Wednesday, April 10, 2013

A painting..

Tranquil Pool - 20 x 20 cm
I suppose this is what you call a distraction from writing my essay!!  .. updating my blog.. catching up really as I did this painting a while back but didn't post it. 

I have booked my ticket to return to New Mexico in June and will be there until the end of August, which will be lovely.  Anyone who contacted me before asking about workshops in New Mexico, please email me and  we can arrange something.  I am really looking forward to getting lots of painting done and feeling the heat of the sun!!  Now back to the essay...

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Still writing my essay and other things

I am definitely making a meal out of this writing business... it's only 4000 words and 10% of my final MA mark, but I obviously want to do the best I can!  Plus, it's fascinating, and the research goes on and on.  I can't imagine how I wrote my really long dissertation back in the day when I couldn't type and we didn't have the web.  It doesn't seem possible.
 
Koichi Yamamoto is one of the artists I am writing about, in particular this print.
Koichi Yamamoto - Rakujo
 I think his work is incredible and he has been so generous in answering my questions.  Another artist which I have discovered along the way with the help of my fellow students is Susan Derges.  Her work is so beautiful.   She is best known for her pioneering technique of capturing the continuous movement of water by immersing photographic paper directly into rivers or shorelines. She often creates her work at night, working with the light of the moon and a hand-held torch to expose images directly onto light sensitive paper. (Purdy Hicks Gallery)
Susan Derges -  River Taw - Photograms
 Meanwhile, I have been experimenting a great deal with soft ground etchings and chine colle, plus a two plate etching, soft ground and sugar lift aquatint.  

Unfinished soft ground with tosa washi monoprint chine colle.

Soft ground etching with tosa washi monoprint chine colle.
Two plate soft ground etching with background sugarlift aquatint.