Finishing a print, starting another and exhibition news

I've added two further darks to the Tynemouth print but still haven't made my mind up about it yet. There are some things I like about it but the print looks (to me) overworked and I can't decide if I'm completely happy with it. I'll give it a couple of weeks in the bottom of the  plan chest and then pull it out and look at it again with fresh eyes.

Colour 10

 Colour 11

In the meantime back to a fresh piece of lino and a slightly different approach. First colour is a blended roll from light grey to yellow ochre.

Inked block

and printed

2nd pass is another blend; light blue through blue grey to a darker ochre colour.
Inked block.

and printed.

October has been quiet for me with no art fairs or exhibitions since the Macclesfield Print fair in September. November is going to be a bit more busy. This coming weekend I will be at the Corn Exchange in Leeds for the first Leeds Printfair from 10am until 6pm. The following day it's quick trip up the A1 to Masham for Crafted by Hand at Masham Town Hall. My first time exhibiting at this event which I am looking forward to. On Saturday 15th November, I will be at the Sheffield Print Fair at St Marys Church and Conference Centre on Bramall Lane, Another new event for me. The following weekend I will be back at Holmfirth on 23rd November for the Art Market.

Derbyshire Open Arts, New Mills Town Hall 24th - 26th May.

On the road again.. Off to the High Peak District of Derbyshire.

All packed up, it just about all fits in. I really need a van.

Where I've come from.
This is the summit of Holme Moss looking back towards Holmfirth. A typical Spring day on the high Yorkshire Moors. If it was fine there would be a view all down the Holme Valley.

Where I'm going.
Looking down towards Woodhead. The weather could be better.

Lower down the hill, driving out of the cloud and the weather improves slightly. This is Woodhead in Longdendale.

The gig. New Mills Town Hall. In an area of stunning scenery that hither to I've sadly neglected to explore. I'm less than 40 miles from my home and I've  never been here before.

All set up and ready.

The exhibition opens tomorrow at 10.00am and runs until 5pm on Monday. Drop  by and say hello if you are in the area.

Same but different Art Fair - Temple Newsam House, Leeds

or more accurately in a posh marquee in the walled garden at Temple Newsam. Lovely setting, hope we get lots of visitors.

My bit

The Plan

The plan coming together

Finished. Not quite as I planned.

Just need to take all the card protectors from the corners of the frames.

Catching Up

Its been a while since my last post so time for a bit of a catch up. The Holmfirth Art Market last weekend was a hugely enjoyable event, I am only sorry that it has taken me so long to get round to taking part in it. Sales were good and it was a chance to catch up with friends that I hadn't seen since being at Skipton in August. I will definately be applying to take part in next years markets. A couple of days ago I had confirmation of a place at a new event to be held in the walled garden at Temple Newsam house in Leeds next April. I'll post more details about this later.

As for art work, well since my last post I  have finished this.

Towards the Ouse-Old Goole.
12 colour reduction linocut
240mm x 340mm
Edition of 6

and started this.

Colour 1. A pale blue.

Colour 2. A pale grey.

More Exhibitions

I delivered work to the Calder Gallery in Hebden Bridge yesterday for their Original Print Show. This is one of  my favourite galleries and the annual print show is always a pleasure to take part in. The exhibition opens on 1st November and will run until early in the New Year.

On 10th November I will be at the Holmfirth Art Market. This is the first time that I have taken part in this particular event, but I have heard good things about it so I am looking forward to a good time there. There is an Open Evening on Saturday 9th November from 8pm until 10pm and the Market opens on Sunday 10th November at 10am closing at 4pm.

Exhibition News

I have three prints in the Art of Printmaking Exhibition at the Cooper Gallery in Barnsley. Not only a great little gallery, which I have never visited before, but it also has a lovely little cafe. The exhibition is a group show by members of Printmaking on Line and features a range of work across various printmaking techniques. 

I have also delivered some new work to the Craft Centre and Design Gallery in Leeds and this coming weekend sees the opening of an exciting new gallery in Bowness on Windermere, Cumbria, showing the work of contemporary printmakers. The Mere Gallery

New Work

I have been working solidly for the last twelve months or so, on work for a solo exhibition at Doncaster Art Gallery next January. This will have around 25-30 prints in it, all based on studies made around the valley of the River Don in South Yorkshire. Mostly landscapes but others with some Natural History content. So far I have 21 prints completed, so as I average about 2 a month I should meet my target. As all this work is for a particular exhibition, apart from posting the step by step stages on the blog, I have been keeping these prints under wraps and haven't shown them anywhere yet. However, this means that I am now running low on other work and my print drawers are starting to look a little bare. Which is good in one respect but as Art in the Pen is coming up next weekend, I am conscious that I am going there with pretty much the same work that I took last year and which I also showed at Printfest earlier this year. It doesn't look like I have done anything new for about the last 18 months! So in order to redress this over the last week or so, in and amongst other work, I have come up with a couple of new items just for next weekend.

Firstly a couple of simple prints done using the same block.

Badger 1
Linocut. 110mm x 150mm

I had been to that well known stockist of artist materials "Poundland" and bought a load of small brown paper bags, originally these were being sold as bags to put packed lunches in for childrens school dinners. I wanted them to put greetings cards and small prints in when I sold them. To smarten the bags up I printed this simple design onto the front of them all. Loathe as I was to waste a print on a "give away" I also printed a small edition of 12 onto some Hosho paper. Using the same block I also made a two colour linocut which I printed as a much larger edition of 24 also on Hosho paper. Actually my largest edition to date. I don't usually print more than 10 in an edition.

Badger 2
2 colour reduction linocut. 110mm x 150mm

These were pretty simple and didn't take much time to do so I came up with something else, slightly more complicated.

Otter
7 colour reduction linocut.
247mm x 150mm
Edition of 16.

Based on drawings made a couple of years ago of one in the River Nith in the centre of Dumfriess.

New Gallery

My work is now available at the Church Street Gallery in Saffron Walden, Essex. A gallery specialising in the work of contemporary printmakers.

17 Church Street
Saffron Walden
Essex
CB10 1JW
tel : 01799 522947
Church Street Gallery

Printfest

Back home after a busy weekend at Printfest in Ulverston. Had a really good weekend, met some very interesting and talented artists and made some print sales. See the links on the side to Martin Mitchell, Mark Pearce and Ben Quail. This is my space just after arriving.

Two and half hours later and its all set for the private view. I had spent some time at home working out the hanging sequence, trying to fit the prints into the space. I had almost got it right too. I just didn't leave room for the labels.

Printfest

Finally finished packing everything up ready for tomorrows trip up to Ulverston for the Printfest weekend. I just need to fit it all in the car now!

The private view is tomorrow night from 7pm-9pm and the exhibition runs this Saturday and Sunday at the Coronation Hall in Ulverston, Cumbria.

Printfest

I received confirmation yesterday that my application to exhibit at this years Printfest in Ulverston has been accepted. This is the first time I have applied for this event so I am very excited about showing my work there, if a little daunted by the prospect of my work being alongside so many reputable printmakers.

This years event takes place on the 4th and 5th May and is open from 10am - 5pm at the Coronation Hall, County Square, Ulverston, Cumbria. LA12 7LZ.
So if you are in the South Lakes area drop in and say hello.

Pendle Print Festival

Just returned home after taking part in the first Pendle Print Festival at the Higherford Mill Artists Studios at Barrowford near Colne in Lancashire. We had a lovely warm welcome from the resident artists and have had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend... and even sold a few prints! Like Art in the Pen, it was an opportunity  to meet and exchange ideas with a number of inspiring artists. Check out the links on the right to the work of Peter Smith and Lisa Moore.

Next on the agenda is a trip to the Lake District on wednesday morning to hang the prints for my solo show in the Forest Cafe Gallery at the Grizedale Forest Visitor Centre near Hawkshead in Cumbria.

Art in the Pen - next weekend

Spent this weekend packing and sorting work to take to Skipton next Friday for Art in the Pen. I had some last minute framing to do, but finally all is ready. I've gone for a bigger pen this year. Not because I have any more work than I took last year. But I thought it would be better for people viewing the work if it was hung in a bigger space. Hopefully the extra expense will be justified.  There are 70 artists taking part this year, a wide cross-section of disciplines; Sculptors, Ceramists, Jewelers, Painters and a few Printmakers. I'm looking forward to meeting up again with some familiar faces from last year and meet some new friends.

Exhibition Preview

Yesterday was spent running around, in the morning a trip over to Malton to drop the work off for the Talents Fine Arts Summer Exhibition. The preview is next Friday night - see above for more details. I have two prints in the show. The Lapwings used on the publicity material above and the Nightjar print.

After dropping off the work in Malton it was straight back and over to Holmfirth to collect the work at the end of Holmfirth Artweek. It was a nice surprise to find that I had sold a couple more pieces than I had when I'd visited the exhibition the previous evening.

Change of plan

I know in the previous post that I said this print was intended to be a single colour, black on white print. However, I couldn't resist trying to make a colour version as well. So we will try to make two editions from the single block. With this base colour down I can begin to carve the block. The initial inspiration for doing this print, and more especially for making the black and white version is what will be the contrast between the two halves of the print. The top half will have dark vegetation against light water contrasting with the bottom half of the print which will have light vegetation against dark shadowed water. As I have decided to make a colour version as well there is some work to do on the bottom half of the print to get to the next stage.

On another note, the Summer Print Exhibition at the Calder Gallery in Hebden Bridge which was due to start in a fortnights time has been cancelled due to the gallery suffering damage in the flooding which occurred in Hebden Bridge last weekend.

Still working - honest!

No new prints to show yet as I am still busy framing works for various summer exhibitions. My studio space  now has framed works stacked against the walls in various stages of readiness for delivery. Things are starting to come together but I feel frustrated that doing this is keeping me away from the printing bench. Especially as I have a couple of designs drawn up and ready to transfer to the lino blocks. Next weekend will see the first delivery of work to Holmfirth for the Art Week exhibition. After that its two prints for Talents Fine Arts in Malton and then five prints for the Calder Gallery in Hebden Bridge.

Nightjars

Summer Moondance - Nightjars
6 Colour Reduction Linocut. 270mm x 180mm.
Edition of 6.

A final dark finishes the print off. I suppose that having dealt with Spring and Summer as themes I should tackle Autumn and Winter to finish off the set. This will have to wait for now though, as the next few weeks are going to be busy with framing and preparing work for forthcoming exhibitions.

I have two prints to frame for Holmfirth Art Week and another two to frame for the Summer Exhibition at Talents Fine Arts in Malton. After that its five prints for the Calder Gallery in Hebden Bridge Summer Print Show and then a selection of unframed prints to mount ready for Art in the Pen at Skipton and the Pendle Print Biennial near Colne at the end of August. I also have to frame 30 prints for a solo exhibition at the Grizedale Forest visitor centre in the Lake District which starts on the 7th September.

and the winner is....

Had a very nice surprise today at the preview of the Doncaster Open when my print 'Evening on the Skirfare' took first prize. This is me with the Mayor of Doncaster.

Exhibiting

I have had two linocut prints accepted for the Doncaster Open Art exhibition. This exhibition runs from 22nd October until 3rd December at;

Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery
Chequer Road
Doncaster
South Yorkshire.

Telephone the gallery on 01302 734 293 for further information.

The prints accepted are Kilnsey Crag and Evening on the Skirfare.

Open Up North

Today was the preview of the Open Up North exhibition at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal. Unfortunately I was unable to attend as I had to drop some work off at Doncaster Art Gallery, in the opposite direction to Kendal from here. However, the Brewery Arts Centre has published a full catalogue for the exhibition which is available on line at http://tinyurl.com/newOUNCatalogue