Sheffer Gallery Exhibition - Australia

Opening a long distance show with Australian artist, Ulrike Sturm, on Skype has been a very positive experience. It reminded me of my hour on the plinth in Trafalgar Square - a work about surveillance in the U.K. - contributing to Antony Gormleys living installation,' One and Other'. 

In the Sheffer Gallery my 'head' in the form of a laptop, was placed on a plinth. I was able to chat to people as they passed and discuss my work etc. I found it very interesting that some people were very conscious of the screen and felt 'observed' - they were very wary, however eventually they would come and say hello. 

The works shown are a selection of my current etchings. Large torn Japanese paper prints produced on steel. The steel was left behind in the acid bath over night in some instances to create the corrosive and broken texture to the physicality of the finished surface.

Other works were more sculptural -  prints pierced + embossed with pins, objects immersed in plaster, cement and wax.

A lot of work is in the preparation to get everything together in one place, wrap it all and send it off,  finding the right courier and price, price lists, press release and of course liasioning with Ulrike on all of the above.

Solitary - aquatint etching on steel

Ulrike Sturm + myself at the opening

the Private View evening

Sheffer Gallery + Things left behind

I feel as a project and experiment it was all worthwhile. I certainly learnt about myself as an artist whilst printing and just how quickly the deadline looms ! Prioritized lists are an essential

part of everything coming to fruition. I left a few items too late for the P.V. such as my supporting material in the form of books from The Foundling Museum and cards.


I 'got to know' the etching plates very well and what worked with regards to laying on the ink, tone and colours. Tearing the edge of the paper with a nail to create a feeling of the discarded object and printing off the edge allowed the images a sense of being palpable.

Over all this exhibition was a rich learning curve.