Somerset Arts Week 2016. Open Studio at HootingAsh Farm.

 

     July 14th

The grey shape of the old ash tree frames the gate. A sparrowhawk shoots out of the oak tree and swoops along the hedge. The silver branches of my birthday walnut tree are framed against the red ochre earth of the maize field. Each are moments of experience on our land, and recorded in the six small oil paintings that will be on show in the wagon studio for Somerset Art Weeks Open studios.

Nearly every day I go down the hill to the orchard to check the sheep. The colours of the landscape change with the seasons - in days - I note whats around - birds, insects and flowers. The mood alters as I descend to the lower meadows -  damper, darker- the Redlake stream trickles unseen and secret. In autumn I try to recreate the textures of dead leaves, stone and twigs collected in the stream by using the mono print and the dry point processes of printmaking-

Mono prints are one- off images. Thinned oil-based inks are applied onto a sheet of glass or plastic by brush, rollers or cloth. Sections of ink can be wiped away using cloth, cotton wool buds or brush. Texture can be applied and ink scratched out.

Dry point is an intaglio process. Lines are scratched directly onto the plate. As the plate and paper are run through the press the ink is transferred from the plate to the paper to make an image.While we re in the sheep field here's an example of dry point....!

   
Its been exciting combining these two techniques - there are so many possibilities to experiment with texture and line....

On the post next month - Hay meadows and birch trees- and more about the techniques of printmaking that I use.