I made this one back in April (2019). Still on sale £25, unframed, all proceeds go to The Plough, Bristol, veg box scheme.

I made this one back in April (2019). Still on sale £25, unframed, all proceeds go to The Plough, Bristol, veg box scheme.
I’ve been working on several new models and now that we have lockdown for the foreseable future – in the UK anyway – I’m spending even more time on these. I’m lucky enough to have a (dry) studio at home. But the laser cutting at Basically Wooden in lovely Devon has stopped for now.
Cato Press (of which I am a member) is closed but some plate making can be done at home, especially for collagraph which only needs card and paste, at it’s most basic. Great examples at the Collagraph World Wide Facebook page.
I just came across this terrific printmaker, Gill Thompson working in collagraph and lino and mixed media. I might make the effort to travel to at Anlanntair in Stornoway for one of her classes.
I made this one back in April (2019), prints are available to buy, £25 each, unframed.
I have been working on this collagraph print for the past week or two, learning the process as much as anything. CATO Press in east Bristol can handle quite large print plates, this one is about 55cm in diameter and is available to buy.
I think the real thing looks a bit better than this photo. Now working on another two or three collagraphs but not so big – the cost of paper can be prohibitive. This one is printed on ‘bread and butter’ paper (250 gsm) which is probably not really heavy enough for collagraph. I had some waste having printed with the paper too damp and had peeling as a result.
We had a community print evening recently, lots of people lino-cutting, very jolly. These are regular events at CATO Press, check us out and drop by if you are in the area, all welcome.
Ready to print my first large collagraph at Cato Press, if my paper ever arrives from Lawrence Art Supplies (Brighton). Not their fault, just the delivery firm. The only place to buy a good range of print paper in Bristol is Bower Ashton art college (University of the West of England) but they are shut for the summer. I need a wider than average sheet for this relief print.
Since making this proof I have altered the image quite a bit but hopefully this will be the final effort. Time to start work on the next one. I feel at home with collagraph and I can work on the image without special equipment – just glue, knives, card and other thin material – in my studio at home.
Having spent a lot of time recently on my plywood toys and models – now on sale at Basically Wooden – I hope to give more attention to print making.
Having joined Cato Press, Bristol in April I have begun experimenting collagraph printmaking, both intaglio and relief. I began with an ambitious piece, a 50cm circle with a variety of shaped and textures, and a number of smaller studies for this piece.
I wanted use text but cutting this by hand is tedious so I used my Cameo vinyl cutter, cutting card and vinyl.
Using a vinyl cutter for vinyl is quite simple (as the name suggests) but for paper and card requires more trial and error.
Card can vary in density quite a lot, some paper is hard on the cutter blade due to the high chalk content. The prints here (not great pics) are quite pale but that suits the subject.
There is no text on this study, just hand-cut shapes. Something to aspire to, here is a rather more advance image by Suzie MacKenzie.
Just back from Cato Press where I was proofing a new collagraph. Not entirely successful so brought the plate back for some more work. Some of the lettering was insufficiently stuck down, moved around on the image.
A visit to a terrific, free and very popular exhibition – closing soon – at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, the first of three looking at woodblock printing in Japan. This one is concerned with landscapes, the next on starts on January 12th and is focused on the city.
There is also an on-line exhibition for those who can’t get to the museum.
The museum also currently has a small but interesting display of African fabric, mainly made-up clothing.