With the closure of The Shop and shortage of time towards the end of the project I’ve had to reconsider the format of my final printed output for ‘Think, Question, Print’. In truth I had no concrete idea for the end product but as I was intending to exhibit in a more conventional way I assumed that I would produce a series of prints. Instead I have opted to design and print a folded booklet which can be distributed to the people of Nelson and Colne (for free) enabling them to enjoy and experience the work without having to organise a venue and a formal exhibition.
As I mentioned in a previous post about The Shop I was contacted by In-Situ about an image from ‘What’s Holding Me Back?’ being featured in their zine ‘Northern Souls’. I have since contacted a member of the zine team about distributing the work from ‘Think, Question, Print’ alongside the next issue of the zine. This will allow me to gain access to an established pool of interested arts appreciators and will hopefully enable the work to be distributed throughout the two towns more effectively.
After settling on this format I had to make decisions about the content of the booklet quite quickly in order to meet the deadline for bursary usage. I chose screen-print as the production method as it’s easier to reproduce a larger run of prints and I feel confident with screen-printing however it was also an opportunity to learn more about the process.
I wanted the booklet to be made from a single sheet of paper to make production more economical and to make it easier to construct. I chose a format from Esther K Smith’s ‘How to Make Books’ which uses a sheet of paper slightly larger than A3 and utilises both the front and back of the page. I didn’t spend too long deliberating over the paper or the final construction as I only wanted a loose idea of how the images would fit together on the pages.
My aim was to produce the work in a way that leaned towards fluidity and spontaneity, this is not easy with screen-printing where it’s necessary to decide on images and prepare screens in advance however I worked hard to keep the overall structure of the images open-ended.
There were certain elements from the research, photographs, sketches, collages, drypoint and mono-prints that I wanted to include and I spent time carefully looking back over the body of work that I produced up to October in order to create a design that captured my impressions and responses to both towns. It’s difficult to try and recreate the drypoint marks and richness produced by the carborundum but I developed new shapes and tried out new (to me) methods to produce painterly, pencil and charcoal marks on the screen.
Using True-grain for the first time was a great experience as I was finally able to successfully recreate the hand-drawn quality that my work has. It’s been a really enjoyable experience producing the artwork to apply to the screens and then choosing colours and layering the different components.
The work has built up in a way that I’m unfamiliar with and although it’s not always consistent between each print there is a character and charm that I feel is really appealing.
Unfortunately I was unable to finish the prints before Hot Bed Press closed for Christmas and I’ll have to complete the printing and folding early in January however I see the project as completed in terms of my learning and growth. Writing this blog in time for the deadline (and only just!!) has provided an opportunity to honestly reflect on what I’ve been doing and the successes and failures that I’ve had. Despite the setbacks I’ve managed to produce a body of print work that has included experimentation and new methods, I’ve expanded on or revisited processes that were already familiar to me, I’ve established new relationships and contacts and most importantly I’ve asked questions about what I’m going to do next and how and why. These questions have lead to further questions but beginning this discussion, if only with myself for now, is vital in order to move forward.
