How I Do What I Do

So….How is it done?

Silk  screen printing isn’t common.  Indeed, I  don’t meet many other people who work in the medium, though secondary school  children have sometimes experienced it.

The technique came from 12th & 13th century China & Japan but came to prominence during Andy Warhol’s involvement with the Pop Art movement in the 60s.

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The ‘screen’ itself is variously sized, I had 3, and they have a gauze tightly stretched across them.   It’s not silk any more, it’s ‘Multifilament polyester.’  I created a ‘block’ by using a paper stencil  which I cut to the shape required with a scalpel.    Other artists use a screen block solution but I found this too slow and in any case it is for long ‘print runs’ which I avoided.  I used a different stencil for every colour or colour combination.  The ink is then  ‘forced’ through the screen with a squeegee.

I made 4 images of each composition as the paper is so costly.

Each work takes about 20-25 hours from start  to finish, including preparatory drawings and colour studies.

In my case, each of the 4 images I printed was subtly different so all the finished works are ‘original’ and customers sometimes select the one they want.

Who Inspires Me?

I like the  precision of Samuel Palmer, the colours of Raoul Dufy and the form of Toulouse Lautrec. Eric Ravilious lived in my home village in Essex and I love his work, along with that of many from the ‘Bardfield Group’ and of John Nash.

What Drives Me, What Am I Trying to Achieve?

I have always spent ages  looking closely at the world. I still think about what I am doing and……do what I am thinking!  I have always looked at  spaces and shapes, even in my mind’s eye, at all times.

My experiences of and observations on life leave me seeking calm and peace so I try to create that human emotion in my pictures. I remove ‘clutter’, try to compose something gentle and choose  colours that enhance what I am trying to achieve.  I hope I succeed, feedback suggests I do.   My work is undeniably ‘representational’ which I believe to be an entirely proper description of many printmaking methods.

Why Do I Work in Silk Screen?

It’s physical and I loved raising my screen to view  the outcome.  I never tired of that,  ever.

Is It Easy?

No! It’s  very slow with lots of patient preparation.   The first stage – creating the ‘master’ drawing from which I can make the stencils – is crucial and hard.   A key skill is eliminating detail……and choosing what to leave out.   A picture can only succeed if I get this bit right!

It’s very easy to cut your fingers with the scalpel when stencil  cutting though.

Using the squeegee can be strenuous as well, the bigger ones are 45cm long and too hard for me now.

Is It Costly

Yes! The multifilament polyester is pricey stuff  and a sheet of Fabriano or BFK Rives paper costs a lot too. The acrylic inks are expensive.

I also need a sink in my studio to wash up continually and of course a hair dryer to dry the screen so the next  stencil can go on quickly.