My painter friend has resumed his weekly painting in my studio. He used to come to our old house before we left for Northern Ireland, so it's been on hold for 2 years. It's nice to have routine especially now that I'm a bit isolated in the country. I've decided that on Thursday while he's painting I'll experiment. It'll be my playing day. Last Thursday I collected a handful of lovely gum leaves and decided to incorporate them into my printing.
I started with two plates, one a cardboard plate painted with pva and carborundum grit to give a dense background tone in the area behind the bird. The other plate was a dry point on thick acetate which gives me the linear image. I've decided to depict the Chough [chuff] due to the small flock that hang out in the bush near our house. I spent the day layering plates and leaves, printing again and again, not really knowing what I was doing, but as I said, I was simply playing.
To be honest I found it a bit stressful, which is silly. But it was quite a painterly technique and I also had to let go of control which I found difficult. Hopefully if I keep playing like this every Thursday I'll get better and it'll come more naturally to me.
10 comments:
lovely!
I really like these Bridgete...I can't wait to come visit you guys in the new house too! xx
These are great (but did you just post the good ones?)
There's a spontaneity that comes through that couples well with the acetate drypoint. The one with the blue-green leaves and the red leaves in the body are both quite dramatic and pretty good outcomes for a days work (play).
Thanks Elizabeth!
Gillian you must come and play!
Andrew, I started with 6 sheets of soaked paper and only threw one dud out! I think I agree about the one with leaves in the body. Thank you for your feedback, I feel I need it with these.
PS. I fed the fish on your blog!
Oh lovely, I like the first two with the more delicate look of the leaves at the birds feet. :)
Choughs are such fabulous birds. I wish I had a flock near my house! You are very lucky. They are such excellent acrobatic flyers, if that is the right word ;-) I love their red hooky beaks and red legs too.
Nice work BTW. Shame you can't get some red in there somewhere.
Thanks Rosalie!
Jon, I think European choughs and Australian choughs are different. European ones have the lovely red legs and beak, but Australian ones don't (which is a shame because I love the red legs and beak too, but they do have a red eye!) I don't think they are related though I think when europeans came to Australia they just named things with familiar names. Like the Australian magpie, nothing like a european magpie, but it is black and white.
The Australian chough, actually called a White Winged Chough, has a wonderful mournful call, I walk along the track and come across the little flock and they all fly off crying and sobbing!
Here's a bit of info about them http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Corcorax-melanorhamphos
All of these are very pretty, so I think you can say that your experiment was a success!
P.S. I love your blog as it's very interesting to look behind the "scenes", i.e. how artists come up with ideas and how they make them happen.
Lovely images you came up with, we don't see choughs around here (Cambridgeshire)but I've always liked them. Great to have fun 'playing' - relax and enjoy! Happy Christmas from UK
I love these bird prints!
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