Two of the mini-print (10 x 10 cm. copper plate etchings) which will be for sale at the Black Swan Art sale, 8th July. |
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Hello and welcome to the quarterley newsletter of Bella Bee. Including an update of what's been happening as well as other artists I've met along the way. |
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Just like everyone else, I sometimes fall in love with a new medium (and use it until the infatuation ends). So what is this latest thing? Wild Lokta paper. Harvested on the banks of the Himalayas, Nepalese people have made paper from the bark of the Lokta shrub for generations. Sounding magical already. Like the cork trees in Spain, the Lokta re-grows its bark ready to be harvested again the following year. Originally used as a wrapping paper, this lightweight (65 gsm) fibrous product is surprisingly hard to rip, but takes up ink beautifully. Used in the drypoint print '(Losing My) Identity, shown above, it lends itself perfectly to strong bold design. I think any print relying on tiny precise line and form would not work so well with the papers roughness and anomalies. This one (above) won an award at The Derby Print Open, 2 - 29th June 2018. I am looking forward to attending one of the many short courses run from the Green Door Printmaking Studios. |
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Rock, Pebble, Stone (above). An open edition drypoint printed on Lokta, but inked up differently. It's possible a return to re-print these on 250 gsm Somerset would be good to iron out the wrinkles. |
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As every creative know for each finished piece, there is a body of binned work or 'not-quite-good-enough's' that have been cut up or destroyed. These two (above) are the result of an unsuccessful drypoint, which were cut up and over-printed with a pebble plate used for a previous work. |
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10X10 cm copper plates, etched and ready for printing (above). Buying all that was needed online, it was my intention to create a small series of abstract open edition designs, (at very reasonable prices, of course ;) ). However just two designs seemed to work over and above the others and it is these which shall be most used. |
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It is easy to see why polished metal was used as a mirror before glass. It was almost impossible to take a picture of this plate (right) without reflection. |
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A plate needs to be filed, polished off (usually with whiting) and then have ground melted onto the surface which is then etched into, or use a blocking method such as waterproof ink. Realising a trick was being missed not using the 'B' side of the plate, I also experimented with some more unusual designs. There is a page on my web site showing the flipside prints. The reason for these open edition designs is the printmaking group I belong to; the Wiltshire Print Creatives, is having two stalls at the Black Swan Arts car boot on Sunday 8th July 2018. This is an annual event where people make a special effort to see original art at affordable prices. I will be there along with friends and printmakers, Caroline Morriss, Tonia Gunstone, and Kerrie McNeil. |
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Green Door Printmakers Derby |
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Green Door Printmaking Studio in Derby is holding an exhibition 1 - 29th June 2018 in their Banks Mills Studios. |
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I am lucky enough to have three framed pieces for sale, two of which are shown above, the third shown at the start of this newsletter '(Losing my) Indentity' which has won an award and is shown at the gallery with a yellow rosette (which makes me very happy). Thanks to Annie's Fine Art who posted this image on Twitter. |
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A friendly group of twelve artisan printmakers working from the same workshop but creating art in a diverse range of printmaking techniques; Wiltshire Print Creatives is now up and running properly with a web site and blog to keep everyone up to date. |
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Come on, where else do you se so many happy, industrious faces? |
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It's been mentioned before, but the funny thing is, some of the members have their own printmaking presses at home but choose to come into the workshop to participate in the creative atmosphere. But possibly the most productive thing to come out of the group is the shows we are able to put on as a result of working together. If you are in Bath on the evening of the 29th June, please pop into Bath Academy just off Queen Square, where many of the group, including yours truly, will be there for the opening between 6-8 pm. The exhibition runs for a week if you can't make that night. |
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Just over a mile down the lane there is a farm which has wild swimming, cream teas, camping and some artisan workshops. For two weeks beginning May, there is also the Cloth Road Arts Weeks which had many participants here. Stowford Manor Farm may also be known to some of you as the place where the Village Pump Festival used to be held in summer. Philip Bryant lives and works from the impressive stone farm and outbuildings. |
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A yellow balloon outside a pottery on the roadside was what had me running back to the house for my camera. Having been told Lexa Laurence ran her pottery from the farm workshops, I wanted to say hello. First meeting when she stood in for Jenny in the Frome Pottery, Enigma, it was good to catch up. |
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Walking through the door, Lexa's sunny personality shines through immediately. Such a happy disposition, which I think shows through in her work. (It is obvious she uses a wood fired kiln on occasion just by the approach - above picture). |
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As I looked round her workshop, Lexa chatted happily about other places she had worked her practise including her student days in Surrey where the salt-glazing was done in a 'throw-it-and-run' method. She told me how massive plumes of sodium chloride steam would rise up into the air; enough to have a retirement home opposite 'phone for the fire brigade. | | |
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Things have changed now and I understand salt-glazing is much reduced as a firing method partly due to environmental concerns. I do enjoy the soft lustre it affords though. |
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I find Lexa's work charming with a witty angle and earthy tones. It was such a pleasure stopping to talk to her, which resulted in me seeing other workshops open at the same venue, all ceramics / pottery/sculpting. I couldn't leave without buying something and so now have a beautiful handmade teapot for my new house. Leaving, I asked Lexa how she found putting on the show for the Arts Weeks. See the picture below for the answer. |
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Flip-flopping my way down the stony track and around the lane, there were yet more workshops, two of which were open. The first belonged to Matt Waite (pictured left). His signature piece seems to be the marvellous soft duck-egg blue, which stood well next to the occasional dark glazed work. |
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It was at this point I wished I had brought more money. The clay Matt uses would fire to a light grey in an electric kiln, but using gas-fired instead makes for a toasty biscuit colour and the glazes come out a little different too. | | |
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It turns out Matt is also a fan of printmaking so maybe we will be seeing more of him at the workshop |
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Opposite Matt was another potter, Sonja Kuratle. Just as friendly as the rest, it seems maybe the very act of being a potter or working with clay makes for a pleasant disposition. |
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Sonja's workshop overlooks a bucolic scene which is maybe why her recent work feature barn owls and birds. I was drawn to ther pots which featured mark-making I so love in printmaking and charcoal drawing. Sonja was another lovely person who had plenty of time to talk about her passion. | | |
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At the time of visiting, Sonja was making some smaller birds, similar to those shown below. It was her idea to make them with spread wings, so it will be interesting to see how they turn out. |
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Tucked away in a lofty space in the main farm building comple, Sasha Wardell and an old pupil of hers, Ceri Shaw, work in bone china and slip-cast ware. |
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Sasha is as elegant as her work. Slight and with a luminous quality, her contemporary bone china pieces change as they are held to the light. The colours and designs are clean and eye-catching. When Sasha explained how the effect on some of her work was achieved, it became apparent how similar it is to etching in printmaking. | | |
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Sections of the raw slip-cast clay are blocked off before water is let to run over the surface slowly eroding the unmasked clay. Just as in copper plate etching, the resulting pattern has a soft edge, which is hard to replicate when scratching into a surface. Being left to wander roud the other studio, I was quite taken with the uplighters above the window. |
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(Top image, 'Home Straight') It was Ian who asked whether I had done any painting recently. A set of fresh brushes were waiting in the drawer and truth be told, there were a couple of ideas which had been brewing for a while, left undone in favour of printmaking. It was like popping a cork. Once the paintbrush was in hand, it all just came out onto the paper, as if it had been on the starting blocks for some time. |
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All three works are oil painted directly onto paper. Every birthday sees me re-evaluate my practise and it appears the latest incarnation is toward the lyrical abstract. A recent stay in the Channel Islands had colours of the sea combined with the flowers of Spring. Their vibrancy mixed with warm breezes from the south were a tonic. |
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Guernsey is a small island, but doesn't feel like it. However, a trip to nearby Herm was different. Not recommended for those who don't enjoy walking, Herm's tranquil beaches accessed via sandy and hilly walkways were perfect. And guess what? No cars. |
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Here we are. Me on the left (which is included as I quite like the arty shots and because I am nowhere like as cool in real life); and the two of us, Alison there on the right. It is thanks to her I was there in the first place. Thanks to Alison for the 'people shot' photographs. If you would like to see more, there's a blog on the web site. |
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Finally, you may remember seeing one of the series done using coastal references and collagraph with drypoint (and a sprinkle of carborundum). 'Coast' has been accepted into the RBSA print prize 2018, exhibition running 25th July - 1st September. If you find yourself in the Birmingham area between these dates, please pop in and take a look (and maybe a photograph if you are allowed). A sister piece printed recently will be in the Bath Academy show (mentioned above) will be for sale. 'Hele Bay' is a limited edition monoprint with drypoint and carborundum printed on 250 gsm Somerset. |
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As ever, if you have enjoyed reading this newsletter, please do not forget to leave a comment. It is always good to hear from you, and if I get few replies it can only mean you didn't enjoy it at all! Ha-ha. For all you masochists >>> There is also a blog for more. Bella X |
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