From Nova Scotia to London: April 2009

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Morley Gallery

Two of my latest etchings will be on exhibit at Morley Gallery which is part of Morley College
It is a student show -
Made09 - Printmaking and Bookbinding
Morley College, May 9 - 20, 2009

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Sandscapes

I have been working on a series from abstract textural studies of Nova Scotia beaches.

Secret Histories

These images are from a series called Secret Histories, which eventually became one of my artists books. I exhibited these books at the ICA Artists Book Fair in 2007.

Art bio

Nova Scotia has always been special to me with my family roots in Liverpool.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography, film and art history from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, I worked for three years at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia before packing my bags to do a Master of Arts in Museum Studies in England.

I kept working at my photography, producing quirky, slightly surreal images and more abstract textural studies. This led me to look at other printing processes which naturally led to printmaking.

After some experimentation I chose photo-etching. The process seems quite complicated but with all printmaking, patience is the key.

Photo-etching works particularly well with my textural studies and I’m currently working on a large series of Nova Scotia beach scenes – but not conventional ones: these concentrate on small details, making these prints surreal aerial views of vast Canadian landscapes.

How photo-etching works

Photo-etching (also called photogravure). The process seems quite complicated but with all printmaking, patience is the key. The image is transferred onto a zinc metal plate that is coated with a light sensitive acid-resistant ground. Exposure to UV light reproduces the image by destroying the ground and exposing the metal. The plate is then immersed in acid and the exposed metal is 'bitten'. The resist is removed and the plate is inked, placed against the paper and passed through an intaglio press under great pressure to create the image.

Further Reading

Etching: A Guide to Traditional Techniques by Alan Smith, published by The Crowood Press Ltd

Etching and Photopolymer Intaglio Techniques by Colin Gale published by A & C Black Publishers Ltd

The Printed Picture by Richard Benson published by The Museum of Modern Art, New York

From Nova Scotia to London