cut edges

 I've been exploring cut edges and paper lithography and making a sculptural book structure.

Runes

I saw a slip knot binding on the web recently and decided to have a go.

Distressed buildings

 I've had a bit of a rest from Mad, Bad... 

Two prints of one of my favourite subjects, dilapidated buildings.

The first is a tetra pak print and the second a collagraph.

More Mad......

 Two more mock ups for Mad, Bad and Dangerous

 

 

I think I'm slowly making progress.

Doors and Windows

Thanks to the awful wind and rain we've had for the past few days I've made a start on the pop up project based on Jill Reidy's talk and photos. A good excuse to revisit my photos and memories of warmer weather

 

slowly moving

Slowly moving this forward.

 It's still at the mock up stage but I think it has potential

Mad, Bad ....

 The latest archive project that I am involved in has the title of ‘Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know’.

I’ve found it quite difficult to get into.

There is a wealth of information in the Lancashire archives from constabulary and hospital records which not only have details of peoples crimes/condition but also contain photographs. The stories are in the main very sad, coming out of illness and/or poverty. It didn’t seem right to use them as fodder.

I started to type key phrases, such as ‘highway robbery’ into the archive database to see what these would produce and came across a collection of printed police handbills from the 1870’s.

They were distributed round various police stations and posted on the streets asking for information about various crimes/criminals. The use of language in some of these is fascinating and even if they come with a name it doesn’t feel intrusive unlike the hand written records and photographs.

I’m playing with format at the moment. I don’t want to produce a flat image and would like something to tell some of the stories that jumped out at me.

I had thought about making a toy theatre but I’m interested in the characters and figures on a stage can tend to get a bit lost in the space. So I’m trying something on a smaller scale

One of the references in the catalogue reads ” Warrington - Stolen Duck and Nest of eggs from premises of Rev. Frank Hopweed, Bewsey Hall - Reward 2 guineas”. I found the document and based on the information (and artistic license) I’ve made a couple of quick collagraph prints 

 I scanned them, printed them out, and used the bits to assemble this as a trial. I think it’s going in the right direction

 

One down...

'Spring' is finished, pop ups and paste papers.

More beginnings

I seem to have a lot of different things on at the moment. All of them very much at the experimental and thinking about them stage.

This is working on 'Spring 'but thinking 'spring up' or 'spring out'rather than daffodils.

Mad, Bad and Dangerous

Starting to play with ideas for Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, the latest project in conjunction with Lancashire Archives.

 

 

 I've chosen to base my work on a set of police handbills from the 1830s

These are just roughs. I'm not sure where it's going yet but I've several ideas to try out