Week 1: Printing

Today was my first printing lesson, I started off by trying to get inspired, I did some research in print makers and came across this awesome piece of work by Tom Hammick, Motorway Trees, monotype.

I loved the use of nature and the mix of collage and print. I partially liked the simple look to image, and the composition of the tress placed behind the fence.
I starting etching a dried thistle I had pervious sketched in my sketch book. I found this experience was really interesting. I had never done etching before, although I think I picked up the method quite quickly using a vary of different materials to make a mark. Below I placed my etched out metal plate. 

To create this image I used a  fine sheet of aluminium, using with some sharp tool like shovels to cut out my image onto the plate. The curved out image will area that will be printed onto paper.

Before printing I had to soak my paper in water, and inked up my sheet. Using small piece of card I scraped the ink onto my sheet of aluminium and  applied it into the groves of the metal. Then  whipped of the excess ink to apply in the cuts of the metal even more. Lastly clean scrum is then used to clean off the edges of the plate and the areas that are wanted white. Below I have placed my final print of the thistle

I used a heavy etching press to enable produce a nice looking print. The heavy pressure forced  the paper into the metal groves and inked the marks onto the paper. Overall I was really pleased with the final print I tried maybe different dry point with different amounts or ink and pressure

Lectures

Over the past two weeks I have had many lectures on Abstraction, Art Povera, Text an Image, and painting. I really enjoyed these lectures especially my lecture on abstraction, over the past few week I have researched many artist shown throughout the lectures which I found really inspired me.   
Matisse

Matisse's work is made up of colour, pattern, shape and balance evoking a mood of excitement and interest. Matisse gets his message across by stripping paint down to the bare minimum.
Robyn Denny

Above is an image by Robyn Denny, one of his most famous and popular painting is "Three Short Days in May". His work is about mapping an documenting events in space. His work has almost become a mix between figurative and abstraction. 

Jackson Pollock 

Pollocks paintings are made up of his own journeys, they are very instructive I feel his passions and ideas are worked into his paintings. He has an amense sense of colour and space. Each painting seems to have its own narrative. Expressing great energy, space and time within each piece of Pollocks work.   

Pietro Manzoni

Manzoni is a very experimental artist, he is seen as very direct and upbeat one of his most popular piece's is a "can of shit". His work is simple but full of expression. Another of his piece's is "Magic Base" He used a real person within an exhibition, he believed it took art back to the bare basics.
Cornelia Parker

Parker is inspired by the world around her. Her work has become very unique and universal, she believes her work is very powerful to the spectator and echo's great movement. Another of her most famous pieces is "At the bottom of this lake lies a fragment of the moon".

Tracey Emin

Tracey Emin has highly influenced many artist of today. She uses traditional materials, and sometimes has a poetic natural within her work. She is a very visual and experimental Artist. 

Richard Long

Richard Long art expresses the meaning on many people's lips; what is art? His work is made of natural products placed in a landscape and sometimes uses a lot of text.

Robert Indian

Robert Indian turns flat text into 3D letters, standing proud within cities and towns. His letters are carefully crafted and become greatly ascetically pleasing pieces of land art. A clever mix of text and sculpture.

Susan Hiller

Susan Hiller found lost language within art. Hiller created and made a shift from painting into a text base gallery.

Ghada Amer

Amer paints with a western narrative and uses images from pornography to draw paint or college into this work. He believes he is reclaiming romans sexuality. There is always a lot of action within his pieces.

Joanne Greenbaum

Greenbaum produces a mixture of drawings and paintings within his work. Greenbaum doesn't know her final outcome or idea until she is painting the finally piece. The artwork is almost seen as uncertain and sometimes unbalanced.

Chris Ofili

Ofifi is a previous turner prize winner! Ofifi has changed our sense of what a painting is and can be. The artwork is seen as quite carefully crafted and very detailed.