A recent trip to Inverness gave me another concentrated stretch of time at Highland Print Studio, working on the new photopolymer gravure prints I have been developing.
Overall, it was a successful visit, although—as always with printmaking—not everything went to plan. I am working at a larger scale now, and that brings its own challenges. Tiny marks or scratches on the acetates and plates that might have gone unnoticed on a smaller plate can suddenly become very visible, and sometimes an image simply does not translate in the way I had hoped. But that is also part of the process. Proofing is about finding out what works and what does not.
I have now proofed all of the new images and can begin to look at them together rather than individually. I am thinking about which ones need further work, whether colour might be introduced, where chine collé might be useful, and how the images might begin to sit alongside one another as a more resolved body of work.
While I was at Highland Print Studio, I also handed in my edition for the 20:20 Print Exchange. It feels good to be part of something that connects my work to a wider printmaking community.
Image for 20:20 print exchange
I also sent two prints to Highland Print Studio for inclusion in the exhibition with Highland Print Studio at the XOKO Bakehouse in Inverness. These opportunities may be modest in scale, but they are important. Working from a remote island means I have to think quite deliberately about how the work travels beyond my studio and how I continue to make connections with people, organisations and audiences elsewhere.
This week I also have two Zoom meetings lined up. Again, these are part of the same process of keeping myself and the work visible, making new connections and looking for different ways to develop what I am doing.
I am increasingly aware that making the work is only one part of being an artist. Alongside the practical studio work, I am thinking about how I communicate it, where I show it, how I build relationships and how I create opportunities from a fairly remote place.
For now, the new prints are all proofed and laid out. I am giving myself a little space to look at them properly before deciding what comes next. That pause between making and deciding feels important. It is where I can begin to see which images have the most potential and how this new group of work might develop.
