Inspirations



I have always loved History, Literature and Art.........................................................................................................
beautiful things, the stuff of dreams..................................................

flowers, butterflies, fairy tales, embroidered fragments, Chinese blues, Botticelli angels, Blake's visions, Burne-Jones pictures............................................................................................

amongst many other hints and wisps of the past..........................

to catch in my net and weave into mydesigns..................

which I hope others might find as beautiful as their inspirations.

Monday 5 December 2011

Lino Prints from Pascale Hemery/Bowes workshop-better late than never....

Just remembered that I hadn't posted my first attempts at Lino prints, inspired by a picture from the collection exhibited at Bowes. Following Instructions from Pascale Hemery, the French artist, who ran the workshop to pick an industrial subject from the catalogue (or memory!!!) I tried to produce a design that could easily be carved onto the lino block.

I chose a simple but striking building and added some extra details to it  as well as a row of houses and some curling smoke (which was to contrast with the simple straight lines of the buildings). I quickly found that the details I was used to producing with a fine liner were impossible. How I admire the woodblock printers and present day lino printers who manage such details. In my defence ....the tools were not meant for fine line prints!!!


I learnt practically what I am reading about now, for my 20th century art module, ie how to simplify/abstract details to construct an image!!!! I found the cutting out for the first stage/print relatively easy and enjoyed seeing it on different coloured backgrounds. However, I found trying to imagine backwards/inside out what would happen to the picure that would be printed by cutting away more of the lino VERY difficult!!! As a result I only did a little , mainly to the smoke. More could have been done as well as more/different colours used to print on top of the initial layers.



It may not be great, but I enjoyed making it, as well as learning a new technique-which I hope to use again one day.....
( I must point out these prints were only produced to learn the technique of lino printing.  I was instructed to use pictures from the museum catalogue, not to plagerise but for inspiration and the images I have made in the workshop, shown here, are not intended to be reproduced in any shape or form, (except on this blog for information about my post!).  I would love to be able to name the artist who's work allowed me to carry out the image making but I do not have a copy of the brochure and do not know his/her name! sorry. )

6 comments:

  1. Hi Chris, I think this lino cut is lovely,especially as you hadn't tried it before. I went to that exhibition at Bowes and bought the catalogue only to find that my favourite print wasn't in it! If this is from the catologue it could have been Edward Wadsworth's "Yorkshire"

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  2. Thank you so much Mavis, glad you liked my first efforts!!!!! Thanx for the tip about the painter, but my memory of the cataloguepic made me think of an american Mid west cereal store????? (the original was just a building on it's own). However, due to my past Bradford link the picture has ended up like industrial scenes/housing/smoke I remembered from visits there some years ago and fits with the title you suggest-have I used one and inadvertently created another!!!!!
    It was nice to see you at the ceremony, receiving your very well deserved and earned degree. Enjoy:-)

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  3. Congratulations to you too. I didn't know that you had got a first until you went up on stage. You certainly are very modest about your work. I think I told everyone about mine via my blog. Very well done.

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  4. Hi Chris, sorry that i've come to this post quite late. I really love this print, and i am amazed that this is your first attempt! The strong lines and composistion of the print work so well, wonderful! Best wishes, Amanda : )

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  5. Thanx for your lovely comment Amanada! VERY MUCH APRRECIATED-especially as I know you are such an accomplished lino printer and LOVE your work :-)
    We used a modern press not a ;ovely old mang;e like yours.....but I found I liked the slightly fuzzy edges of secondary prints I made without a press so, maybe I can try at home that way at first? As I said the theme for the workshop was dictated by the echibition so would like to try my flowers, butterfly and tree degree designs .....

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