It was great to visit the BA Printmaking degree shows at Brighton recently and see some of the work made by students who I’ve had the privilege to work with at times during the past three years. The shows were a great reminder of the huge diversity of printmaking from low-tech monoprints and collagraphs and traditional etching, screen-printing and lithography to the wider interpretations of printmaking through mould-making and casting, installation, book-binding and the use of non-traditional materials and digital technologies. It was also a great reminder that no matter how long we’ve been artists, how much experience we might have, it’s still all too easy to be blinkered and narrow, settling in to an over-comfortable routine or forgetting to explore new avenues or open new doors.
Image above: Abby Mullan
Below Ruby Bateman, www.instagram.com/ruby__bateman/
Image above: Ben Egan Clements www.instagram.com/benjamineganclements/
Below: Gina Benn-O’Leary, www.ginabennoleary.com
In my last blog I wrote about my work in progess, Pink Spread. I’d been feeling an only too familiar uncertainty about this piece of work which although almost “finished” seemed still incomplete. Taking inspiration from those graduating students I reminded myself to push things a little further, exploring combinations of images and objects alongside the work to add another dimension.
