ARTISTS TALKING

# 26 [27 February 2010]

here's a couple of prints I've been playing with this evening. Its one movement of my youngest boy.

I wanted orange and yellow to suggest the heat and vibrancy of their lives. Unexpectedly  the image looks like a boy soldier in the desert. He looks like he's holding a gun in this image because in the original photo he is holding a long stick (for bashing the ground as he walks along).

This is part of what is interesting me - putting the small boy figures into spaces and finding out what different manifestations they take on. So to bring out the politics of childhood - I mean, for example; in this country: children out on their own and what this means depending on how they are perceived, neglected/independent/vulnerable; and for example, as these prints suggest, in another country, children forced into combat.

it'd be great to have comments on this; on what I'm saying or the prints themsevles.

# 25 [24 February 2010]

I have a little boy waiting quietly by my side, sucking his thumb. He should be in bed.

I don't much talk of my family here, but the two small boys who occupy a lot of my life are inspiring much of my current work. I am fascinated by their movements; their running fast and free; their small bodies in open expanses, so vulnerable and invincible at the same time.

I'll put some images of a woodcut on this theme soon - just waiting on an order of ink.

a small finger is touching my elbow and he is standing very very close, I can ignore him no longer!

# 24 [8 February 2010]

At Exeter Phoenix the current exhibition is 'Mind over Matter', a series of kinetic work. Machines that move in mysterious ways.

This work by Tim Lewis is much liked by many of the visitors, we had school groups in this morning and afternoon and I overheard many enthusiastic comments.

The 'moving' men spin round and are flashed at by tiny strobes which together trick the eye into believing in these walking men. They walk, quite fast, behind each other in a circle, disciplined like soldiers (but never moving on).

People love to wait for it to stop (to stay out of the way of the movement sensor that makes it spin) to stare at the men all in their slightly different positions.

This, I learnt today, is 'persistence of vision' - the delayed reception of information by your brain which means it then blurs together the images and so makes it look like the men are moving.

This is what makes animation, animation.

# 23 [8 February 2010]

for a little while I have be looking for animations made by printmakers - and sure enough I have found some!

This guy Mark Andrew Webber has created what he calls his linomation. In a straight 18 full days he cut 300 plates to make this piece. This is inspiring for me. Go to..

http://www.markandrewwebber.com/index.php?/linomat...

# 22 [8 February 2010]

my boys run a lot. and often far from me. in fields and woods (away from cars) this is great. I like to see them in open space.

the photos show the wood cut I am doing of the movement of boy running. its a joy to study closely their different body formations.

# 21 [23 January 2010]

A train is coming under the bridge by St James Park in Exeter. St James Park is the home of Exeter City Football Club. I haven't been but I like the noise, and other people's excitement. And trying to read the match from the intermitent cheers and carry on.

Obtensibly this lino cut is a pretty picture. a picturesque view. it is a photo I took as my camera poked above the parapet of the bridge at the end of my road. I like the photo and I hope the image will come out well. Its a good challenge.

This photo shows my photo and the lino I am cutting.

# 20 [23 January 2010]

Inking up the plate is one of the most exciting parts for me about using printmaking to make work. on a relief plate, as the roller moves across it reveals dramatically the cuts and articulates the intended shapes for the first time.

During the cutting process you can slant the plate this way and that, under light to highlight what's there, but its like looking through a mirror to a subject reflected in a mirror beyond.

Taking the first proof in constrast can be a slight anti climax as you realise where more cutting is needed, too much cutting went on, and an inconsistency of ink over parts...

# 19 [8 January 2010]

here is the first print of the large woodcut (which is the size of a door)

this is part of it - as much as could fit on the etching press.

what do you think

we watched one particular wolf pace back and forth back and forth. not to intimidate, but to rub his scent along the fencing of his enclose. to out smell all the visitors with their multitude of 'territorials' aromas.

# 18 [6 January 2010]

The large wood cut of the wolves - see image in the last posting - is mostly finished.

Its the biggest piece I have attempted and printing  on Monday was interesting. I don't have the right paper yet (I am waiting on a roll of Japanese Kozo paper) so I experimented with printing parts of it on the etching press using heavier dampened paper. I used Hannemule and Somerset.

Possibly it looks like slightly boring though beautifully textured wall paper. It may be the images are very familiar to me. I am leaving for a couple of days and then I will take another look. The key though is that it was envisioned as a whole so I won't make any decisions until it is printed as such.

I can't help thinking that it needs something else. It is extremely difficult to know when a piece is finished or not.

my camera is playing up so I'll post an image shortly.

# 17 [2 December 2009]

From watching the wolves move at Combe Martin in North Devon Emma has created a silhouetted wolf with all moving limbs and parts. I borrowed this, played on the photocopier with it, and used to inspire this wood cut I'm currently making.

Emma is working towards animating the wolf, and so this work is like 1/8 of a second, four frames of a stop motion animation.

This wolf paced back and forth, back and forth continually, to mark his scent along the fencing. To reclaim his territory from the thousands of scents left by the summer visitors; to rid his territory of the parfum in our shower gels, deodorants, washing powder and perfumes.