Dent

A quiet corner in Dent.
3 colour Reduction Linocut
177mm x 120mm.

Finished the demonstration piece. For me not a typical print, Its only two colours plus black for a start and I don't usually go in for a black outline and border round everything. So alongside my usual work it looks a little strange. However, it served its purpose as a demonstration print, as I printed the final colour as part of my talk last friday at Doncaster Art Gallery. Not being a particularly confident public speaker it was quite helpful to have something to do whilst talking.

Now to get back to some proper work. If all goes well, next week should see a big piece I have been working on finished. It will have to be a full reveal though as I haven't been photographing any of the stages.

Colours 2 and 3

 Printed the second colour on the new linocut and then after clearing away the sky part of the block I printed a bright green across the lower half of the print.

Nearly Finished

We are getting to the stage now when it becomes difficult to decide just how much more fiddling around to do. The next dark layer will more clearly define the trees around the buildings and the foreground grasses, but do I do another dark after that? I want to keep the tonal changes quite subtle and I certainly don't want to use black or any tone so dark.

Three more colours

After the blue, a brown colour and then the first green.

Followed by another blue and now the image is now begining to resolve itself. Only a couple of more colours and it will be finished.

First Blue

Not much progress, just got the first blue printed.

New Print

Not much to see yet, just the first colours on a new print.

A very pale cream colour (above), followed by a cool grey, only slightly darker in tone than the cream.

and then a slightly darker grey tone.

So that's the clouds finished. Blue for the sky next.

The Relics of St Cuthbert

The Relics of St Cuthbert arriving at Fishlake.
7 Colour Reduction Linocut. 270mm x 180mm. Edition of 6.

Unusually for me this is a narrative composition and interpretation influenced by a story and historical tradition, rather than a more straight forward response to the subject matter.

Although familiar with the landscape and history of Lindisfarne and the story of St Cuthbert, I was less familiar with a connection to the village of Fishlake near Doncaster in South Yorkshire. It was only when I went there to make some sketches of the carved Norman doorway that I discovered the traditional connection.

Cuthbert was prior of the monastery at Lindisfarne living there for about 10 years before moving to live the life of a hermit on the island of Inner Farne. For 10 years he lived there before being asked by both the King and Church to become a bishop. For two years he was a travelling bishop, journeying extensively throughout Northumbria. On feeling the approach of death he retired back to his hermitage on Inner Farne where he died on 20th March 687AD. His body was taken and buried on Lindisfarne. Pilgrims went to pray at his grave and miracles of healing were claimed, a clear sign to the monks of Lindisfarne that Cuthbert was now a saint in heaven and that they should declare this to the world. They decided to wait 11 years for his body to become a skeleton and then 'elevate' his remains on the anniversary of his death. The declaration of his sainthood was to be a day of celebration, joy and thanksgiving. It was also a big surprise. When the coffin was opened they found not the expected skeleton but a complete and undecayed body. A sign of very great sainthood indeed! Pilgrims flocked to the shrine and the ordinary life of the monastery continued until the 8th of June 793 when the Vikings came and the monastery was sacked and partly burned down. After that the monastery was continually under threat and during the 9th century there was a gradual movement of goods and buildings to the nearby mainland. The monastery was finally abandoned in 875AD, when the body of St Cuthbert and other relics and treasures which had survived the Viking raids were carried by the monks to the mainland. For over 100 years the Lindisfarne community settled in the old Roman town of Chester-le-street. The Viking raids continued and fear of further attacks took the monks and their precious relics (among them the body of St Cuthbert) on a  journey south and further inland to Ripon, before moving again northwards to Durham. At some point on this perambulation around Northumbria, tradition has it that the body rested at Fishlake, hence the dedication of the parish church to St Cuthbert.

Thinking about his story as I wandered around the village and the churchyard, I tried to imagine the spirituality and dedication of the monks to their community and its saint. Always on the move, living in fear of further raids from the Norsemen, perhaps travelling by night. This is my interpretation of them having arrived by boat at Fishlake. Which in the 9th or 10th century, was probably an island of slightly higher ground surrounded by the marshlands of the Humberhead Levels.

Nearly There

Another example of some dodgy photography. The shine is from the still wet ink. This is colour 5. One or maybe two more colours to go.

More Catkins

Spring Catkins. 8 Colour Reduction Linocut. 270mm x 180mm.

The colour version of the black and white print in the previous post.Made using the same block.

Catkins

Springtime Fretwork-Rawclife Bridge.
Single colour Linocut. 270mm x 180mm.


Printed the black and white version, with apologies for the poor photography. Now to add some colour.

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.

Back to the prints

This print is a bit of a departure from my usual multi colour prints. On the face of it this single colour print should be fairly straight forward. However, it does involve some complicated and fiddly cutting so it could be a while yet before we get to the printing stage.

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.

Nocturne - Two more colours

Next after the dark blue is this warm brown grey, and the subject becomes clear - Nightjars.

The next colour is a dark blue grey to add some plumage details and the landscape. One final dark after this will see the print finished.

Nocturne 2nd and 3rd Colours

After the initial pale colour the remaining colours start to get much darker. The second colour is a medium blue grey followed by a deep blue to set the tone of the night sky.

Nocturne. First Colour

Not much to see yet, just a pale yellow with a few white shapes cut out. This is the second of my rather tenuously dance themed prints. Hopefully complimentary to the Lapwing print. The inspiration for this comes from the first line of  JJ Cales' song Magnolia, and some drawings made on Dunwich Heath in Suffolk.

Lapwings

Spring Skydance-Lapwings
7 Colour Reduction Linocut. 270mm x 180mm. Edition of 8 Prints.

Prints 1 to 4 are printed on my usual Winsor and Newton Cartridge paper, prints 5 to 8 are printed on a batch of Hosho paper. Which when I last used it, I had a lot of trouble with it sticking to the block and then tearing. This time I managed to print on it without any problems. I still don't have enough confidence in it though to use it for an entire edition.

With the final dark the Lapwing print is finished and I can start on the second of my prints based on the theme of 'the dance'. The next print will have a much different atmosphere, slower movement and hopefully a calmer and more contemplative feel.

Lapwing Print - nearly finished

After the dark blue printed previously, the next dark layer really starts to bring the image together. With only one more final dark to go, it is time to start thinking about my next offering on the theme of 'the dance.'

Lapwing print - 3 more colours

I've made quite a bit of progress on the print with 3 more colours finished. The first blue above finishes the sky and adds the shadowed areas of the birds wings.

Then an orange brown, this will only show in the area beneath the birds tail and in the foreground field.

 A darker blue adds the trees and church tower on the far horizon and some darker shadows beneath the birds wing. Only two more colours to go from here.