I have just returned from a talk given by Stephen Chambers RA at
Lynne Strover's beautiful gallery in Fen Ditton, near Cambridge. What a treat! Just a fifteen minute drive from Melanie's and I get to hear
Stephen Chambers talk about his new large printed work inspired by the 1958 American Western, 'The Big Country', which will be opening at the
Royal Academy on 24th October.
I was pleased to be able to see his smaller series of prints again, 'When Trouble Meets Trouble' which I absolutely love, and first saw at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. This suite of prints are a wonderful mix of etching and chine colle and has certainly inspired me to add this technique to my printmaking repertoire!
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| Marie Antoinette - Stephen Chambers |
A few miles outside of Cambridge, Fen Ditton is an unlikely place to find such an exquisite gallery as the
Lynne Strover Gallery, but well worth a visit to see some really good art!
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| When Trouble meets Trouble - Stephen Chambers |
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| Stephen Chambers signing his book |
And here is my latest little bug, a hornet, given to me by a fellow student, (thank you Susi!) .. it is a work in progress. It started out as a test plate on the back of another test plate (copper is so expensive!!) for a bigger etching, using sugar lift, but I like the way it's going and now want to do more little creatures. This little one is only about 1.50 in square. Sugar lift is a technique whereby you mix sugar and water and some black ink and paint it on a degreased plate. The image you paint, is the image that is eventually printed. You 'stop out' the rest of the plate with either a varnish or a hard wax ground and then put the plate in hot water, which lifts off the sugar solution. After that you add an aquatint, which is what etches. Some people put the acquatint on first and paint the sugar solution over this. Ahhh... the joys of printmaking, so many ways to do the same thing!
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| Susi's Hornet - sugar lift with burnishing and scraping out. |
2 comments:
The Hornet looks great - lots of motion. What an interesting technique for printmaking - you sort of get to paint what you'll get on the print.
You are absolutely right Katherine, except you do have to stop it out if you want less tone. I have just spent the last few hours trying to improve it and have done the opposite!!
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