You have clearly enjoyed collagraph a great deal and have produced a very successful body of prints for this assignment. I think this process has a great deal of potential for you.
I really enjoyed this part of the course and am encouraged by my tutor comments and the potential it may have as I move forward. For me collagraph is as much about the discovery of material as is the surprise of the finished print.
I agree wholeheartedly with the comments of Eunice Kim ‘for me personally, physicality of the collagraph, as well as its inherently experimental nature, are what draws me to it as a medium’…. www.eunicekim.net/process1.html [accessed 1/5/2020]
Personally I prefer a generous border around the image so the it can breathe, but I understand paper is expensive.
I agree that bigger borders make for a better print, they focus the eye onto the print, unfortunately this was me getting to grips with and understanding the maximum paper size I had that would work with the press that I was using.
Personally, I like the finer and more subtle results achieved with the blue ink. I know this doesn’t necessarily fit with your theme.
To some extent the blue ink used does fit my interpretation of the theme, as in it reflects the coolness that returns to the land after the fire has been put out and the hints of green reflect new growth and rebirth.
Your red and yellow prints are aesthetically beautiful, yet the fires were devastating and left charring and devastation. Should the plates be inked to reflect the concept? Black and sepia? I know you are not trying to make ‘ugly’ prints but it’s worth considering how the choice of colours can be read.
I had not wanted to use sepia or black ink at the time as I was feeling precious about the lovely colours that the plate retained, almost an art work in itself. This preciousness has now warn off and I will attempt to produce some darker, charred prints.
Three new prints in black / sepia have been added to my blog with comment.
Things to try and bear in mind for Part 5
- Try to make for bigger borders, smaller print plate.
- Consider colour choices
- Allow for space
- Think more about context and themes
BILLYDOOPRINT1 