Michael: SGFA exhibition

Last night, we went to the opening of the SGFA Exhibition at the Menier Gallery in London.

Found one of my prints in the window!

Photos (C) William de Wilde

Fred Cuming, RA opened the exhibition.

Lots of good and inspiring drawings in exhibition. I was fascinated by this picture by Marie Blake: at first glance, we thought it was a watercolour, but closer inspection revealed that it was a linocut, slowly built up from about five carefully cut blocks, printed in pale thin colours.

And some excellent work by Myrtle Pizzey (sorry, I don't have a photo), and this print by Eric Gaskell.

Again, we were deceived: the detailed, close cutting made it look like wood engraving... but it's a linocut.

I liked this print by Shenac Rogerson, of one of my favourite places, Avebury.

There's some texture on the stones (which unfortunately doesn't show on this photo) which I think was created by spattering ink onto the plate before printing it.

The exhibition continues until Saturday 15 October, 2011.

Michael: New English Art Club

My "St Mary Axe/Leadenhall" linocut will be in the New English Art Club open exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London. The exhibition runs from Friday 26 November - Sunday 5 December 2010.



More information
New English Art Club
Mall Galleries

Michael: SGFA Private View

Last night, we went to the Private View of the Society of Graphic Fine Art's 89th annual exhibition. It was at the Menier Gallery in London.



As we reached the gallery, I saw something in the window that I recognised.



Remember that?

The exhibition was opened by Victor Ambrus, the illustrator whom you might have seen on Channel 4's Time Team.

As we left the exhibition, we spotted a couple of shady looking characters hanging round the gallery. Obviously up to no good.



We've reported them.

Photos by William de Wilde.

Michael: London linocut, final stage

Finished, at last. I printed some black-blue to make the details in the windows, the top of the tower, and the boxes at the front stand out.

St Mary Axe/Leadenhall. Five stage reduction linocut, 30 x 24cm.

This is the view from the steps of the Lloyds building in the City of London, looking east to the corner of St Mary Axe and Leadenhall. Like in so many places of the City, you get a sweep of architectural history in a single view. In the centre of the picture is the 16th C Perpendicular church of St Andrew Undershaft. To the right, there's a late Victorian office building, now a branch of Lloyds TSB; and to the left, a messy lump of 1980's postmodernism. Behind them all rises 30 St Mary Axe, better known as the "Gherkin".

Michael: London linocut, stage 4

Fourth layer: blue and grey in yet darker shades.



One more layer, and it will be finished.

P.S. This is our 100th post!

Michael: London linocut, stage 3

The third layer on the London linocut makes more of the image appear.

I also fixed an error that appeared in the previous stage: the "Gherkin" was slightly tipping over to the right. Strangely I noticed it only when I put the photo on this blog. (I thought at first the photo was crooked, but it wasn't.)

Unfortunately, now I've put up this photo, I've noticed another error... I'll let you try to find it, while I work out how to fix it.

Michael: London linocut, stage 2

At last, I've got to the second layer on the London linocut.

But before I did that, I decided I still wasn't happy with the first layer, even though I'd got rid of that nasty red ink that was coming through. So I printed the first stage for the third time, using the original blue and grey colours. Then I was able to start cutting the block for the second layer, and printed it in darker shades.

Michael: London linocut, stage 1 again

I've found something that cleans the red Sharpie ink off the linoblock. It had to be something that would clean the ink, but not damage the lino. The oil that I usually use to clean the block didn't work. Alcohol didn't work. Eventually, we found something that worked: nail polish remover. The stain is still on the block, but it doesn't print anymore.

I reprinted the block in slightly warmer colours (but without the red!).



That's better.

Michael: London linocut, stage 1

I've printed the first colours on the new big linocut.



A blend from pale blue through grey to dark grey. Already, some of the image starts to appear.

But wait! Where did those red lines at the top come from?



Usually, I use a black Sharpie to draw the image on the block. (Black Sharpie is truly permanent; other so-called permanent markers fade when you clean the linoblock after printing.) But I had to use a different colour to sort out a mess of drawing.

Now it turns out that the red Sharpie I used doesn't dry properly on lino... In fact, it prints!

I ran the block through the press several times, printing onto scrap paper; this got rid of the worst of the Sharpie ink. I just have to hope that what's printed onto the paper here will disappear under the further layers of ink.