21st February 2012

Fabulous prints from Franklyn Hospital today :

Using self adhesive thin foam and cardboard tubes we made ink stamps and rollers and printed out onto lining paper - beautiful results and lots of energy.

10th February 2012

New work on a circus / fairground theme for the children's day room in Dermatology at Derriford Hospital. Not a very inspiring space but hopefully enlivened by these bright pictures.

7th February 2012

First of a series of print sessions at Exeter's Franklyn Hospital working with elderly people with Alzheimer's disease and other non organic mental illnesses. John - a retired sign writer said "I'm happy here" and that summed up the mood - everyone got involved really positively and seemed to enjoy the results. Trevor said "Did you say there is another session tomorrow?"

This is a Double Elephant project funded by the Lottery Arts for All and will run here in Exeter but also in Hemyock East Devon in a rural setting linking up there with Dance in Devon

31st January 2012

23rd January 2012

New work for a new year. Doesn't really follow on from the Time Passages pieces of 2011 - see Gallery pages, but looks promising and is certainly better than the last colour work I was doing - see blog 20th July.

The whole Time Passages series looks like a real departure compared to this but was in response to the hospital work I think. It was an exciting new way of working using embossings to make the marks, so must revisit in future.

'Spring' Woodcut monotype 2012

Kitchen Lithography

23rd November 2011

After SO MANY attempts, have today succeeded with tin foil and coca cola lithography.

See http://www.art-emilion.fr for all the details. It takes a bit of learning but when you suss it out it is like magic.

Here are my early trials :

Next to take it to Double Elephant and into schools.

lights going on

21st November 2011

Great series of 3 seminars at Spike Island Print Workshop given by Gill Nicol - http://www.lightsgoingon.com on art history leading up to conceptual work and followed by talk from Professor Paul Coldwell - a contemporary perspective on printmaking.

Check out Gill's 365 project - tweeting a new artist every day

INC and Oxford

10th November 2011

Enthusiastic workshop printing Christmas cards in Exmouth in a great new shop / gallery called INC - check it out at http://www.inc-inc.co.uk/

Followed by a two day residency in Oxfordshire with William Fletcher Primary School in Yarnton. What a pleasure to spend time getting to know the children and make some wonderful collographs....

Originals in Print

31st October 2011

The Originals in Print web site has gone live - http://www.originals-inprint.com/

and my work is on it - so please take a look and tell all your friends.

Print Animations

28th October 2011

Working at Double Elephant with Josh Gaunt to make printed animations - have a look :

http://fb.me/Bg4ejNfc

and link to DEPW blog too : http://tumblr.com/ZYLoEyB7zlJf

20 : 20 Print Exchange

Double Elephant are taking part in this exchange organised by Hot Bed Press in Salford and Red Hot Press in Southampton

In 2010 120 artists from 10 print workshops around the UK and Ireland took part and produced a set of prints, each receiving a box set of 20 randomly selected prints in return for a £10 submission fee. Each workshop was given a random portfolio and a twinned portfolio containing 10 of their own members’ prints and 10 from another randomly selected print workshop.

Here is our submission :-

10th October 2011

Today I acquired, for a donation to charity this beautifully made antique relief press. It used to belong to Arthur Homeshaw RWA who died earlier this year. Has anyone seen anything like this before? It has been used to print small wood and lino blocks and letterpress - mostly for Christmas cards. It  has a fold out tympan and the pressure is applied with a kind of cantilever handle. Please get in touch if you know the history of this press.

Born in 1933 Arthur Homeshaw made the most fabulous linocuts which can be seen at Mid Cornwall Galleries http://www.midcornwallgalleries.co.uk/profile.asp?artist=Arthur%20Homeshaw%20RWA
His work can be placed in the English romantic tradition of Samuel Palmer (1805-1881) and Paul Nash (1889-1942). He was also influenced by the wood engraver Eric Ravillious (1903-1942).

He also taught art and woodwork at Queen Elizabeth's Community College in my home town of Crediton, Devon and examples of the precision and artistry of his work can be seen in these lino blocks which he used as a teaching aid for students working on pattern and texture :-

27 August 2011

Two weeks camping in Northumberland - fantastic - although we came back a few weeks ago - so I'm a bit late in blogging. However - a visit to Vindolanda the Roman settlement at Hadrian's Wall - amazing number of interesting artifacts found - not least of which are shoes - seen here :

The museum also has the collection of wooden hand written letters or cards - detailing life on the settlement - so old and yet really vivid. Also went to Baltic in Newcastle - great shows by Maurizio Anzeri and Robert Breer.

Back home and a trip to see the Miro at Tate Modern - found it rather depressing linked solely to the history of the time and not much about Miro himself. That, plus the grey light in the grey Tate galleries killed it for me and made what I have always seen as vigorous, playful, life affirming abstraction into something a bit too serious.

Then on to Stoke for the last 2 sessions of my residency there. Sad not to be going back - it has been a real pleasure to meet people there and experience a different way of working in the arts.

20th July 2011

Frustration at all the distractions stopping me from getting on with my work. Most are about running Double Elephant workshops - earning the money.... but there's also teenagers !  Today at Silverton Community Centre, Monday at Newton Abbot College, tomorrow at Derriford Hospital.

It seems like an age since I made this....but I sense a new direction just emerging.

'See The World' . Monotype

Yesterday another day with the' I Love Art crew' in Taunton (see below 15th June) and they gave me a lovely badge.....

Today was day one of my new project working with Care of the Elderly on Hartor Ward Derriford Plymouth. This has been funded by The Derriford League of Friends and will run for about 30 weeks.

Today I painted with a group of 5 elderly and frail men. What an honour. Here is an example by Ken:

And lastly very excited about the Print Bike - http://www.studiopolpo.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77%3Aprintbike&Itemid=56

21st June 2011

Supporting DAISI http://www.daisi.org.uk/ at the science expo "The Big Bang" http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/southwest/ at Exeter University. Printing a wall of science and art related text - a kind of word association :-

17 June 2011

See Blog # 14, 18th May - Emma (http://www.emmamolony.com/) and I printed the cushions today - what do you think?

15th June 2011

Working with a group of Gifted and Talented Key Stage 2 and 3 children at The Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton in conjunction with SPAEDA arts education and 'arts adventures'.

An opportunity to look closely at the exhibition: "Ad Lucem"  - the University of Plymouth, Somerset College's third year Fine Art graduate degree show, examine the art and make drawings and carry out some research. Then some mono-printmaking:

With some interesting results. Day two of Drypoint print on 29th June

6th June 2011

Current Exhibition: South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts Academician’s Exhibition (04.06.11 – 17.06.11)

I have two prints in this show - 'Subtle Vessel' and 'Passenger' - both of which you can see in the gallery section of this web site. My first year as an Academician.

http://www.glossgallery.co.uk/

http://www.southwestacademyoffineandappliedarts.org.uk/

3rd June 2011

Printmaking with children, parents and carers at Stoke Canon today for the launch of the Devon Carousel Project

      'The Devon Carousel Project' is a family-led, multi cultural, intergenerational, collaborative community arts, culture and environmental studies initiative, providing high-quality participatory arts and environmental education experiences to those who might not have otherwise had access.  http://www.thecarouselproject.org.uk/

1st June 2011

Started the first of three print workshops for patients at The Mustard Tree - Derriford Hospital's Macmillan cancer support centre. If you know anyone who might like to come along  - please let them know.

A link to Heathfield School, Ascot - (http://www.heathfieldschool.net/stylesheet.asp?file=611_news_and_events) A group of Sixth form girls visited Double Elephant in February for an intensive weekend of printmaking. Here is their report :-

The weekend enabled us to take pre-prepared work to a print studio and benefit from the expertise of a specialist print maker and printmaking facilities. Each one of us came back with an exciting series of prints in different techniques such as collographs, dry point and monoprinting.


It helped us gain inspiration for the externally set unit, which we were just starting, and we were able to launch the project with new ideas. In addition, we visited a number of contemporary galleries that also helped us to further develop ideas for this project.We stayed in a lovely hotel right in the centre of Exeter and we were able to get a feel for the town which was really interesting, especially as some of us are thinking of applying to Exeter University next year.We also had a chance to do some sightseeing including Exeter Cathedral and we benefited from fashion shops of course! We got a taste for student life in a couple of student cafés and experienced the town in the day and at night.We gained a lot from this trip and thoroughly recommend it to future year groups. We came back from this trip really inspired and full of enthusiasm.
Emily Ravenscroft and Anna Vaindirlis-Brak, Lower Sixth Form

26th May 2011

My final day at Roselands - what a busy week - and printing drypoints on perspex today - which was tricky with such young children. The theme was a Ghaniain creation myth. Great results and even some chine colle. Phew.

25th May 2011

Today all of my artwork went up in the Primrose Breast Care Centre at Derriford. Here it is :

These are three tryptich landscapes which are in two quiet rooms and one examination room. All are monoprints.

  10 leaf photographs by Kate Bailey along the corridor which joins the waiting area with consultation rooms. (http://www.katebaileyphotographer.co.uk/ )

  Collograph images laminated to glass instrument cabinets.

24th May 2011

Day two at Roselands and we were making monoprints using cut card, leaves and textured wallpaper. Usually we break into small groups of 5 to print but today it was all together and the group of 30 children regulated themselves - queueing for the press, older ones helping the younger ones, working collaboratively and it worked like a dream...I think hitting many of the SEAL goals. We must have made 200 + prints and here is a small sample....

I have started a three day project today at Roseland Primary School in Paignton on behalf of DAISI (Devon Art in Schools http://www.daisi.org.uk/ ) It is funded by Torbay Council and aims to address Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning - SEAL. Today we made collographs on a rainforest / ecology theme with a mixed age group of 28 year 3, 4 and 5 children.

For more information on SEAL go to http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/inclusion/behaviourattendanceandseal/seal/primarysealclassroomresources

18th May 2011

Emma Molony (www.emmamolony.com)  and I have been commissioned to print cushion covers for A La Ronde a National Trust house near to Exmouth ( http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-alaronde ) The covers will indicate to visitors where they can sit down.

"This unique sixteen-sided house, described by Lucinda Lambton as having 'a magical strangeness that one might dream of only as a child', was built for two spinster cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter, on their return from a European grand tour in the late 18th century. It contains many objects and mementoes of their travels, and the extraordinary interior decoration includes a feather frieze from many species of birds, including game birds, fowl, jays and parrots, laboriously stuck down with isinglass. A fragile shell-encrusted gallery, said to contain nearly 25,000 shells, can be viewed in entirety on closed-circuit television. " 

Sounds fantastic and my friend Nicola Perryman works there - although I have never been I am planning to deliver the covers when they are printed. Sadly we didn't get much done today because the screen emulsion ran out...

We mixed inks  (blue and gold we think) and made the stencils - here they are...

17th May 2011

A visit to see Mike Calver in his Tiverton studio - really stunning, colourful and visually exciting paintings perfectly executed. Have a look at his work at :- http://www.michaelcalver.co.uk

These photos do not do justice to the brilliance of the colour combinations - in fact you have to see them face to face.  Note in these pictures all the little pieces of masking tape on the wall which are testimony to the many colour trials that go into making the paintings. Mike currently has work in PRINT at The Exchange in Newlyn Art Gallery in Penzance.

  Theory of Emblems. Acrylic on Canvas. Michael Calver

Great day hanging the collograph laminated boards in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and in the Transitional Care Ward. This has been a long project. We started last autumn with two workshops for staff and parents of babies in the unit - that generated some ideas and some simple collograph plates which were shown to other staff who had been unable to attend. We gathered feedback and guaged opinions of the work. After a lot of ummming and aaahing it was decided that I should make more of the plates based on the ones that had been most popular from the workshops. The prints are colour themed - greens and blues for NICU, warmer colours for TCW and are based on a sea theme with images of parent and child...big fish, little fish, big boat, little boat.

Finally the prints were photographed and prints on plastic laminated to board by Significant Signs of Plymouth to meet infection control standards. It is surprising how the colours of such bright prints get swallowed up by the hospital environment - we could easily have made more.

10th May 2011

Into Double Elephant this morning to finish making the outer panels for the three large prints to go into the Gemstone rooms in the Primrose Breast Care Department at Derriford. I have been struggling to make these because they are so different from my usual way of working. But what-do-you-know - I quite enjoyed making them and I'm happy with the result and it is always good to push the comfort zone. Now I may add linocut motifs to the outer panels but I'm not sure. I have to wait for them to dry.

9th May 2011

To Derriford Hospital to run a short workshop with the Eden Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy

6th May 2011

There is still time to visit Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton to see a printmaking exhibition.  

See : http://www.tsft.nhs.uk/News/LatestPressReleases/2011/March2011/InPrintatMusgrovePark                   

Prints in the exhibition include etchings, wood engravings, woodcuts, linocuts and screen prints. These are the works of eight invited West Country artists – Jill Barker, Susan Gradwell, Sally Hebeler, Christine Howes, Gail Mason, Jane Mowat, Myrtle Pizzey and Simon Ripley.

Here is "Internalise" by me

Exhibition continues until 29th May

29th April 2011

27th April 2011

Making collograph birds for the images to go on glass cabinets in the Treatment Rooms in Primrose at Derriford

Today at Landscore Primary school in Crediton Devon, working on their international exchange Comenius project where the school links with other schools in Italy, France, Sweden, Poland and Bulgaria. Making reference to murals and paintings by Bulgarian artist Nikolay Diulgherov,           

Four groups of 30 children made simple cut out shapes for the first stage of collograph printing.
Printing next Tuesday