Experimental Printing

Collage with print on top. Also known as Chine colle. Something I've wanted to try for some time.

These are developing into more complex pieces with another layer of printing. Possibly another transparent layer of collage later, but I'll have a think about it. They are part of an edition of 15 for a voluntary group project for college across the HE students. Sorry the photos aren't really that good, it was late and I was exhausted after spending hours printing!

The canvas 1

Today, the day has been spent waiting for paint and glue to dry. This is why I prefer textiles, no waiting for stuff to dry/set/cure or generally be ready for the next stage. Straight on to the next bit once something is done.

I'm working on some test canvases for the Growth project, which is the main project for college and has a deadline of November 11th. I may manage it, but it will be cutting it very close.

So far I've tried paint first then collage on top, collage first then paint on top and now I'm going to give stitching on top a try. Working towards a slightly different approach which, I hope, will look the best.

Here are some progress pics. Let me know whet you think, but be gentle with me I'm having a rather annoying day with it all. it's not doing what I wanted it to do. The words bugger arse and poo chops come to mind!

Need to update my sketchbook for this project and then get my sewing machine out. I'm looking forward to that cos it's been a while since I played with my machine. Yummyness will abound.

I'm more in the mood for making and playing with books. Must.....remain.....focused......or ....will.....lose......way. Or I may turn into Captain Kirk! Oops, the geek popped out there, I'll just.......push her back into the the cupboard. *Slams door and locks it securely* Right she's safely out of the way for now, not sure how she keeps getting out of there unless she's got a sonic screwdriver in there with her! Oh bugger it's catching!

Annnnnnnywayyyyyyy! Back to the focused self, sketchbook, tidying and sewing! Yay! The problem I am having is that other things are always distracting me and maybe I just have to accept that this is probably the way I work, with a lot of preplanning, thinking and general navel gazing prior to actually getting down to it and doing something. Or maybe I just need to be more disciplined. I'll get back to you on that one.

Just need to get these pictures looking tidy for my blog. I'm not sure that it will work, but I can try. At last, after about 5 minutes of fiddling, got them to line up tidy like. Right, publish and back to the desk of doom.

As for the pics, they don't look much at them mo, but shortly will be rather good. Honest, I'm not sh**ting you. They have to be good, cos I'm submitting at least three of them for the Winter Open at the Clocktower, NGH, which of course everyone will be attending won't they? Please? Ta, love you all. Mwah!

Countdown to unemployment

I've had loads of support from folks all around wishing me well in the new job choices, but now I'm starting to feel a bit wibbly. It's silly really because I know I will get loads of work, last time I was temping I had more offers than I could cope with! But still, big move and panic may set in some time at the back end of next week.

On a lighter note, there are actually people who want to come to my leaving do, so that will be loads of fun. Big nosh-up and a boozy bimble up west street.

Homework is starting to come together, I've made my sketchbook, finally and done loads of research on different artists and urban geography. I feel I'm starting to move towards a clear vision now, probably to do with Mumbai being the fastest growing city and the slums that occupy every spare inch of the city. I spent about 3 hours yesterday looking at Google Earth and photos of the slums and felt quite depressed afterwards. It seems loads of people have ideas about what to do with the slums, but none of them actually provide minimum standard housing for all the slum dwellers displaced by the clearances. How do you house that many people in adequate housing? I don't have any kind of an answer, especially when you consider the slums are responsible for the vast bulk of the recycling of waste in Mumbai and without that there would be a massive waste problem that could only be solved by land fill rather than recycling. I shall ponder. And never come up with an adequate solution.

Anyway back to the homework, I'm looking at collage and mixed media, although I've been playing with encaustic today, and I want to be able to include maps and town plans in with the collage. Loads to fit in, not sure how I'll do it. Looking at Robert Rauschenberg and Lee Krasner at the moment. Different approaches to collage, but fantastic results with both of them, such power and energy in both of their works. i have to say I've not really done much collage, but I'm looking forward to the experiments. Have to produce a finished board or canvas at the end of the project. Looking forward to that. Should be fun. I may even manage to get some stitch and textile in there too! Pics will be posted in progress.

It's now way past bedtime, so off I go.