ARTISTS TALKING

# 11 [7 October 2009]

Emma and I met up last week and went drawing in the woods. Brilliant. Just to sit still and actually look. And feel. To look at the smallest seedlings, shoots of ivy, and great big fat tree trunks aside willowly silver birch.

I marker penned tree trunks and seedlings onto a bit of ply. It may be cut. I don't know if my tools are big enough.

This week's meet up got sucked away by meetings and work. Work really competes for space. Its a constant challenge of finding and making time. Luckily most tv is pretty c.r.a.p. and I get quite a lot done in the evenings after the kids are in bed.

I have been distracted by a couple of commissions recently. One small drypoint went by quite pleasantly. However, I agreed to a street scene lino cut thinking that if I agreed to do it small size it wouldn't detract me too long from my stuff I want to do. But it's not enjoyable on a small scale, so I will submit and get a larger piece of lino. 

I'm not sure where I'm at the moment. Not a bad thing, as when I'm in the momentum of creating new work I can hardly think of anything else. Its emotionally exhausting. Plus there's quite a lot else wot needs head space (job, kids, husband, friends, family and most definitely sleep).

Really though, I need to bite the bullet and get on with experimenting with the animations I keep thinking about.

# 12 [12 October 2009]

Peace waiting.

Today Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, in response to UN calls for Israeli and Hamas civilians to be tried for possible war crimes committed during the 22 day war at the begining of the year: "I want to make it clear -- Israel will not take any chances for peace if it can't defend itself" he said.(From Yahoo News)

So I am trying to work out this statement. Surely this is a paradox; to be defensive while searching for peace. It doesn't make sense. The nature of peace is that it can only come through openness. If you are on the defense you are confined, closed off. Is this then the crux of what makes peacemaking so challenging? That both protagonists are on the defensive and it is necessary for either or both either to open up, to become a little bit vulnerable to start the process off. 

# 13 [19 October 2009]

Trains - I am right into taking photos out of train windows. It seems to me you can't get the same views from anywhere else. All those fields of waving grass, cows and sheep, industrial warehouses, terraced housing, back gardens, the M5. There's a great view of the M5 around Taunton and Tiverton. The train races the cars. Its real close.

Its a challenge to get a decent photo. If a decent photo constitutes blurred greens and flashes of what not, could be something,.. then I am a genius. Otherwise out of approximately 4,668 photos taken I'd say I've kept about ...maybe 15. 

Flashing scenery and shifting rhythm. clean windows and no company.

that's what I like. 

# 14 [31 October 2009]

we, that's Emma and I, went up to North Devon to Coombe Martin to visit the wolf packs who are tenants at the zoo/dinosaur park there. The rain drenched us, but it meant that there was noone else there and we had the wolves to ourselves.

We also met three young male lions who sat and languidly prowled around their vivid orange cage. If the lions went on their tippy toes they could have seen the sea down at Ilfracombe, otherwise they are stuck with a flaky mural painting of galloping zebras across the end of their enclosure.

A gabon (in another area next to the otters) whooped high pitched and loudly, setting off the wolves howling across the green fields, heard I'm sure by the farmer on his tractor. Erie and amazing. The lions were curious too, so this musical chorus can't happen too often.

The rain came down too heavily to do any drawing, but I got plenty of photographs and footage of wolves walking. Emma was studying how the wolves are walking for the animation she is creating.

# 15 [12 November 2009]

right now I should be cutting. cutting lino. but this online world is distracting me. right-now i-shall-go- -  - - - - - -

(takes some discipline this art work)

# 16 [1 December 2009]

This weekend I discovered that if I didn't have my camera I would do drawing.

As much as I love taking photos, there was nothing like drawing.

Drawing very fast as the train passed through the countryside at 120mph.

I have to say the drawings done as the train was stopped do make more sense.

I like black squiggles. which is lucky because there are quite a few of them, and there will be lots more now I've re-started in the drawing genre.

By drawing what I saw out the train window it means I have held those images in my head. The flash of tall chimneys, the position of sheep and cows grazing, the shape of 'new' architecture at Reading Station, the line of fields disappearing over the hill.

# 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.

# 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.

# 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.

# 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...