A Medical Print

In June 2017, I made a print for St. Luke's Hospital as part of a Blackstack Studio exhibition at the hospital.  We had an open brief but at the end of it, after the prints were submitted, they were adjudicated by a panel from the hospital to ensure that they were suitable for the location.

After the exhibition, the prints were kept by the hospital and dispersed to various locations and mine ended up over the main reception desk.  I must go in and have a look and get a photograph in situ but for now, here's the print and the process.  I called it This Is That II and took the opportunity to produce a large scale (70 cm x 50 cm) rice monoprint with wood block additions.

 

  

Twenty Five Years Later

Twenty five years ago I worked in a textile factory laboratory and office.  In the spare time at the office, I often used to doodle.  I made one particular doodle that I particularly liked and copied it.  It remains, an A4 sheet of paper with a small doddle copied many times on it.  It is dog eared now but I'm glad I still have it. 

Recently I decided to immortalise it in print and while I was printing it I thought back to working in the office and how stifled and trapped I felt.  I would never have imagined, when drawing this doodle, that one day I would be in a print studio in Kilkenny, twenty five years later printing it.

An Occasional Print

Printing has become an occasion rather than something I do regularly.  I have to give myself a day, get change for the toll, then drive for a leisurely hour up the M9 past Mullinavat and Knocktopher and then find money to park the car on Horse Barracks Lane, right next to the Smithwick's brewery in the centre of Kilkenny. 

In summer I often park outside the very lovely St. Kieran's College because it is free and walk through the city and although this takes about 15 minutes, it is worth it because Kilkenny City is a wonderful place with narrow Kilkenny marble pavements and groups of tourists and hustle and bustle and charity shops to divert the footsteps, unless I'm carrying paper or heavy rollers in which case I am too tired and sweaty to be diverted until I reach the studio, put down my load, turn on the radio and begin.

This drypoint print is based upon drawings I have been making somewhat obsessively of late and is for the Blackstack Studio 2016 box set.

Piggies

I have been printing piggies for a friend.  These photos show the prints and the plates and the things in between.

Rothe House Recce

My next exhibition is another group show, again with Blackstack Studio at Rothe House in Kilkenny.  Rothe House is a medieval merchant's town house, right across the road from Blackstack and our exhibition will be a response to the building, history, gardens and artefacts there.

I took my camera and had a slow wander around.  It is a fantastic place but what inspired me the most were the some of the artefacts there and the recreated medieval garden, which even in early Spring, bare and without much growth was like an oasis in the middle of the city.  Inside the walls there wasn't another soul to be seen but you could hear traffic, someone playing music, the voices and footsteps of people walking past.  I collected lots of dead leaves and plant material as potential collagraphs and I will possibly layer these with drypoints of some of the artefacts, all topped off with a bit of monoprinting for good measure!

Blackstack Group Exhibition, The Source Arts Centre, Thurles

Bit long-winded for a post title but the show itself didn't have a name!  Here are some images from the group exhibition which is currently ongoing at The Source Arts Centre in Thurles.  The show featured works from ten of Blackstack Studio's artists and was a diverse collection of print styles, subject and mediums.  I was hoping to have time to make new prints but that didn't happen so I put some in from the Limerick Printmaker's Show. 

The show was opened by Brendan Maher, the Director of The Source and individual artists also talked about their works to the audience which I thought was a great idea.  Usually the artist is anonymous to a lot of people at openings but it is the one time they are there, and possibly dying to talk about their work to a collection of visitors.  For the visitor it makes the work more intimate and real, allows them to ask questions and possibly connect with the work which might not be possible without that background being provided.

The ten artists taking part are:  John Busher, Maeve Coulter,  Sylvia Hemingway, Andrew Kelly, Ale Mercado, Stephen Morton, Aiseling Noone, Jacqueline O'Neill, Helen Robbins and yours truly.

Aiseling Noone

Aiseling Noone

Andrew Kelly (detail)

Andrew Kelly

John Busher talking about his work

Helen Robbins talking about her work

Jacqueline O'Neill

John Busher

Stephen Morton

Stephen Morton (detail)

Stephen Morton

Sylvia Hemingway