I said to Theo when I arrived that I was prepared to do any jobs needed and I don’t mind just observing if I am going to get in the way. As Theo is used to printing by himself he has had to develop his own way of handling large sheets of paper without a second pair of hands. It has been really interesting over the past few days observing and occasionally helping Theo prepare and work on some large scale linocuts.
I also took this opportunity to draw and process the lithographic stones I had prepared. Now Theo has a completely different etching and processing method to my own, so I was really interested to see his method of approach.
The reason I wanted to come and work with Theo is because he works with a lot of indigenous artists and has been known to take his press and studio to them. NFP stands for No Fixed Press. When you choose to print outside of a studio environment you have to become resourceful and adaptable and that is exactly what Theo has done. He makes some of his own materials and has developed ways to recycle and re use others. This is what I wanted to learn from him, a way to be more resourceful within my own practice as a printmaker and collaborator.
