Spring Cleaning the Studio

I spent the last couple of days before the Easter break cleaning and tidying the studio. Well, it’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it.
After carefully looking around to make sure that nobody else was waiting patiently with mop and bucket at the ready, I had to assume that the person doing the cleaning was going to be me.
And doesn’t it all pile up? I have a perfectly good sized space to work in but somehow, while my back was turned, several hundred frames and several thousand sheets of paper and card muscled their way in. Well, I might be exaggerating a bit here (but not by much).
And then there’s all the rubbish – discarded proofs, empty ink tubes, dirty rags, lino clippings – oh dear, I really can’t go on.
Still, as I kept telling myself brightly, whilst covered from top to toe in dust and grime, it was definitely going to look fabulous when it was finished.
Funnily enough though, it all looks much the same as when I started. Why is that?

New London Bridge Linocut (at last)

To my shock, and if I’m honest, some horror too, I realised that I’d started writing about the progress of this ‘new’ linocut nearly two months ago.
I got as far as talking about planning the print here, starting work on the first block here and posting a photo of pulling a proof of it here. I thought it was all going rather well.
Then I made the usual mistake of opening my plan chest drawer and casting an ever so slightly critical eye over my last editioned print, of Liverpool Street Station.
And yes, before I knew it, I was back to wrestling with the wretched thing – for what felt like at least a year but probably wasn’t…
Consequently it all went a bit quiet on the London Bridge Station front, until I finally managed to get back to working on it again.
And here’s the result – just need a title now….

Liverpool Street Station Linocut Before and After…

                                         Well, I’ve spent weeks re-working this print.
                                                              

And as you can see, there’s not a lot of difference, really.

                                                         Still, I’m happy with it now…..