I call the pieces of writing found here Essays. The dictionary description of an essay is an attempt at something and a short non-fiction prose piece. There is no general theme or a coherence of subject matter in these pieces of writing, not even consistency of voice. I mumble and have dis-clarity of thought. In my head thoughts, disjuncture, sub-clauses, tangents and mis-comprehensions compete and clamour for attention and make writing strangely painful. Dyslexia and muddled train of thought make it hard for me to write. I worry about my written word and the mistakes I can make, but sometimes this is the best way to express an idea, think something through or mark the completion of a project. Writing can also bring me great satisfaction and wrestling with words can ultimately bring resolution to an idea.
Why So'Bosch
Thu 20th Feb 2020
What this essay says
I am captivated by the work of Hieronymus Bosch, so much so that making Bosch inspired ceramics and prints has been a major threadof my art practice for the last ten years. This essay is a meandering enquiry into my motivation for Boschesque making and into what my So’Bosch work means to me. I will wander between the personal and the general, between certainty and reticence. And, inevitably, I will consider why I am compelled to make art at all.
ReForm
Sat 16th Nov 2019
Strictly Come Printing - PrintDance:
PrintDance is a series of maps that show the movement of five printmakers working in five different print processes; etching, letterpress, lino, lithography and screen-printing. The maps record the interaction between the printmakers and the equipment at Leicester Print Workshop (LPW).
Each map tracks a different printmaker from preparation to completion of a print. Recording their route around the studio from the paper draw, to processing room, to inking area to press to drying rack. Every print process has a specific area in the LPW studio where the presses, materials and inking up spaces are concentrated. However there are also shared areas, crossing routes, and overlapping processes and presses. By using clear Perspex for the maps these interlocking movements can be seen.
PrintDance is a celebration of the diversity of means and manners of printmaking. Each PrintDance map reflects the performance of an individual print artist moving through LPW as they make their own work.
PrintDance has been a collaborative effort. Many thanks go to filmmaker Keith Allott and LPW printmakers Kate Fortune-Jones, Katy Goodrich, Sat Kalsi, Sue Kenton-Baker and Sarah Kirby.