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. 

Half -Tone Experimentation

Recently I have been preparing for a show in Sydney which has been driving my practice forward.This has been a good motivator and it is always great for me to have a deadline to work to. The works for the Sheffer Gallery  are etchings on Japanese paper and sculptural embossings.
 I plan to move away from etching for the time being -  the plan is to develop my screenprinting ability. I am already quite experienced in this area however I have now moved into the Half Tone technique which I have not really ever been engaged in visually - it has never appealed. The more I do it the more I can see it's potential for my work in the future. The broken imagery really appeals and I can see that breaking the rules within the bounds of screenprinting perfection will soon become apparent !
Just like every technique there are the quirky little details you need to know. Things you only find out by making mistakes - of which I have made many !  I will be searching for books on techniques and added info in the next few weeks . . . . . .

Image for the exhibition 'Protest'

detail of half tone print

Experimentation + new plates

steel etching plate

second edition of 10

steel etching plate

artists proof

Working with steel has its challenges. It is a hard metal and I have had trouble etching at home due to the lack of a rosin box to produce 'dust' + cover the steel evenly. Using the shaker method has proven to be hit and miss, however I do like the chance element + happy accidents. Below are my latest prints which I am working on for the show in Australia at the Sheffer Gallery, Sydney.

Etching + Acid + Japanese Papers

 Printed on Hahnemuhle paper. This paper was too heavy for the image and the colors were too explicit for what I wanted to achieve. The lines were too strong also. I do like the blurring and merging of tone so this will be a useful experiment for future work. I have decided to keep the plate one color and just use aquatint only to create imagery.

 I have set up the Nitric Acid at home. I can use it safely outside and move my work along and a faster pace than one workshop day a week ! I have gloves, mask and goggles for added safety

 This plate is processing outside. The acid strength was topped up and working nicely. I feel more confident to do 'spit bite' and mix up stronger acid. Brian ( the technician ) said, ' Never give acid a drink'. This is such a good thing to remember as acid will blow up and react if you DO add water to it!

 The processed plate after several immersions in the acid.

 Plate inked and polished ready for printing. Decided to use grey shades and alot of white.

 The outcome of the second print. I increased the density of color and tone to get more of a sense of drama into the imagery. The edges are torn and generally this image with its textures and divisions worked relatively well.

Experimented further with a second plate over the top allowed me to incorporate the circles as a flat representation of the sphere. I am especially enjoying printing on Japanese paper. It represents the imagery well and allows for fragility and textures to emerge.

Alice Anderson: Childhood Rituals - Freud Museum

Approaching the house you can already get a sense of what is to come. The red hair ties up the house like a giant web - twisted and taught it gives the house a sense of foreboding and tension. This work is called Housebound. I really like the name as well - it adds to the tension of the work very successfully.
Inside on the ground floor there are several installations of objects : a doll covered completely with red hair and mixed media. Around the room a several small human shapes bound tightly into compact shapes. A Film is running on a loop and the hands are working the thread tightly around the finger it is pulling on a paper butterfly below which appears to flutter to life. Eventually the winding of the thread cuts off the blood flow and the finger turns purple. The thread is unwound.
We all remember this 'ritual' as a child. The fear associated with not being able to get the thread off.

Anderson explores the relationship of fairytales and rituals used as a child. She also plays with the mother daughter connection.
Andersons work appears both magical on one level and threatening/unsettled on the other. The work she produces always stays with me for along time. She plays in this space of ambiguity and the whole experience leaves you wanting more. The attention to detail is what I appreciate. The hair in the installations always seems to thread through the buildings. I looked behind a shelf to see where the hair went, it always appears to go through the wall. As I looked I could see pieces of plaster and paint sprinkled in the corner making it seem real - not pretend.

Embossing - Found Objects

 Pins have been a revelation within my work. They transcribe the thorns I used previously. Using them as the imagery for embossing circles has allowed for stimulating new ideas.

a found paper bag adds texture to the circle and plays with the ambiguity of the imagery

This embedment made of concrete holds the lint of my family clothing  -  making a extension and reflection on the book written by John Styles, 'Threads of Feeling' which spoke about the connection of the mother + child through the fabrics left behind as Identifiers. This lint must hold the DNA of my family.

Things Left Behind - Giving Meaning To My Collecting

found button box

staples left in a board outside Intaglio print supplies

skateboard remnants - London

 

skulls + bones

 objects collected from a recent family house clearing