Earlier this week I completed all of my dry point etchings ready to be framed and displayed on the wall of my installation space.
I made the decision to use previous etching plates to print with and to supplement these with a few new plates to increase the diversity of the images used. If I had more time I would’ve liked to be more selective about the exact images I wanted to use for my final show and created completely new etching plates from these.
Despite not being able to do what I originally wanted to, I based my decision of what plates to use largely upon the effectiveness of the outcomes I have already created. For me it was important to retain a certain level of clarity so the viewer can still recognise what the image is supposed to be whilst at the same time embracing the nature of the wallpaper and my own mark-making. I was also able to achieve the desired effect by taking off as much ink as possible so there wasn’t any unecessary obscurity because of excess ink.
If I wanted to I could’ve just used prints from my initial anaglypta series, although I felt it was better to keep my prints in their respective collections. This is also so I can create mini sketchbooks/makeshift photo albums out of each of my print series’.
The prints within my three separate series’ 22, 22 on anaglypta, and Every Photo We Took At The Beach have been strung together to create these little books. Whilst the first two have been trimmed down, I decided to leave my seaside etchings as they were. Not only did I find the coloured drips visually stimulating, I also liked the idea of their imperfection; with some prints slightly askew and some edges torn or rough etc. I feel this signifies the imperfections in amateur family photography as well as the vulnerability in the physicality of a photograph also. Ever since printing them I could not imagine trimming these pieces down as I always viewed them as a whole.
I gave a lot of thought to how many prints I actually wanted to display in my installation and given its previous relevance in my project I decided to go for 22. I have strived to maintain a certain level of continuity in my project which is illustrated by this significant number as well as my use of anaglypta wallpaper throughout.
