Creative Challenges Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic!
Carving out time to create new work remains a significant challenge amidst a relentless stream of demands that accompany running a small creative business on a daily basis.
The added layer of pandemic fatigue, stemming from multiple lockdowns and their profound effects on both the business and the well-being of loved ones, has only exacerbated the struggle. To counter the overwhelming pressure, taking short breaks away from the routine has proven to be vital for recharging and gaining a fresh perspective.
Chris and I kept ourselves sane by making the most of even the shortest of breaks to the west coast of Scotland and visiting our daughter in London - that felt really weird and a bit scary back in July but wherever possible we avoided public transport as far as possible.
Isle Of Arran From The Isle Of Bute
The breaks to the west of Scotland gave me the head space to find inspiration and in June I managed to get into the studio to put ink to paper. Becoming immersed in the creative process also helped. I feel privileged to be doing what I do for a living. The creative process is after all my escape mechanism and I made full use of that for sure.
‘Callanish Standing Stones’ collagraph plate before the ink was added.
‘Callanish Standing Stones’ | Variable Edition 1/20 | monotype/collagraph original print
The prints above were inspired by my fascination with stone circles.
These prints are based on the Callanish Stone Circle on The Isle Of Lewis. We had a holiday cottage with the children and extended family on the Isle of Harris when we visited and I made lots of sketches at the time. I wasn’t practicing printmaking professionally then. I turned one of the sketches into two small etchings, one during a workshop at The Centre For Lifelong Learning the other during a workshop at Northern Print.
These prints were a new challenge. I took the plunge to increase the size I’m used to working to, to the full paper sheet size 50 x 70 cm. I combined both the monotype and collagraph printmaking media. The monotype element uses layers of colour and hand cut acetate masks based on the typical cup and ring neolithic stone carvings often found on or near such sites. The collagraph plate (above left) holds the main image of the stones and wild plant material.
Below here is a video of the process I used to create the print at the very top of this blog post. The layering of ink is the same process I used for the prints that combine monotype and collagraph plates. The only difference being that the main image in this video is created using paper masks where as the main image on the Callanish prints is created with a collagraph plate. Of course, with a collagraph plate I am able to print the image repeatedly to create a variable edition.
The Making Of Standing Stones - A Monotype Print
‘On The Lookout’ Variable edition 2/20 is now on the website.
This is a collagraph print - take look at the photo below of the plates I made to create this image. The moon and landscape foreground use a combination of different materials including gesso, wood filler, plaster, textiles and tin foil to create a range of textures and relief surfaces. The owl sitting the branch is a separate piece of sealed board that was overprinted on top of the background. The print in the middle of the top line was the first colour proof. Once I began printing the edition I chose to hand finish some of the resulting prints with gold leaf for the stars and parts of the foreground and to pick out the light reflected in the eye of the owl.
‘On The Lookout’ started here
Stars and reflections in the eye hand finished with gold leaf.
Artist proof
Detail of hand finished gold leaf on the foreground
‘On The Lookout’ Variable Edition 2/20
Detail of hand finishing with oil pastels
Way Markers Across The Causeway is a monotype/collagraph variable edition.
As an artist devoted to capturing the ever-shifting changes in the landscape, these three new prints are from a variable edition of 20. Each print stands as a unique expression, mirroring the fluctuations inherent in nature itself. Just as light changes all the time, my prints echo this ephemeral quality through a spectrum of colours demonstrate the evolving hues of the landscape. Each print, reflects the nuanced transformations depending on the time of the year,day and seasons.
‘Waymarks Across The Causeway’ | variable edition 1/20 | monotype/collagraph
‘Waymarks Across The Causeway’ | variable edition 2/20 | monotype/collagraph
‘Waymarks Across The Causeway’ | variable edition 3/20 | monotype/collagraph