Stranded
The source photograph for this series was taken is very close to the last- on the outskirts of Howarth.
The subject is intentionally mysterious, with only traces of it evident in the final prints.
Enfield Side 27 May 2018 11:24 Photo-etching and monoprint 2019
This mystery is hard-won, the result of much experimentation in both plate treatment and in forms of under-printing. I will return to the theme of experimentation in a later post.
There are two layers of under-printing in this series- both using burnt sienna as the base colour. Here you can see the subject dipping into the darker of the two.
Most of the ink used in this collection are ready-made tube inks. In this case, the main ink used is hand-prepared.
Enfield Side 27 May 2018 11:24 Photo-etching and monoprint 2019
The plain etching below now makes the source clearer. What was left behind is a woollen glove, now ground into a shallow puddle by the side of the road. The puddle that the glove fell in is long-since dried out.
Though this is now evident, the plate was ground considerably to the bottom right (as viewing), making the wrist of the glove far less obvious. This is as it was on the day- hard to pick out from the stones stranded in this now dried up puddle.
Enfield Side 27 May 2018 11:24 Photo-etching 2019
Broken
This post breaks the recent chronological sequence. In the interests of posting promptly, I have opted for a further short sequence- but taken from a different walk at a different time of day, but still not far from those I have posted to date. This series is from an image taken on a summer’s day walk near Howarth, on road atop the Lower Laithe Dam.
It is of plastic fragments- the biggest part being of a broken sign that in normal times demonstrates the local water utility company’s interest. The company that manages the many reservoirs punctuating this landscape; reservoirs that I have taken great interest in photographing and painting over the years. Hence, the significance of this fragment, which is itself is part of a reservoir cartoon.
Lower Laithe Dam 28 May 2018 15:15 Photo-etching 2020
From the earliest printings of this plate, I was convinced that some further colour would add to the depth of the image. None of the earlier combinations seemed to add much- but latterly a little underprinting with pale ink gave a greater idea of the depth here. Here I used a circular mask to strengthen the pattern where the milk bottle top covers part of the sign.
Lower Laithe Dam 28 May 2018 15:15 Photo-etching and monoprint 2020
Exhibition Day Rochdale Canal, Todmorden
This is now the proposed weekend for the exhibition. As I’m continuing to select and post, it is clear that the exhibition (even in virtual form) is not yet complete.
Today’s image is from a photograph taken towards the end of an early morning walk, in car park near the Rochdale Canal in Todmorden.
Rochdale Canal, Todmorden. 28 April 2017 08:25. Photo-etching 2019
What drew me to this point was both the pattern and a piece of coloured glass embedded in a corner of the puddle.
The underprinting in this series is differs slightly from most of others, as a mask is used, leaving parts of paper visible, as no ink is applied.
Rochdale Canal, Todmorden. 28 April 2017 08:25. Photo-etching and monoprint 2019
I developed this further with two complementary masks and two underprinted monoprint layers. This is brings me closer to the idea that first drew me to this patch of ground- an expanse of broken tarmac with a bright fragment of glass shining through.
Rochdale Canal, Todmorden. 28 April 2017 08:25. Photo-etching and monoprint 2019
Wicken Lowe
This is another relatively short series of prints. The original photograph was taken on the same evening walk as that for the Calderbrook series. It followed a spell of tricky wayfinding as the uphill path reached the edge of the Intake. Just after a gate onto the open moor, I found this collection of rock and grasses.
The first is a straighforward photo-etching
Wicken Lowe 24 July 2018 19:07 Photoetching
The colour I applied to this reflects the warm light of the summer evening. First, the print underlaid with a two-stage monoprint.
Wicken Lowe 24 July 2018 19:07 Photoetching and monoprint
And a simpler version, with a single colour base.
Wicken Lowe 24 July 2018 19:07 Photoetching and monoprint
Calderbrook series
Today, I’m sharing three images printed from the Calderbrook plate. This is the first series from the South Pennine Paths plates.
I took the original photograph on an evening walk along a familiar road. Here, where a track met the road, the surface was worn away, and someone had taken the trouble to mark up the deficit, presumably to assist identification for repairs.
Once extracted from that context, the arrow points to somewhere important that is now nowhere in particular.
Calderbrook 24 July 2018 18:10 (i) 2020. (Photo-etching)
I’ve already used images from this Calderbrook series for the original exhibition promotion artwork and in earlier posts, this seems the right place to start.
Three of the seven available prints have made the final cut. The photo-etching itself (above) and two with underlaid monoprint.
Calderbrook 24 July 2018 18:10 (ii) 2020 (photo-etching and monoprint)
Calderbrook 24 July 2018 18:10 (iii) 2020 (photo-etching and monoprint)
Let me know what you think of the approach.