ALL THINGS EXPERIMENTAL

I decided today not to begin with any comment on the lack of sunshine but here I am with my opening sentence in my head and it’s all about the weather!! Suffice to say that there is no torrential rain, gale force wind or cloud induced darkness in my workroom and I have spent a happy few weeks making merry with all things ‘experimental’.

My first aim was to create a larger background on which to work (half of a full sheet of tissue paper at least so roughly A2 in size) but, my gelli plate is only 14” by 16” so I spent a few happy mornings working out how to print a background that looked as if it were "by design" rather than a series of overlapping prints with a disjointed feel.

Many sheets of paper later I am approaching the effect that I was striving for and now that I am happy with the process I can begin working on a series of landscape style pieces for future use. Whilst working I had a happy accident with a not quite monochromatic moment meeting a pale but interesting layer. Suddenly I had an area to focus on so I tried something completely different using pens to draw on the plate.

So very different from how I have been working lately but with the addition of stitch I really like the idea so it is destined to become another technique to explore. It reminds me of black wrought iron work so it will be an excuse to take the camera and look for some gates and fencing to provide a little more inspiration. 

Still in an experimental mode I had a series of small colourful landscape style backgrounds left over from my earlier printing attempts which were just asking to be used in some fashion. Walking Jackson earlier in the day I had been struck by the dark sky line meeting the woods and I found myself making some Prairie Points which I decided resembled trees! Once I had started I couldn’t stop and before long I had amassed several little piles of different sized points! Next, was to cut some of the prints into suitable curves and then with a little hand stitching I had a landscape with added depth and again something different to my usual working style.

So, now I have several new ideas to explore and see if any will be viable on a larger scale. Plenty to keep me busy for the next few weeks or so.

My final photograph to share is of what I am working on at the moment. I have a painterly style background with strangely for me quite a lot of shimming gold along with some abstract shapes inspired by a rummage in my ‘really useful box of cardboard packaging pieces’! I look forward to sharing the results soon. 

PS. Whilst digging up newly set Hellebore seedlings from the gravel the sun made an appearance so it would have been very rude of me not to find my camera!