julie edwardson artspace: Caligo safewash inks

I tought I would follow the 20x20 post with a post about the printing that I am working on and the edition I sent to the 20x20 exhibition at the Hotbed Press in Salford. I have been enjoying experimenting with Gelli prints and although it is difficult to edition something so variable, I chose to make an edition of monoprints of the childrens shoes. The theme of the shoes has been a continuing one since lockdown and the paintings I made about childhood, so the shoes represent the artist as a child. I was focussing on a particular event from my childhood that I remember distinctly of being out on a walk with the family on a summers day. We were walking in the Peak District. As everyone else got up and continued the walk I remained lying down in the long grass enjoying the sunshine and the feeling of just being. I was unaware of the concern I caused as the rest of the family were searching for me. So, this litle memory has become a series of prints.

I started by using the Gelli plate to create a background of grasses. Using Caligo inks, watersoluble.

Then continued to monoprint draw the small shoes on top.Using watersoluble lino block printing in that has been left overnight to almost dry, drawing blind on the reverse of the paper to pick up the line in ink. I like this technique as it gives a line that cannot be achieved any other way and creates a freshness and immediacy to the drawing.

I then diverged from printmaking and used a handpainting technique with an acrylic paint mixed with an extender to create a light almost transparent layer to fill the shoes. These techniques really only worked on finer layout paper as so I was unhappy with the result at first as I tried it on Japanese Kozo paper. The Kozo paper was unable to pick up the monoprinted drawing. I completed the edition on layout paper for the 20 20 exhibition. (One problem being that the paper was not very robust for the way they display the images, just using bulldog clips. Something I have learnt to change for next year) I had already made the backgrounds on Kozo paper so I created another edition on the same theme, this time creating a simple lino cut for the top layer and ommitted the monoprint drawing.

I have made some similar prints using monoprinting techniques on the same theme. This time creating an opaque hand painted layer to infill the white socks. These are slightly different as they depict ater experiences at school when asked to stand up and answer a maths question. The shoes are roughly drawn to represent the awkwardness of the child. Socks unevenly pulled up feet maybe turned in.

Some of these images are available for sale from my space on the website for Yor Mill Craft Shop and Gallery. www.yoremillcraftshopandgallery.co.uk Thanks for reading the blog Julie

I have been given the long loan of a printing press and I am really enjoying exploring different possibilities with using it as part of my practice.

Exploring the theme of memories by printing on different surfaces and developing some of the themes in my current work.

Using various techniques here including Lino printing and drypoint etching.

The drypoint etching is particularly pleasing to do as here I have used a pvc sheet to trace a drawing using a stylus straight onto the plate. You then use the traditional techniques of applying ink and printing onto slightly dampened paper.