A Day in the Print Workshop - Intaglio

Untitled, no. 12 of 12, from the portfolio, Anatomy. 1990. Drypoint
Louise Bourgeois 

One of my art heroes is Louise Bourgeois; she frequently employed drypoint techniques when producing her many prints integral to her work during the late 1980s. Bourgeois preferred this method of printmaking as it was simple to manipulate the incised line and required no specialist materials such as acids to create the print. When drawing with drypoint she likened the scratching technique to    the act of 'stroking', an endearing gesture, and possibly as a result from the soft and irregular lines produced by this print method. I agree with this statement and feel it is an effective method for making narrative portrait prints. Like Bourgeois, drypoint is a creative medium for me rather than just a reproductive medium. 

work in progress Nov 2017

Continuing my explorations of representing familial imagery in my quest for preserving likeness and presence within artworks I decided to revisit intaglio printmaking techniques. This medium is good for artists wanting to capture drawn qualities in their artwork. The scratched, incised marks are inked and then wiped revealing the residue ink engrained in the indented marks, thus creating the image for printing. After taking artist proofs on Somerset Satin 250gms the resulting print of 'mother' has a quality of softness which contrasts with the rather stern, reproachful look of the sitter. It is both interrogative as well as contemplative. I then produce another plate, this time an image of my father as a one year old child. I have omitted certain details from the drawing (e.g.the chair he was sitting on, background context etc.) so that we view only the doll-like child floating across piano music. This is authentic sheet music from the 1920s in which the image is printed upon and was the very sheet music played by my paternal grandmother.  The hairy, woollen baby suit looks uncomfortable and adds a disquieting layer to the work. The source and narrative quality of my print paper will become an important factor in my subsequent prints.