Printmaking

This is another screen print on canvas that I worked back into with ink.

This time I cut up some wooden planks and then painted them in a washed down black to give the appearance of driftwood   As if they came from the ship depicted in the image. I then used nails to attach the canvas to the wood. I think rusted nails would have been better to use instead of shiny new ones, I may go back and use some rusted ones or 'age' them my self.

Print making

This is a screen print made on canvas, I worked back into it with ink and was pleased with how it turned out. Using ink I was able to reclaim some of the detail that didn't show up when printed on the canvas.

influences

 My practice is influenced from a variety of things not exclusively linked to just other artists.
I try to make my art work aesthetically pleasing but I also like to have some sort of story behind it,
just like how a work of art can be of a greater value (and not just in monetary value) if it comes with a good providence.

I'm interested in history; be it fact or fiction, folklore or an old wives tale, I like narrative and asserting a visual piece from that

For my print project I was inspired by the 1851 epic novel " Moby dick or; the White Whale" by Herman Melville. The novel was a good source of inspiration for its block buster worthy scenes that Melville paints in the viewer's mind with his words. Also the novel deals with different things in allegorical ways such as, mans obsession, Captain Ahab relentlessly pursues the white whale because it severed his leg below the knee and sank his ship in a previous voyage, projecting human characteristics on an animal incapable of having said characteristics.

The book also contains exploration of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God,

things of which are just as relevant in our age. 

 

The journey project

Print making

These are printed onto canvas stained with coffee, using the Lino cut method.

Again, using canvas does not capture the image in the highest quality but it does give the pieces more character and atmospheric qualities. I used text from an old moby dick novel but opted to use part of a song verse titled "This Side Of The Blue" by Joanna Newsom 

I used the following;

Print 1: "And I do not know"

Print 2: "My own way"

Print 3: "To the sea"

Print 4: "But the saltiest sea"

Print 5: "knows its own way" 

Print 6 " To me" 

I chose to work in this manner as the novel of Moby Dick uses allegory with its use of religion and spirituality and even the white whale with its human personification and obsession thrust upon it by the character Captain Ahab.

The lyrics I chose have always stayed in my mind since hearing them, I don't know if I interpret it as it was meant to be, but to me it symbolises;

Spirituality, the sea being this deep and vast journey that we all take that is 'life'. 

The great unknown that is time and the future with our hopes and dreams and doubts, that consistent and unchangeable lack of knowledge of the future and how to proceed. 

Who ever reads this I do recommend having a listen to the song, see past the quirky vocals and try and interpret how it makes you feel. You may remember it from the Orange phone advert a few years back about the power cut in New York and everyone came together in the advert from different cultural backgrounds etc.  

Print making

These are silk screen prints that I also made but using plain newspaper rather than on canvas, I had two images made to print as one was darker and would show different qualities that the lighter one wouldn't. Using newspaper did bring out a much more detailed image of the print, with the wood that I did the original image transfer on even capturing the grain. I plan to develop these further

Printmaking

I made silk screen prints onto untreated canvas stained with coffee. Unfortunately as the canvas isn't completely flat/smooth not all of the image printed onto it. Next time I would perhaps sand down the canvas to make the surface more even. I did like however the texture that the canvas added to the print and I believe this gives it more character and depth then just printing onto plain white paper. I've not given up on them yet I plan to bring out more detail by working back into them with other media such as ink for example.