Ways of Working
"Every painting should be a journey of discovery, about experimenting and finding new ways, means and ideas"
Kurt Jackson, Artist
Kurt Jackson, Artist
This quote is pinned up in my studio as a reminder to follow my creative curiosity, to be exploratory & experimental in my artmaking........
Time spent outdoors, whether gardening, walking, sketching, taking photos or simply quietly sitting & observing, is an essential part of my creative process and inspires work back in the studio.
The 'how to' books on the studio shelves include drawing & painting, printmaking, papermaking, papier-mâché, book making, stitch, collage & mixed media, natural dyeing and mosaic and are a good indicator of creative avenues explored, but working with various combinations of watercolour, gouache, charcoal, coloured pencils, graphite & inks on handmade khadi cotton rag papers is my current favourite.
Printmaking is no longer the sole focus of my creativity but it remains the foundation of my creative work. I love how it involves many different stages and has very unpredictable outcomes. My printing plates are built using collagraph & etching techniques and I use linseed oil based inks & my etching press to transfer images onto paper. Printmaking in this way is a physical, exciting, frustrating and messy process and each print is unique. Initially I built plates that could be used a fair number of times but now my platemaking is less robust which suits my more experimental ways of working.
Plate making techniques can be incorporated into other creative work including mixed media, making decorative plaques & 3D forms from Plaster of Paris. Increasingly my prints on paper form the basis of collage rather than being stand alone artworks. Offcuts of paper & unwanted prints are given a new lease of life by being used for papier-mâché or are pulped and made into paper that I can use.
Recycling & repurposing & using the resources I already have, rather than rushing out to buy new, is now an important part of my creative practice along with being mindful of the immediate & long term effect on the environment of all the materials I use. I have gardened organically for many years so 'greening' my artistic practice was an obvious next step.
I can often have a number of different projects on the go at any one time so my part of the studio can become pretty cluttered as can seen below! However I did have to tidy it up one day for an interview for the village church 'Beck & Bells' project in which I had to talk my own beck project. The resulting video can be seen on the Garrowby Churches website
Time spent outdoors, whether gardening, walking, sketching, taking photos or simply quietly sitting & observing, is an essential part of my creative process and inspires work back in the studio.
Printmaking is no longer the sole focus of my creativity but it remains the foundation of my creative work. I love how it involves many different stages and has very unpredictable outcomes. My printing plates are built using collagraph & etching techniques and I use linseed oil based inks & my etching press to transfer images onto paper. Printmaking in this way is a physical, exciting, frustrating and messy process and each print is unique. Initially I built plates that could be used a fair number of times but now my platemaking is less robust which suits my more experimental ways of working.
Plate making techniques can be incorporated into other creative work including mixed media, making decorative plaques & 3D forms from Plaster of Paris. Increasingly my prints on paper form the basis of collage rather than being stand alone artworks. Offcuts of paper & unwanted prints are given a new lease of life by being used for papier-mâché or are pulped and made into paper that I can use.
Recycling & repurposing & using the resources I already have, rather than rushing out to buy new, is now an important part of my creative practice along with being mindful of the immediate & long term effect on the environment of all the materials I use. I have gardened organically for many years so 'greening' my artistic practice was an obvious next step.
I can often have a number of different projects on the go at any one time so my part of the studio can become pretty cluttered as can seen below! However I did have to tidy it up one day for an interview for the village church 'Beck & Bells' project in which I had to talk my own beck project. The resulting video can be seen on the Garrowby Churches website
