Meet the Artist(s)

Here is the usual small number of pitiful photos of the Meet the Artist session yesterday with Angie Lewin.

Despite being on what felt like the hottest day in a decade, it was pretty busy – great to meet such lovely people….

 

Oh dear, matching tops – we must remember to consult on our wardrobes next time.
Thank goodness I made a last minute change from jeans to white trousers, otherwise it would have been really embarrassing…..

Angie discussing Brenda Hartill‘s collographs with some visitors. That’s one of life’s great pleasures, discussing another artist’s methods – how did she do that?

And that’s it – I’m off to the Royal Academy Summer Show for Varnishing Day soon and I really must remember to take lots of photos….

Meet the Artist (Me) This Sunday

‘Meet the Artist’ sessions are held at Bankside Gallery throughout the duration of the Annual Exhibition of the RE (Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers).
Every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 1-4, there will be an RE member present at the gallery, ready to talk about their work. Admission is free and no booking is required – just turn up. There is a complete list of artists here.
I will be there this Sunday (29th May) and I’m always up for a chat about printmaking and my own work, of course. So if anyone feels like a trip up to the smoke, I’d be very happy to see you. Mostly it’s just tourists, mildly puzzled as to why I’m sitting there, and of course there’s always someone who’s come in out of the rain….
As an added attraction, Angie Lewin will also be there – normally there’s a crowd three deep around her table and one person at mine (possibly because they can’t get close enough to Angie.)
All this and some wonderful prints to see at the exhibition  – well, you can’t ask for more than that, can you?

London Printmakers at the National Theatre – Ends Saturday!

The frontispiece to the exhibition, featuring my linocut West End Girls.
                                                               
Here are some of Carole Hensher’s  lithographs.

And Martin Ridgwell’s etchings.

 Veta Gorner’s etchings.

Trevor Price’s etchings.

Mychael Barratt’s etchings.

Sonia Rollo’s etchings.

Colin Moore’s linocuts.

Susie Perring’s etchings.

 

Jazmin Velasco’s relief prints with letterpress.

Karen Keogh’s etchings.

                                                                               

Louise Davies’ etchings with collograph.

And because I forgot to take any photos of my own work, here is the banner in the National Theatre foyer.

                                                                              

Imitation Is Not A Form of Flattery

The other day, a colleague tells me she’s just seen some work ‘exactly’ just like mine. ‘Oh really?” I say, politely (whilst thinking something else entirely).
“Where did you see it?” I ask her.
“Along Southwark Street, I think,” she replies.
“Which gallery?”
“I don’t know if it was a gallery as such,” she says.
“Well, what then?”
“I don’t know precisely – I only saw it from the top of the bus.”
“Yes, but were they linocuts?”
“Well, like I said, I was on the bus, and it was going fast and I didn’t have my glasses on.”

Hmm….
Really though, this whole copying thing is a bit of a nightmare – using someone else’s images is just plain wrong. Of course, there can be a fine line between using another person’s work as inspiration and copying it – but often, that ‘personal interpretation’ might not be personal enough.
And be honest, there’s not a lot you can do about it, short of challenging them to a paint-off – artists have always borrowed from each other and always will.

Paul Catherall was asked the other day on Twitter if a current poster featuring Battersea Power Station was one of his. His answer was, “not me though does look similar. Still, I don’t have patent on Battersea (much as I’d like!) ;-)”.
Absolutely. When you’re using actual places as the starting point for your work, you have to be relaxed about it – I didn’t invent the London Underground, more’s the pity.

And, looking on the bright side, you know you’ve arrived when other artists start to copy you, right? They wouldn’t bother if your work was rubbish…..

London Printmakers at the National Theatre

 A few photos from Thursday’s Private View of the London Printmakers Exhibition at the National Theatre on Thursday evening – I really will have to go back and take some more……

                                                          The exhibition banner in the foyer….

                                  Colin Moore and Veta Gorner, in front of Colin’s linocuts.

                       And Susie Perring explaining the finer points of her etching, Holiday Tree……

                              The show is on every day until 21st April and entrance is free.

A Visit to the Asmolean Museum

On Wednesday, I had a rare day away from the studio. I went up on the train to Oxford to visit the Print Room at the Ashmolean Museum, where the RE Diploma Collection is held.
There I met up with Bren Unwin and Daphne Casdagli, respectively President and Curator of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers.
Left: Arriving at the Print Room


When an artist is elected to the Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE), a print is selected from their portfolio by the council and delivered to the RE archives, held at the Ashmolean.
We were there to meet Clare Tilbury, Hon RE and art historian, who manages the diploma collection on our behalf, and to hand over the prints from our newly elected Associate Members.
Left: Myself and Daphne Casdagli (right) unpacking the prints.


The Diploma Collection is a substantial historic collection of prints, dating back to the earliest days of the Society and includes work by distinguished past and present members, such as Dame Laura Knight, Graham Sutherland and Norman Ackroyd.
Left: Bren Unwin (left) and Clare Tilbury (right) taking out the relevant storage boxes.

                                                                                       

There are over nine hundred prints carefully catalogued and stored here, as the Society has been going since 1881. The collection can be viewed on request to the museum.
And just in case anyone’s wondering what exactly I was doing there, I was shadowing Daphne as I am due to take over from her as Curator for the RE next year.
Left: looking over some of the print collection (and thanks to Bren for the photos – as usual, mine were too disastrous to use……)

Plants and Places by Angie Lewin

I’ve just finished reading fellow RE, and friend, Angie Lewin’s book – Plants and Places. I have to say it is beautiful, full of her exquisite wood engravings and linocuts and written by well known garden writer Leslie Geddes Brown.
I read it with a curious mixture of appreciation and teeth grinding envy. I even found myself putting the book down from time to time, just to fantasize that this was actually my book, full of my own work. Oh well, a girl can dream….
Here are the details if you’re interested in buying a copy – definitely recommended.

Nana Shiomi on YouTube

I’ve just been watching my friend and colleague Nana Shiomi on YouTube. She was filmed as she demonstrated her unique combination of water based woodcut printmaking at the Double Elephant Print Workshop in Devon.
I found it absolutely fascinating – I only wish I could hear some more of the questions and her answers but I guess they had to keep it reasonably short….
You can see it here and here.