Thirty-Six Prints and a Cuckoo’s Call
The concertina book pages are finally complete. I produced an edition of six images which will fit across six pages—thirty-six prints in total. Each one is a photopolymer print, built up in two or more colours. It’s a slow, exacting process—there’s no rushing it—just deep concentration and a willingness to embrace the rhythm of printmaking.
I also pushed the processes, incorporating some monotype backgrounds alongside the photopolymer layers. It added complexity, but the results feel richer for it. All of this has been happening over the past couple of weeks – the last few days of which have been hot and sunny—beautiful!
With my husband away on the mainland for the week, I’ve been on full animal duty, which has added its own layer of choreography to the studio routine. The doors and windows have been open because of the gorgeous weather – which our two cats have taken as an invitation to become wildly energetic. Added to that our sixteen chickens— have also been opportunistically wandering up to the house and attempting to sneak inside for a bonus snack. — it’s fair to say the studio has felt… lively!
At several points I found myself mid-print, trying to rescue paper with one hand while ushering out a chicken with the other. I ended up being as ink-covered as the prints themselves.
But somewhere in the middle of all that, a moment of stillness: yesterday, I heard the unmistakable call of a cuckoo. The first call of the season, I love that sound it always stops me in my tracks. Such a small bird, travelling all the way from Africa—something I feel a quiet connection to, having been born there myself.
And now, on a very happy note, the pages of A Tapestry of Connection are finished. There’s real satisfaction in reaching this point—especially knowing how much care, patience, and persistence it has taken to get here.
Next stop: the bookbinding workshop with Sollas Bookbinding early next month. I’m very much looking forward to seeing these prints take their final form.
Nicola Neate 