Untitled (In the woods)

As most of you won't be able to get along to Impressions 7, the Annual Impress Printmakers Exhibition, I thought I'd share my new print which is in the show.

This is probably one of the first, if not the first digital print which has felt satisfying to me.

I took the original photo several years ago using the camera facility on a Sony PSP, which has a  toy camera option.The iPhone was around at the time, but it was just before Instagram. 

About a month or so ago I began working on the photo. I noticed the circle of light on the left and wanted this to be the focus.

And this is  the final result.

Untitled (In the woods) by Amanda Watson-Will

Actually, the final result is a small edition (five) of pigment prints on BFK Rives Digital paper. When I get a chance I will take a photo of the print and post it, because that is why I am so pleased with this print. The blacks have printed beautifully, rich and dark, and there is no sense that anything has been lost by the fact that this is a digital print and not hand pulled.

If you are in Brisbane and able to come along to the show, it opens Friday night. Details in my previous post. Hope to see you there!

Taking part in Impressions 7

A month or so ago, I was invited to participate in Impress Printmakers' Annual Exhibition. Works are by members and can inlcude prints, drawings and artists' books. 

I decided that it would be a good opportunity to show a couple of my artists' books to a Brisbane audience. Although my books have traveled to a variety of venues in Australia, to the US and right now one is making its way to Sarah Bodman's next exhibition of Book*Art*Object in England,  they haven't been seen much locally.

I also had one digital print that was almost ready, but I felt that as a collection of work, another was needed. The two books I chose, Judy & the Jacaranda and The Great Library, while quite different aesthetically are linked by their BAO connection. I felt that one completely unrelated print created a disjointed body of work.

So I began to work on another print that I felt would sit well with my first, and after a week or so, I was satisfied and so have submitted the two prints together with the two artists' books for the show.

If you are in Brisbane or close by, it would be terrific to see you at the Opening next Friday night. If you can't make it, I'll share some images in my next post.

Working into Ecoprints: some preliminary sketches

 Last year I made some prints using the 'welcome home' roses our lovely house-sitter Louise left after our trip.

When I took the embroidery course in August I used a couple for machine stitching, which I showed you here. 

Otherwise they have been sitting waiting my attention, while I worked on other commitments. So after finishing the first half of my BAO edition, I took a week off to play.

Having sat for so long, they have acquired rather an air of preciousness, and not being entirely confident in my drawing skills, I began by photographing a few so that I could make some preliminary sketches.

This worked well and I had fun trying out some ideas, which I may use either for "proper drawings" or for stitching. Below are four scans of my results. In the last one I haven't drawn anything, but the shading/colouring has been altered by the processes and I found that an interesting outcome.
 

I've found I really enjoy having some marks and colour on the paper to respond to in my drawing - must be the result of a childhood love affair with Mr Squiggle!

Nevertheless, I have already returned to my BAO project, printing pages, folding concertina spines etc in readiness for assembling the final copies - which I will soon share with you here.