Open Studios: Weekend 1

Last weekend, I took part in the first of my two "Open Studio" weekends. Actually, this year I have not opened my studio due partly to accessibility issues and I am sharing Gallery@12A in Fulbourn, near Cambridge, with Sue Rapley, a painter. It was a rush (as always) to get everything together but, in the end, everything looked good:


There was limited wall space but quite enough to show an array of framed work:


Since I wanted to demonstrate the process of engraving, I set myself up at the end of a long table:


Further along the table, I made a display of bookplates so that people could pick through them and appreciate the quality that a hand printed piece has:


On the long table were three "browsers". I was particularly pleased with them as I adapted them myself, buying three "racks" from Habitat, turning them upside down and setting them into bases cut from curved shelving of a similar wood that I had stored in my garage. I thought that they looked very professional:



And here is a general view of the space. The paintings on the right are by Sue Rapley, holding her first exhibition. Apart from being a fine painter, Sue is also great company.


We are open this weekend (14th - 15th July). We would love to see you there. Details can be found here:

http://www.camopenstudios.co.uk/artist.php?artistid=15&back=alpha


Its all go here. I am engraving a highly detailed business card and working an a design of an intriguing bookplate, combining many different interests of the recipient. I'm also getting ready for Art In Action at Waterperry near Oxford from 19th - 22nd July. Details can be found here:

http://www.artinaction.org.uk/

It would be great to see you if you attend - do drop in and see me in the Printmakers tent.

During Art In Action, I will be living in my 1976 VW camper van - trouble is, the inside looks like this at the moment:

NOT really suitable for an engraver of a certain age and so, dear reader, I am also working every hour under the sun and the moon to refit it.

The Mathematical Bridge - Finished

I have finished the engraving of the Mathematical Bridge that crosses the River Cam in Cambridge.

I stopped engraving a little before completion and there is a good reason for this - it is a lot easier to remove wood than to put it back. The latter is not exactly impossible but is, of course, something that I want to avoid. Here is the block , inked and fixed in the bed of the press:


My preference for proofing sooner rather than later usually results in the first "state" being fairly "flat". I normally take four proofs of each state - here are the first ones on the drying rack:


This is a good time to take a break, pour a nice strong cup of tea, and look at the image with a critical eye. I work through the print systematically, noting all of the changes and developments that I wish to make.


Next, I wipe the ink from the block with a clean soft cloth and make the adjustments that I felt were necessary. In this case, I wanted a lot more light in the reflections in the foreground, so I recut the lines:


After this I took a proof of the second state and planned further revisions. I worked through six states before I was happy. The last ones only made tiny changes which were not really very noticeable but I would not have been happy if I hadn't made them. I was pleased with the final image:

Its been a while since I followed the story of an engraving on my blog and so here is an offer for my readers only.

I am selling five of my artist's proofs in my website shop at a much reduced price of GBP25.00, including shipping. This is about half the selling price for the edition. Please note that these are artist's proofs - identical to the selling edition but marked "A/P" instead of the edition number.
They are for sale HERE as Item "Blog Special No. 1"

Beside the Seaside

Off to the seaside yesterday - my favourite beach at Wells-next-to-the-sea. Here we have a beach-hut; nothing grand, just one of a line of rather ramshackle huts built along the shore. At high tide, the sea laps at the steps. Here it is at low tide:


After we arrived, I unpacked my "travelling" kit and set to work, for this was not just a jolly day out:

During the morning, I worked on the trees in the background of the Mathematical Bridge and then J and I took a stroll along the shore before returning for some lunch. By this time, the weather turned decidedly wet and we were glad to be sheltering in the hut while a line of wet bedraggled people files off the beach.

Soon the sun returned and we walked again before going into town for tea and cake. The skies darkened again and we drove through heavy rain to Walsingham where I bought fifteen frames for my Open Studio event next month, before returning home.

This morning, I carried on with the engraving and hope to be ready to proof later today. Here is the block as it stands at lunchtime:


And here is a detail of the top portion:


And now.... lunch and then back to work.

The Mathematical Bridge and the Small Crisis

I have spent the last couple of days working on my new engraving of the "Mathematical" bridge which crossed the River Cam at Queens' College, Cambridge.

At the start, I made a fairly careful (reversed) outline drawing to check the composition. I have drawn a punt in the foreground for added interest :


The next step was to copy this onto my darkened block of lemonwood:


I started to engrave the elaborate woodwork of the bridge. I alternated between this fine work and the sky, which was a bit more straightforward:


Next, I engraved the college buildings and continued to work on the sky. The last addition here is the punt and the start of the reflections on the surface of the water:


Here is the upper part of the block in more detail:


At this point - disaster! I stopped work for a moment and the block slipped of the sandbag and fell to the floor. It missed the mat and landed facedown on the rough concrete floor. I picked it up and checked for damage. It could have been a lot worse but there was still a small but deep depression punched into the surface. I could have engraved over this in a light area but it was one of the darker parts of the water and so I needed to deal with it.

The traditional method os to try to swell the wood so that the block is more or less flat again. This is done by putting a drop of water over the hole and using a match to warm and evaporate this so thast the wood swell - obviously being careful not to scorch the block - or set fire to it!

Readers of a nervous disposition will be relieved to hear that the procedure was almost entirely successful. Here we go:

Starting a New Print

I have finished most of the immediate jobs in hand and so I can work on a project for myself.

I love the bridges that cross the River Cam in Cambridge. My favourite is Clare Bridge, which features in this engraving called "Lining Up Through Clare Bridge":

Another interesting bridge is the so called "Mathematical Bridge":


I have a piece of "lemonwood" saved for this project:


I normally darken the surface of the block before I draw on the design. Time to get the darkening kit out:


I keep a bottle of writing pen ink diluted with water. I apply this with a soft cloth until the surface is darkened enough for me to see the cuts that I make but not so much that I could not see any marks I make on the surface to guide me...

...but why don't you watch while I show you:

Cambridge Open Studios - July

I promised some more details about my participation in the Cambridge Open Studios next month. Instead of working in my own studio, I will be demonstrating and selling engravings in the Gallery@12A in Fulbourn, just to the south of Cambridge.

I visited the gallery yesterday afternoon to act as steward for a preview exhibition. This is the area that I will be using:

I will have about twenty feet to show framed works and a large table to work on and to show bookplates etc. I'm very pleased with the space. Here is my info page, including a map.

During the afternoon, I found time to work on a sketch for a current project:

The scale of my work does allow me to carry on with it almost anywhere.

It would be great to see you if you are anywhere near the Cambridge area during the following weekends:

Saturday July 7th - Sunday July 8th
Saturday July 14th - Sunday July 15th

The gallery will be Open from 11am until 6pm all four days.

Apart from engraving work in hand, I need to make sure that I have enough stock for these weekends and Art in Action which takes place near Oxford over the third weekend of July. I still need to work on my large Albion and, in particular, cover the tympan. More of that soon.

Printing on the Albion Handpress

I made a short video for my Albion blog but thought I would also post it here. It shows a "printers-eye view" of the process.

I am printing a bookplate so everything is on a small scale. I am using several layers of very thin ink on the block. The paper is held in a cut-down clear plastic folder.

I had just printed 130 engravings - this will yield 100 really good bookplates and some for practice. The others will be rejected.

On with the show...

The Next Exibition

A change of routine is always a good thing so I welcomed a day framing prints:

I drove these to Oundle to leave them with Geri Waddington in her wonderful bookshop - well worth a visit. I left with a small packet of bookplates.

These prints are on their way to Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire fo "Six Of The Best" a group show by six British engravers from June 24th to July 15th:


This is part of the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival:


It takes place in the festival shop. The festival website is here:

http://www.hebdenbridge.co.uk/festival/2007/index.html

The next day I was in Cambridge, collecting prints from another exhibition which has now closed. The weather was lovely and I sketched by the River in preparation for a commission I will engrave during this month. Finally, off for coffee. One shop in particular has tables to work at (being in a University city) and its a great spot to spread out sketchbook and references. I was working in another commission, involving Gutenberg:


When I am commissioned to design a bookplate or similar small graphic, I tend to work up three or four small sketches to scan and send to my client. One of these is chosen and I develop it further, making drawings until we are both happy enough for me to start engraving.

Blogging tonight - printing tomorrow.

Revisiting Rembrandt

I'm frequently asked about my lucky Rembrandt find, so here is an update. But first... a lovely morning in Cambridgeshire as I walked out with Bella the lurcher - looking towards Ely Cathedral:


I now have Rembrandt back after the etching was released from the old backing paper. The reverse tells its own story, with evidence that it has been mounted at least twice before and some old pencil inscriptions, including the enigmatic "sup":

The front is looking very fresh:

Now the paper can be examined easily, I took the print back to the museum for a final examination before framing. The verdict? Not a posthumous printing! The paper is a fine - probably French - paper used by R from the 1640s. The print is now going back to the conservator to be prepared for framing.

The marathion printing is done. Three hundred business cards stand drying ready to be packed and dispatched tomorrow. Always a glutton for punishment, I immediately changed blocks so that I could add to the dwindling supply of my own business card:


I should add that I am always happy to discuss commissions for such work.

And next...? A little bit of sketchbook work before making sure that the NA bookplate is ready for proofing.

Marathon

Today was a busy day within days of being busy. I took a break from making the last marks on the NA bookplate to finish printing some business cards for LJ. One side is set as text and the other has an engraving. It is always something of a treat to print letterpress. For these small cards, I used the Adana 8x5 (in the centre of the photograph below) for the text. As these dried, I printed the engraving on the back using the small Albion. My speed immediately slowed down as - at my fastest - I can only print three per minute... and I have 300 to print. I ended the day with 150 completely finished and the rest to do tomorrow.

Once the press is free I can start proofing the NA bookplate with a view to finishing that on Sunday, ready for printing later in the week. Here is the studio setup for the cards:


The Adana is in the centre and the small Albion is on the right. The machine on the left is my perforator - still awaiting me finding time to engrave a "stamp".

Apologies for the long absence. I will be catching up with news over the next few postings.

Spring Cleaning and Ebaying

A lovely day - bulbs bloom, frogs head for the pond and the cherry plum trees are bursting into blossom - can spring be nearly here? In the studio, it was getting to the point where I couldn't easily get to things that I needed and so it was time for a spring clean. I had been given some shelving by neighbours but there was no room so the type cabinet had to find another home. I have moved it into the next room where it will find a permanent home near the Arab press The shelves are great and give a sense of space as well as housing all kinds of bits and pieces.


A popped it to take some photograhs for me and got artistic - the engraver framed with his own Albion:


Last week, I drove down to London with O to visit the film school he hopes to attend. On the way back we stopped off at Ikea where I saw this kitchen block:


It is very sturdy, yet easy to move around. On the top is an old perforating machine fro my stamp project. Underneath are two of my small Adana presses.

I'm still organising the shelves. The engraving is a superb Gwen Raverat view of Vence in France:


While I was tidying up, I gathered together a group of early engravings - mostly numbered examples from the editions. They are available here.

More About Those Clouds

I just finished a thirteen hour day of cutting, recutting, proofing and printing. The illustration job is done, delivered and approved.

The textures of the clouds were made by engraving serpentine lines at about a forty-five degree angle and then making a series of horizontal cuts on top. I was pleased with the finished result but it was hard work on eyes, hands, neck and shoulders. As promised, here is a small section (actual size) :


The ink is cleaned off the slab and my aching neck and shoulders are headed for a hot bath. I'll take a break from engraving tomorrow and work on a design.

Clouds

Another very cold day but the sun is streaming down and my morning walk was glorious.

Its day two of my illustration and I am spending the day engraving clouds. I started with a pencil study and then sketched the main shapes onto the block. These divide the "sky" into different tones. The marks I have made will guide me but I will be free to modify the areas as I engrave. This makes todays work a pleasing contrast to yesterday's architectural subject. Here is the block ready to start:


My first session of engraving went well. The studio was pleasantly warm and I was pleased withmy progress. My client wants me to pay particular attention to the clouds in this piece. I am using a technique perfected by Victorian engravers. Instead of straight lines, I am engraving a series of curvy, serpentine cuts. They give a very different texture.

I have started with the middle tones and then - probably late afternoon - I will tackle the darker and then the lighter areas. I plan to proof the block first thing tomorrow morning with a view to making any last modifications before lunchtime. I engraved while listening to a "soundscape" by Robert Fripp that suited my mood perfectly. I'm off now for another session while J cooks up some mushroom soup.

When the work is done, I will scan a small area of cloud to show how it appears on the finished impression.

Finally, greetings to my new reader; we both enjoyed hearing from you again.

Prevarication and Perspective

Its warm in the studio and cold here in the house yet I linger here; why? Two answers- preevarication and perspective.

I need to make a start on the engraving of a block that needs to be finished and delivered on Thursday. Once I get going, things will be fine but I'm holding back from making that first cut. Once started, this project - an illustration - will just fly.

I am engraving an architectural subject. This need precision and what is causing the delay is that the perspective needs to be perfect. With a drawing, one can go back and adjust the angles taken by lines. Once you engrave, that it that.

Actually, I rather enjoy perspective. I have set the block in the corner of a sheet of paper, marked my "vanishing point" and use a ruler to check and modify the lines on my sketch. Its a good way to start a day because little thought is required. Here is the setup:


This is a rare glimpse of a piece of my commercial work. No more details.

Well the drawing is finished and its time to engrave. No more delays! Except that I need to take tea out to the studio. Must decide which tea. Better think carefully about which mug.

Website, Ely and Ebay

I am working on a major addition of prints to my website. This will still take at least another week but I wanted to signal some of the areas that are nearly finished. These include the "Birds and Beasts" and the "Brothers" series. Bot still have some prints to add but I am nearly there. Personally, these two galleries hold my favourite images, especially those of my children.

Many of you will know that Ely cathedral features in many of my images, often as a silhouette on the horizon as here:
So what is the attraction? The answer is that I have lived within site of the cathedral for about 45 years and it is a powerful and iconic building. It is also my favourite medieval building in Britain. I pass it every morning on the way to the station as I do my "taxi" runs. Today I stopped and took a photograph to share with you:


Today I worked on a "change of address" card for friends. This evening, I added some prints to my Ebay shop. The idea is to raise money to pay for the conservation of the Rembrandt. If you are interested, you can find them here. (Note added 26th Jan - everything sold out overnight but I have now added more prints to the Ebay shop - mainly artist's proofs).

Storms, A Bookplate and More on the Rembrandt

I have just about tidied up after storms earlier in the week. I was up at dawn on Wednesday, tying down the roof over the hens as it threatened to fly away. Later, I was on a shed roof nailing down the roofing felt that had torn and was rapidly unravelling. Luckily, there was no great structural damage. In the afternoon, I drove into Cambridge to collect A and J from work as trains and buses had been cancelled. We passed one bus that had been blown of the road and into a ditch.

I carried out more updates on my website during the week, including a "story of a bookplate". I was particularly pleased with this one and so I will show it again here:

I drove back into Cambridge on Friday to collect prints from a gallery and to take my Rembrandt to the Fitzwilliam Museum to compare it with theirs. Everything seems to be absolutely right about it and the next stage will be to have it floated off the album page to have the paper examined more closely. My fingers are still crossed that it is an early impression.

Well that was this week. Next task; more work on the website.

Engraving.... Eventually

I was working on enforced flexitime today thanks to a migraine. I walked out early with Bella the dog, posting a letter, buying a newspaper from the village shop and heading out down the drove. The visual interference started about as far as I was going to be from home. Bother and Blow! Migraines are a fairly regular part of my life and I cope well as long as I medicate early. Today, I wasn't carrying and, by the time I was back home, I couldn't see much at all with the wonderful - almost beautiful - swirling patterns. I closed the curtains and lay on the couch, waiting for the headache to hit.

Actually, it wasn't too bad and I was able to do some admin tasks this morning and I could start to engrave at around 3pm. I took a break for dinner and was back in the studio until 9pm when I just had to give up; a few hours after the headache I tend to feel like I went a few rounds against Tyson.

Still, the job is finished except for the proofing.

Here is my little corner of the world:

And again, a little closer:

The block is raised on two leather sandbags placed on a wooden platform with two handy draws. My most used tools are laid out ready and the magnifying glass is poised for those tricky details. The daylight bulb lets me work at any hour of night or day under exactly the same conditions. The eagled-eyed will make out my fave CD of the moment, "Ys" by Joanna Newsom, a Christmas present from A. The job is a bookplate. It will probably be posted soon in the bookplate gallery on my website.

New Year's Eve

Took a rare day off yesterday and travelled, with J, to the Suffolk coast. The first stop was Kessingland, with its striking church. I love the tall tower an partly thatched roof.

We visited the grave of J's parents and checked the lettering for her father that was added to the memorial. Afterwards, we wandered through the graveyard. Some graves date back to the 1760s and I was interested in the lettering and carved motifs, which ranged from skulls to anchors (for sailors). We ate lunch in a pub overlooking the sea before walking alng the beach.

In the afternoon, we dropped in to see Arthur at the Suffolk Villa gallery in nearby Lowestoft. He always has a good selection of East Anglian artists on display. It was good to be in Lowestoft again. J grew up here and we were married in this town, twenty four years ago.

Back to work today on another commissioned piece. Regular readers will know that I tend not to show these so I will lead you into the kitchen to see what jars of jams and conserves look like in the house of an engraver.


I enjoy making the labels. They are good ways to practice lettering. Here is a closeup:

A and O are hosting a small party tonight and the music has started. ts time to tidy myself up and slip off, with J, to a nearby house to meet up with some other villagers.

I hope that 2007 brings everything that you wish for.

Notes From A Cold Studio

So what is the happy engraver doing today?

Up early to scrape the ice off the car and run J and A to the station, then help O scrape his car.
Took food and water for the hens and walk out with Bella through icy lanes.
Into the studio to rig up another temporary handle for the small Albion. I fettled it from a spanner and a yard of black insulating tape. I must get a proper one cast next year. Finally, I set the inking slab warming over the little oil filled radiator ready for printing - the main task for the day.

And now? Steaming hot coffee, toast and marmalade - and a chance to blog after yet another hectic week. Today should be one the last big working days before Christmas.

The latest news on the Rembrandt is that is does appear to be the self portrait with a fur hat from 1630. I need to arrange to take it to the museum to compare it side by side with their example. At the moment, its propped up on a shelf; I'm looking forwards to seeing it conserved and framed.

Unwrapping a parcel is always a great pleasure. When it contins 250 sheets of Zerkall paper, it is doubly so. Here is a year's supply of printing paper ready for transfer to the top drawer of my mapping chest