do.
But, first, take a look at this gallery here which has many of his monotypes on display. I very much like the way how the printing medium provides a different expression in his work.
And in relation to one of the earlier posts regarding naming conventions, Julia Ayres offers the following definition of monotypes and monoprints:
"Monoprint is a term art dealers often use interchangeably with monotype. While the dictionary does not differentiate between the two, in the academic art world, the term monotype is used for work developed on top of an unaltered plate, utilizing its flat surface, whilte monoprint refers to monotype work that also includes elements of another printmaking process such as etching, woodcut, lithography, silk screen and so on." Julia Ayres, Monotype: mediums and methods for painterly printmaking, Watson-Guptill Publications: New York, 2001, p. 8)
... a short and somewhat lazy post to pick up my Wolf Kahn exploration. But a post nonetheless.
Does anyone know more about his monotypes? What inks does he use, e.g.? Do you know of any publications where these are available? Have seen any IRL?
- Der Wald, der sich verstorben breitet - Und Schatten sind um ihn, wie Hecken. Das Wild kommt zitternd aus Verstecken, Indes ein Bach ganz leise gleitet
Und Farnen folgt und alten Steinen Und silbern glänzt aus Laubgewinden. Man hört ihn bald in schwarzen Schlünden - Vielleicht, daß auch schon Sterne scheinen.
Der dunkle Plan scheint ohne Maßen, Verstreute Dörfer, Sumpf und Weiher, Und etwas täuscht dir vor ein Feuer. Ein kalter Glanz huscht über Straßen.
Am Himmel ahnet man Bewegung, Ein Heer von wilden Vögeln wandern Nach jenen Ländern, schönen, andern. Es steigt und sinkt des Rohres Regung.
Georg Trakl
Melancholy of the Evening
- The forest, which widens deceased - And shadows are around it, like hedges. The deer comes trembling out of hidden places, While a brook glides very quiet
And follows ferns and ancient stones And gleams silverly from tangled foliage. Soon one hears it in black gorges - Perhaps, also that stars already shine.
The dark plain seems endless, Scattered villages, marsh and pond, And something feigns a fire to you. A cold gleam shoos over roads.
In the sky one anticipates movement, An army of wild birds migrates Towards those lands, beautiful, distant. The stirring of reeds rises and sinks. (Translation by Jim Doss and Werner Schmitt)
No poet I have found who is more colourful in darkness. I have had his poems for more than ten years - they were one of my leaving presents when I moved to Glasgow. But it was only last autumn that I begun reading them in their colourful, mournful strangeness.
And rather fitting for some digital exploration of different colourways for the print. Do you have a preference? Other suggestions?
And, for the migrating birds, something in song. It's melancholic too, albeit a bit softer it seems. It was on my music player when I switched it on on my way into town a few days ago on a rainy gloomy afternoon.
And then I'm spinning and I'm diving like a cloud of starlings.
... Hm, how very delicious that line is. And for a bit live starling action, how's this:
Vielen, vielen Dank! Es kam gestern mit der Post. Und ich glaub, ich hab auch schon Opas Druck gefunden. Danke, dass du auch noch mal nachgefragt hast wegen der Ölbilder, Jutta!
Albert König, Alte Weiden Wood cut, 1912, 41x31cm
Well, my parents very promptly and reliably delivered on their part of my printmaking project, and yesterday it arrived:
Albert König: Das druckgraphische Werk 1911-1941. Published 1989 by the Albert König Museum, Unterlüß.
Well, it is full of traditional wood cuts, a few lino cuts of heathland, moorland, woods and fields. Birches and junipers twisted by wind and rain and plenty of eeriness. I had a quick look through it, and am posting a first taster.
My mum also included one of König's paintings, guess what: it's of some birch trees reflected in water. What a coincidence. Must be a rather common theme where I grew up, even 100 years ago.
Albert König, An der Quarmühle, 1920s, oil on canvas 75x60cm
Lino cut on blotting paper coloured pencil, oil pastel, indian ink 15x15cm
Take block of black layer, pull print on blotting paper, let paper dry, use coloured pencils liberally, add oil pastels to overlay black printing inks, splash a bit of indian ink around.
A name for it? How about 'not-printmaking'? Monoprint? Or does that require a mixture of other 'pure' printmaking processes.
I think I may just call it mixed media, wonderfully generic, isn't it?
[look at me! look at me! look at me! she shouts excitedly, jumping up and down]
... Linoprints that is, seeing that they seem terribly de rigeur this January, as both Jeanette and Vivien demonstrate.
Last week I finally got started with assignment 2 of the OCA course: simple lino cuts. I had been a bit uninspired as to that assignment (did I mention that before?); too much like school work, and the very first one consisted of a tedious block full of different marks and textures. Very useful but the thought alone did send me back to sleep.
But, thanks to my easily excited sunny predisposition (on such a dreich mid-January, back to work plod), the block was quickly marked and I could proceed to task 2 and 3.
I've been collecting all these impressions and images in my mind - the night skies, the water reflections and some trees against light skies impressions and they've been waiting for a medium - the pastels and the ink sketches are not graphic enough. But, of course: the stark imagery of traditional relief prints may just get there. With that realisation I quickly developed a couple of the photos of the bull's hollow into simplified sketches*.
Water so still so dark Linocut on blotting paper 20x15cm
This is the first one: a simple single colour print with different marks - do you recognise the image?
Print Project 2_2 WIP Linocut on cartridge paper 15x15cm
This is not quite finished but part of task 3 in this assignment. Again, an eery place, sky and water reflection mystery. For anything more definite, you'll need to wait til it's finished though.
*I had to laugh at Jeanette's comments 'think 10 times, cut once' - that definitely doesn't apply to me... cut, then think and then improvise... the same goes for the carefully developed sketches... I struggle to produce 2, 3 even just mildly attentive ones. And you know what? I absolutely enjoy doing without.
Das Meer und das Leben,
Monotype on Blotting paper, 40x30cm
Letztens lief ich nach Hause nach dem Shoppen bei Marks und Sparks und erinnerte mich an ein Gespräch. Draußen vor Karstadt Sport. Du meintest, ich würde mal Bücher publizieren. Ich war 22, lachte lauthals und zeigte dir nen Vogel. Du spinnst ja, du Träumer!
Dann dachte ich mir ein ähnliches Gespräch aus. Dieses mal im T-Keller, du mit Rioja, ich mit Bier und es ging darum, dass ich malte und Bilder ausstellte. Für einen Augenblick sah ich dein Gesicht, den Kopf leicht schräg gelegt und hörte das langsam lauter werdende Lachen. Ein subversives Gurgeln. Und dann entspann sich ein wenig Geketze um solch bürgerliche Aktivitäten, die die schwarzgekleideten Straßenkämpferkids, deren Eltern samt und sonders der Toskana Fraktion angehörten, ja ganz und gar nicht akzeptabel fänden. Voll die falsche Moral. Und wir lachten und du kippeltest hingebungsvoll auf deinem Stuhl. Ich zeigte dir noch nen Vogel.
Morgen gibt's ne Vernissage - das hört sich auf deutsch tatsächlich unsäglich an. Ich werd M. von dir erzählen, dann machen wir ein wenig teilnehmende Beobachtung zusammen und trinken warmen, süßen Weißwein. Was meinste? Ein date? Kommste mit? Auf dich dein Leben La'haim! Immer wieder, anders geht das nicht - aber auch das wusstest du damals schon, oder?
For the past few days I've been watching my calendar moving towards 10 October. There are two dates I've remembered since forever: 21 April 1913 and 10 October 1915 - two of my grandparent's birthdays.
Well: today it's my granny's. And as a present, she gets a seascape in mixed media printmaking. She loved travelling - not only did she have plenty of wanderlust but indeed experienced curious and incurable Fernweh - far sickness. She clearly didn't suffer from it, it wasn't an illness but something far better and more delicious than that. On that count I'm glad I'm her granddaughter.
Happy birthday, Anni!
Monotype Für's Fernweh meiner Oma 25x20cm on Tosa Shi paper Masking, backdrawing, strings, crinkles and other
Pablo Picasso, Dora Maar with Green Fingernails Oil on Canvas, 1936 Museum Berrgruen, Berlin
She looks at you from the wall at the Museum Berggruen in Berlin Charlottenburg. No - not really. She doesn't look at you.
She simply looks. Observes. All around her, her eyes surveying not one direction but several at once.
She was a woman who always saw a lot - so says the commentary.
For most of Picasso's distortion of female figures I do not care all that much. In particular the double noses (as in smelling a lot???) are weird.
But Dora with green fingernails... I like her, like how her eyelid becomes part of the outline of her face. How it emphasises her eyes, beautiful eyes, matched with eyeshadow and bright green nail varnishes. How 1980s in the 1930s.
She made it into my sketchbook, next to Paul Klee's Die Zeit. With that she's only one of two of Picasso's women - alongside the wonderful melancholic Woman with a Chignon I met in Harvard. And funnily enough - the sketch is just of her face, so when I tried to look for the painting again I got struck by that starched, stiff and downright scary dress she's wearing. Maybe that says even more than her all observing eyes?
Sketch of Dora Maar with green fingernails by Pablo Picasso Pencil and neo ii in Moleskine, 14x21cm
And I think it's time now that Dora made it out of the sketchbook and into print - the figure tasks for the monotype projects are the difficult ones; so I'm circling around them, thinking one up, trying a bit, dismissing it again. But I think I'll stick with Dora, not sure how yet, but that'll be freestyle no 3, I think.
