This week I finished the sculpture module of my art foundation certificate course with Aberystwyth Uni and after making things with a vengeance for weeks it all came to a shuddering halt and I was a bit lost without something to work towards. During the course, one of the other girls had brought in some really thick brown paper that she'd picked up in the local supermarket layered between the hands of bananas. I just fell in love with the stuff and ended up making a bag for her from it which the sewing machine sort of liked, but not much! I have folded it, pleated it,papier mache'd it, dyed it, stitched it, printed on it, drawn on it etc etc for the last few weeks and only had a small bit left which I cut into squares and dyed after collaging some bits of old painting onto it. I sort of thought I might stitch it together but have got carried away by starting hand stitching into it even though it is as tough as old boots and resistant to the needle big time.
Whilst waiting for dyes to dry and trying to get my hands back to a respectable colour before leaving the house I have been using up old prints and drawings to make some small books. I think of all of this as displacement activity now that the heavy workload associated with the course is over, leaving me with nothing to work at. While I was cutting and folding pages I found some thick card offcuts and then decided to make a few small printing plates with the few things I had within reach like reinforcer rings and odd scraps of packaging. There was no set plan or design to any of this at all. My hands just needed to be working at something.
Well, I printed these today but I have had problems with my press and it has all come to a head this afternoon. It has never been right since I bought it and the manufacturer has recently sent me some new gauges to put on it. The problem has always been that the top roller has never seemed level so new gauges put on with a sprit level nearby meant that all seemed well. Not so. Today's activity has resulted in just one set of prints before the press bed started to resist movement at all. I have no idea what is now wrong with it but I shall be going back to the manufacturer again tomorrow to try and resolve it. I think I have a Friday press... you know, where they were made in a hurry before clocking off for the weekend. Probably this is doing it a disservice. After all, the bad workman always blames his tools etc etc.
Considering they were made up from scraps of stationery I quite like these two prints with the circular motifs. They were the ends of some ribbon packaging from Ikea. Amazing what the humblest of materials can do isn't it? Now that I'm stopped in my tracks by a dodgy press I either have to go back to stitching the banana paper.... which might result in hefty blisters.... or I go back to making more small books until I decide what to do next. I think it might be time for me to do a giveaway. If I make a couple of books for one would anyone be interested I wonder?
With the press out of action I cannot carry on with my collagraphs but I really do have the urge to keep busy at the moment. I've been waiting to try a new style of indigo dye vat for a while so I might do that this week and maybe try dyeing the banana paper in it too. Notice how I don't mention keeping my hands busy with household duties like dusting and cleaning etc. My energy level and restlessness just disappears at the thought of it.....
This week I finished the sculpture module of my art foundation certificate course with Aberystwyth Uni and after making things with a vengeance for weeks it all came to a shuddering halt and I was a bit lost without something to work towards. During the course, one of the other girls had brought in some really thick brown paper that she'd picked up in the local supermarket layered between the hands of bananas. I just fell in love with the stuff and ended up making a bag for her from it which the sewing machine sort of liked, but not much! I have folded it, pleated it,papier mache'd it, dyed it, stitched it, printed on it, drawn on it etc etc for the last few weeks and only had a small bit left which I cut into squares and dyed after collaging some bits of old painting onto it. I sort of thought I might stitch it together but have got carried away by starting hand stitching into it even though it is as tough as old boots and resistant to the needle big time.
Whilst waiting for dyes to dry and trying to get my hands back to a respectable colour before leaving the house I have been using up old prints and drawings to make some small books. I think of all of this as displacement activity now that the heavy workload associated with the course is over, leaving me with nothing to work at. While I was cutting and folding pages I found some thick card offcuts and then decided to make a few small printing plates with the few things I had within reach like reinforcer rings and odd scraps of packaging. There was no set plan or design to any of this at all. My hands just needed to be working at something.
Well, I printed these today but I have had problems with my press and it has all come to a head this afternoon. It has never been right since I bought it and the manufacturer has recently sent me some new gauges to put on it. The problem has always been that the top roller has never seemed level so new gauges put on with a sprit level nearby meant that all seemed well. Not so. Today's activity has resulted in just one set of prints before the press bed started to resist movement at all. I have no idea what is now wrong with it but I shall be going back to the manufacturer again tomorrow to try and resolve it. I think I have a Friday press... you know, where they were made in a hurry before clocking off for the weekend. Probably this is doing it a disservice. After all, the bad workman always blames his tools etc etc.
Considering they were made up from scraps of stationery I quite like these two prints with the circular motifs. They were the ends of some ribbon packaging from Ikea. Amazing what the humblest of materials can do isn't it? Now that I'm stopped in my tracks by a dodgy press I either have to go back to stitching the banana paper.... which might result in hefty blisters.... or I go back to making more small books until I decide what to do next. I think it might be time for me to do a giveaway. If I make a couple of books for one would anyone be interested I wonder?
With the press out of action I cannot carry on with my collagraphs but I really do have the urge to keep busy at the moment. I've been waiting to try a new style of indigo dye vat for a while so I might do that this week and maybe try dyeing the banana paper in it too. Notice how I don't mention keeping my hands busy with household duties like dusting and cleaning etc. My energy level and restlessness just disappears at the thought of it.....
11 comments:
How clever you are - those prints are great and to think you have used such humble bits and bobs to create your lovely designs. Your books would certainly be very well received if you did a give away I am sure. And nobody ever said on their death bed I wish I had done more housework did they? So keep creating it's much more important!
Wow! I love your fabulous prints!
I think everyone would be thrilled to win a piece of your work!
Gosh, there's an incredible sense of energy whooshing through this whole post -- in the work you've been doing and in your eagerness to be up and at it. You seem galvanised, which is fantastic. The elemental colours and textures of all this work are wonderful.
Hi Lesley - where to begin? I just loved the tough brown paper story; its ups and owns and all that you have done with it - and the images! Those blue ones; and then the ones you stitched into - stunning! Then I loved the meander re I wonder fit folk might like my books- well a resounding yes from over here! And I know that restless feeling of needing to make and do - and my solution is that you can always wrap pebbles...Sorry to hear about the Friday press (but I know what you mean) and I love what you've achieved with the bibs and bobs around you in those collagraphs. Beautiful imagery. Enough! I loved this post.
Congratulations on completing your module Lesley. These pieces are very beautiful and look quite surreal somehow ...
Much better to put your hands to good use in the name of creativity - I'm with Jane on the housework thing!
Jeanne
x
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Don't go over to the "dark side" and start dusting and cleaning! Life is too, too short. I am loving the colours on those dyed papers, yummy to say the least! As someone who has been in receipt of your books I can only say how beautiful they are and how lovely a giveaway prize they would be if you do decide to make some.
It is such a treat to see some of your work and as for give-away books, just wait to see the response. The banana paper saga has yielded some great results, but it is your collagraphs that I find really exciting.Those large circles bring to mind loudspeaker cones and the colours have a jazzy, contemporary feel that would make a great album cover.
Wow what an interesting post! I love all your experiments; super colours and great to see as I'm feeling SO uncreative at the moment. I hope you get your press fixed soon - how annoying for you. I know that making books etc. is FAR more important than housework!
Well, what a glorious blog to come back to after a few days away. Lovely prints Lesley...and yes save up for West Dean, you would love it...will tell you more when I have enough energy to speak. XX
I can understand about not coming to a complete grinding halt, but you are such a runaway train! However, the benefit to us is that we have all these inspiring things to share. What an imagination you have - hope your press is now behaving itself, it must be v. frustrating when you can't quite get something finished to your satisfaction. xxx
I'm loving these collographs Lesley...
just fabulous... hard for me to concentrate on your words when these are staring at me...so full of energy!
S
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