Etching away

During the week I got to etch the wee aluminium plates I prepared last weekend.

They are only small - 5cm x 5cm each so didn't really require much etching solution!

I am an intermittent printmaker; and often times forget the things that would be second nature to real printmakers.  Like I started wondering if the Sharpie that I had sketched the designs on with would end up acting as a mask for the etching solution.  I took a bet each way and removed it (after another conversation with myself about what might remove it - I ended up with turps) mostly...

In some places the shellac had gone over it and it couldn't be removed; but with the multi line one I decided to leave a bit on around the edges to see if my mask theory was correct.

And then into the copper sulphate solution. I always love the muck that emerges!

And out they came and I was pretty happy with the results. I will need to re-do one of them tho - not so happy with it.

My mask theory was right - you can see how some of the Sharpie worked to resist the etching solution not he edges here.

And then I printed them. I loved the blackness of the first run; but also enjoyed the softness of the second run; the grey and slightly washed out look is a bit softer perhaps.

A direct comparison between black and grey!

So I now have the dilemma of choosing between the looseness of the etch above; or the sharpness of the lino below. And then between the black and the grey. And which typeface to use for the words. And what size typeface to use. And then the layout of the image to the words. And then...

Onwards!

Thursday Thoughts...

“Your problem is how you are going to spend this one and precious life you have been issued. Whether you’re going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.” 

Anne Lamott

As the wheel turns thru the trio of topics Art, Life and Books, it lands on Life today.

I spend a fair bit of time trying to work out how to live life.  How to get the most out of it; how to slow down; how to try and schedule things so I don't end up doing so much at all at once; how to be quiet and still and let things just settle; how to find joy in the things you do; how to contribute; how to be a good friend and family member.

I think the list is endless really; and so I came across Ann Lamott's words and thought - she has the heart of it.

I feel OK about the not trying to look good thing - I gave up worrying about stuff like that a long time ago and moving to the country and working for ourselves and as artists helped enormously.  I struggle more with the illusion of power over circumstances....

I like to think I can schedule things and set things up to work; and am not so good at the loss of control thing; but am learning, slowly, and sometimes painfully, to let go of some of that. On the other hand, I do feel as if I can taste life, enjoy it and am discovering more and more truths about myself as I go along.

Luckily, a work in progress!

Spending time in places like these - the empty wild spaces of Scotland, teaches me truths about myself...

Type bonanza

I am not really an e-Bay kind of gal; I rarely look there and never really know how to navigate it or what to do once I am in there.  But for some strange reason, I was there last week and found another Adana press for sale with some bibs and bobs.  It was for sale and for offer, so I made an offer that I thought was fair, and blow me down it got accepted!

The weird thing was that the press and the type were in Nambour, which is only 40 minutes drive from us (in Australia being able to go for a quick trip to collect presses and type is pretty rare), so I was extra chuffed with that.

The extra press will be handy (the count is now 5 Adanas so that we can do some teaching and go on the road to teach); but I could not believe all the extras that were included. Some photopolymer plates, some snips, chases, quoins, furniture, and a UV exposure unit!

In amongst it all there was a stack of type,  which I hadn't really paid much attention to in the ad. In a few spare hours here and there I have begun to sort it and am thrilled with the beautiful typefaces and the volume of type.

The stash (excluding press and UV unit)

One of the challenges is that much of the type has kind of cascaded...having only been stood in a metal tray and not kept rigid.

There are quite a few hours needed to sort these two lots - the type is small as well and there is plenty of it.

There were three boxes of this small italic, pointed pen type script - also needing to be sorted and named and packed away safely...

But I did manage to get a couple typefaces sorted and packed away

This one I just cannot find in any of my book -  a mystery typeface for me at the moment.
It is rather lovely and after sorting it into a new used box, I simply inked across the top of it and patted some paper down to get a bit of a look and feel for it.

It look like I might be missing "W" but a part of me wonders if in fact the third line, second in, isn't "W" without one of the attaching diagonals? I'd like to hope so!

And this lovely 18pt one as well - I have at least discovered its name Annonce Grotesque aka "Hallo".

 And yet another lovely one that I didn't even see on one of the trays until I had sorted something else.  It is sweet and elegant and I want to start using it already. It is now sorted into a box and I can see at a glance what is there.

Again, just a rub and  pat to get a better look at it and to be able to find it in my books. It is called "Colonna" and is 18pt. I plan to do a proper book all the typefaces I have and in what sizes, so for the time being a bit of a rough impression will do.

What an astonishing find!  I am currently sorting a 24pt Rockwell and a 12pt Rockwell and there are three or four more to sort still!

Working, working

I have spent time over the weekend working, working, gathering thoughts and trials and ideas for the work going to Sydney in September.

I am happy with the symbols and imagery I have worked out and am now testing ways to reproduce them onto paper.

Working with lino cutting - the first test.

A second run with a few extra white lines evident - following my own instructions from the first run.

And then a trial of all four images done using lino.

I was also attempting a couple of collagraph plates to see how they might work.

 And printed one and compared it to the lino.

What was funniest though was the effort I had put in to get 100 small dots onto a 5cm x 5cm square plate (see above). I had a brain wave to use these sticky dots that I think scrapbookers use; and patiently popped them out of their stickiness and 'stuck' them to the plate. I sprayed a protective coating and left for a few days, thinking I'd be good to ink.

Laugh out loud - they basically just popped themselves off as I moved the plate from here to there!

And these 2.5 were the only ones that really showed any resistance at all.

So, nice idea, but that ain't gonna work.

Adding to my tests and trials I went and cut some small aluminium plates.

And then scraped the edges and sides to smooth them - loved the curly remnants.

 And then tried shellac dots.

And tested the other designs as well, all of which are drying and may get to be etched through the week, and then maybe even printed for comparison.

It's a slow old approach, but I am so grateful I have some clear time to do all the testing, rather than feeling pressured and stressed to produce it all in a rush.

Thursday Thoughts...

“Normality is a paved road. It is comfortable to walk but no flowers grow on it.” 
Vincent van Gogh

I have to think these words describe some of Vincent's work perfectly. His work seems so different to much of what else was being painted at the time; and of course, there were flowers.

I really don't think of my work as avant grade, or ground-breaking or out there or anything else that might describe exciting art movements; but I don't think is normal either.   The reason I felt a tug towards these words is that my work is to be found in a very small niche.

Artists' books are not taking over the world with popularity; nor are they the next big thing. Here in Australia they have a small but dedicated following; but most folk don't really understand or 'get' them. My work also involves more text than pictures - that is they are not books of paintings or drawings or prints; they are books of artistic words in a way.

I laugh a myself often when I try to describe my work to folk who ask "and what do you do?"

Poor things, they are just being polite at a social gathering and they end up with this strange description and response! For a lot of folk their first point of trying to connect is to think I do illustrations for children's books, so we wander a long and sometimes windy path to gain a better understanding...

And I think that is why I like this quote - my work is not normal, I love making it and it feels to me as if flowers grow alongside me as I go!

Irises by Vincent van Gogh, from the Met, NYC, 2012.

Working on women's things

The weekend was a good time. Unusually for us we had no major or compelling commitments to anybody or anything during the day, so I had some lovely time in the studio trying this and testing that.  To have that time without pressure is such a gift; my head wasn't racing; I wasn't pushing myself; I was able to pay attention to things and to think things through properly; and make notes!

It was a special time.

I haven't made anything, or created anything, but oh my, I have made progress.

First up, trying to see if typing without a ribbon will work for me.  Also testing how heavy a paper can I get the roller to pull through? I hadn't realised that 300gsm paper would be very hard; that the width of the paper seemed to make a difference and so on. So I mucked about with lots of rolling on techniques and papers to see if it was even possible to contemplate the typewriter for a book

Gmund Cotton 300gsm goes through if it is narrow; but not if it is wide.

I do love it and think it will offer me something.

And then, testing embossing 300 gsm paper. I have been thinking I might like to print, letterpress and emboss a piece.  And then I started thinking well, the paper I like to letterpress on, might not emboss well, so I'd better try that!  Here are the results of placing the paper on the plate; and the plate on the paper as I put it through the etching press.

Also thinking about what sort of paper could handle going thought the etching press twice and the letterpress once without warping.

Some relief printing and embossing on 300gsm paper.

And then back to the typewriter and wondering if I rubbed graphite across the top of the typed words would that increase readability and interest?

I think it does...

 All very muted tones; but I can imagine a splash or hint of red somewhere in the finished piece; although we are far far away from a finished piece...

Believing in peace...

On 25 April, Australians mark ANZAC Day - the day that our first soldiers landed at Gallipoli, Turkey in the First World War, marking our entrance to the conflict. It was a disaster and like so many of those WWI campaigns, it lasted and lasted and very little was gained.

It is a sombre day - the Dawn service in Maleny at 4.28am, marches in towns and cities across the country and time often spent in the studio pondering war and peace.

This year I had no real plan, but wanted to sit there and ponder peace.

I played with a self-inking stamp I had bought a while ago, and just over-stamped on light cotton muslin.

And then I tried it on a postcard-sized piece of paper.

And liked the pattern they created together.

And then I got out some watercolour pencils and drew poppies, onto stems I had de-bossed.

And the three of them sat together.

But they sparked me into making some postcards, using gouache this time instead of watercolour pencils. Before dotting my poppies.

And after.

It has been a while since I have given myself permission to just sit and think about something for no real purpose; and to pull a bit o f this and a bit of that together and see what happens.

And for anybody wondering how the scraps of fabric came together - here is the finished product, a great little bag with lots of raw and selvedge edges.