Impressit Blog

Impressit (which means 'has printed' in Latin) is an exhibition of contemporary printmaking curated by Pete Clarke, Tracy Hill and Magda Stawarska-Beavan (University of Central Lancashire). This blog will be documenting both the show, the artists taking part in the show and the activities/workshop.

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Impressive Impressit – Review by Leighton Bohl

Leighton Bohl went along to The Harris Museum & Art Gallery recently and was certainly impressed by the breadth, scope and experimental nature of the show. Personally its one of the best shows I've seen at The Harris in recent years and shows printmaking to be a vital and engaging medium with a wide variety&

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Talking Prints: Richard Noyce

Talking Prints tonight (24 April) at 6pm in Harris Museum and Art Gallery by Richard Noyce in conjunction with Impressit exhibition.

This illustrated lecture is derived from the experience Richard Noyce had during the writing and research for his two published books on international contemporary printmaking, and the forthcoming third volume. The lecture will begin with a consideration of some of the background to the notions of imagination and image, and some personal thoughts on the whole nature of creativity. In pursuit of some of the results of the creative process the lecture will continue with some thoughts about examples of the work of a selection of the artists who will be featured in the third book, 'Printmaking off the Beaten Track', for publication by Bloomsbury in autumn 2013. The artists come from a number of countries that seldom if ever feature in exhibitions or publications in the West.

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Image courtesy of the artist.

  Just a reminder that Jason Hicklin will be doing an etching demonstration for Impressit at the Harris Museum this Saturday, April 20th, from 12 to 4 PM. Just drop in and see the printing process in action and ask Jason any questions about the process and about his work.

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Roohi Ahmed

  In-Visibility 1, 2, and 3 by Ahmed. Photo by Tony Knox.

  Ahmed is currently researching body space and performativity of drawing. Taking the argument from Simone de Beauvoir that '...a man defines a woman not in herself but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being...she is defined and differentiated with reference to man and he with reference to her'. Ahmed has juxtaposed a female silhouette with the Vitruvian Man, making visible the feminine space that already exists and overlaps with that of a ma, without slotting it into any stereotypical roles. The title highlights the invisibility despite being in 'visibility'.

  Roohi Ahmed was educated at the School of Visual Arts, New York, USA, and Karachi School of Arts, Pakistan. Ahmed showcased her new body of work Hermeneutics of the body at the Canvas Gallery, Karachi 2012.

  She is currently studying and teaching at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Jadranka Njegovan

Impressit includes four of Njegovan's No Title lithograph prints. The subtle and elegant lines of Njegovan's prints belie the complex process of lithography. Lithography involves the printing of an image from a flat surface based on the principle that oil and water repel each other. Using a greasy crayon, the image is drawn directly onto the surface, then alternate use of damping and inking ensures that only the drawn image receives the application of ink. Her work plays with the notion of abstract and figurative. Njegovan draws lines on stone, then adds shadow.

  Njegovan studied at the Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague. She has exhibited widely internationally and currently lives and works in Holland.

  www.jadrankanjegovan.nl

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Wuon-Gean Ho

Wuon-Gean with her Dancing Dresses prints during the private view. Photo by Tony Knox.

  Dancing Dresses is a series of unique prints made from Sakura ink on Somerset paper and they have been turned into a stop frame animation that accompanies the prints.

  Ho originally trained as a vet before studying history of Art at Cambridge University. In 1998, she undertook a Japanese Government Scholarship to study traditional woodblock printmaking in Kyoto. She has since held residencies in various countries, including the UK, USA, and Italy. She is the recipient of awards including the John Purcell Paper prize in 2007, the Printmakers Council prize in 2009, and the Birgit Skiold Memorial Trust Award of Excellence in 2010.

  Wuon-Gean recently did a linoleum workshop at the Harris Museum, you can view the write up here and Wuon-Gean's blog post of Impressit here.

  www.wuongean.com

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Bren Unwin

Unwin investigates the relationship between the viewer and their environment using a wide variety of media that illustrate her deep understanding of many specialist print processes. The landscape close to her home in Cornwall is a recurring theme - such as the redundant tin mine at Geever which Chiasm: miner's cage was inspired by.

  Dr. Bren Unwin is an artist printmaker and President of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE). In 2004, she was winner of the RE Gwen May Student prize and in 2008 was awarded a PhD and the Chancellor’s medal for outstanding doctoral research by the University of Hertfordshire. Unwin’s work is held in national and international collections and she exhibits regularly in London and Cornwall where she is a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists.

  www.brenunwin.com

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Oran O’Reilly

The Pounding and Double Cross by O'Reilly. Photo by Tony Knox.

  O'Reilly's work is concerned with the relationship between computer generated imagery and established printmaking techniques. He explores ideas of physicality, beliefs and conflict.

Impressit includes O'Reilly's works on perspex and works on vinyl. The works on perspex combine digital drawing with woodcut printing connecting the computer and hand produced. Full of metaphors and using comic like imagery the works have a sinister undercurrent.

The work on vinyl is more 'throw-away'. The graphics capture attention like a logo or advertising poster, however the computer generated 'warning' tape evokes a sense of unease.

  O’Reilly graduated from the Royal College of Art printmaking department in 2001. He was Fellow in Printmaking at the Royal Academy Schools (2005-07) and is currently Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University. His work has been exhibited in London, New York, San Francisco and Vienna, and most recently in Pushing Print, Margate and the International Print Triennial, Krakow in 2012. O’Reilly lives and works in London.

  www.oranoreilly.co.uk

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Gerry Baptist

Baptist exhibits The Seven Deadly Sins woodcut prints in the exhibition. Taking the Biblical story of Salome as a starting point, Baptist makes comparisons with reality TV, which gives participants who crave celebrity the opportunity to achieve their aims. This form of popular culture invokes both horror and maybe envy, yet has become compulsive viewing for large audiences.

  Baptist was born in Lahore in 1935, of British and Portuguese parents and was educated in India and England. He studied painting and graphics at Walthamstow School of Art and the London College of Printing and was awarded the National Diploma in Design. Before painting and printmaking full time he worked as an art director in advertising in the UK and Germany. He is a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers in 2008. He has exhibited widely in the UK and is in the collections of the Ashmolean Museum, the Bank of England and Guildford Borough Council. He is currently based in Guildford.

  www.gerrybaptist.co.uk

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Georg Gartz

Next Stop by Gartz. Photo by Tony Knox.

  Gartz's installation has been constructed especially for Impressit. He is interested in bust stops - and the inside/outside spaces they provide. The construction is made from everyday found materials, rescued from skips or recycled from previous projects, to create a 3D abstract composition. His prints are all unique screenprints made at ArtLab studios, and are installed as part of the construction. The prints reflect his interest in architecture, and include surfaces of different materials, echoing the lines and elements of the construction housing them.

  Gartz was born in 1955 in Krefeld and lives and works in Cologne, Germany. He studied Fine Art at the Fachhochschule in Cologne. Gartz is co-founder of the Eight Days A Week project and has collaborated with Pete Clarke since 1999.

  www.georg-gartz.de

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Pete Clarke

In Bas-Relief prints by Pete Clarke. Photo by Tony Knox.

  Pete Clarke is an artist who explores the social landscape, concepts of the city, modernity and history through painting, printmaking, drawing and poetic text. These two series of prints demonstrate a layering of print processes. Clarke collects letter press blocks and they are subsequently a recurring theme in his work.

  Clarke moved to Liverpool after studying at Chelsea School of Art, West of England College of Art (Bristol Polytechnic), Burnley Municipal College and living for a time on the Isle of Wight and then London. He is the MA Course Leader and Principal Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston. He leads the artists’ initiative ‘Eight Days A Week’, arranging reciprocal exhibitions, projects and events in Liverpool and Cologne. He makes paintings, prints and installations with the artist Georg Gartz from Cologne exploring collaborative strategies within contemporary practice questioning individuality, authorship and authenticity in a European context. He has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally.

  http://www.peteclarke.org.uk/

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Jason Hicklin

Hicklin's etchings begin with walks around the coast and lakes of the British Isles and Ireland. Initially he walks, takes notes and makes drawings in his sketchbook or on soft ground zinc plates. Back in his studio these are worked up into etchings: "Etching is fundamental to my work; it creates an atmosphere and period of concentration. The act of decision making and commitment to the mark is paramount. The physicality of corrosion, an element of chance which I experienced in the landscape, can be re-engaged with during the etching process. This process, together with the rhythm of a series of prints, again, re-engages me with the walks I have made. The boundaries and limits can encourage improvisation and questioning of the etching process. This is what drives my work in the etching studio."

  Hicklin studied at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and was elected a member of the Royal Society of Painters-Printmakers in 1993. He has exhibited widely in the UK and the Ireland and currently lives and works in Shropshire.

  Jason will be doing a demonstration on Saturday April 20th from 12 to 4PM in the education space. This is your chance to see the printing process in action and ask Jason any questions about the process and his work!

  www.jasonhicklin.com

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A few select photos from the Anne Desmet workshop, full write up coming.

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Tracy Hill

Tracy's Morphology prints. Photo by Tony Knox.

  Maere and Morphology are new works exploring the history and navigation routes of the River Mersey. They investigate different elements of mapping, whilst also considering the potential of new technological and digital elements within contemporary printmaking.

  Maere is the result of a collaboration between Hill and Alasdair Bremnar of the Silicate Research Unit at UCLan which led to a unique opportunity of combining ceramics and fine art print. Hill based the work on navigation charts, archived geological maps and current sonar and satellite mapping information. Through the application of oxides and glazes the structure of the concrete pieces were created to resonate with the hidden geological and historical elements of the river.

  The installation Morphology, which means the study of the forms of things, is based on historic bathymetric charts which have recently been digitized allowing new interpretations of the environment. Panels of Kozo paper carry screen printed images of sediment and water reflections, intersected by a hand cut form showing the navigable route between the banks of shifting sediment famous for making the River Mersey so treacherous.

  Hill was born in Birmingham and studied Fine Art at Bourneville School of Art and Sheffield Hallam University. She currently works at UCLan. Her research examines how the conventional processes of printmaking and the new technological and digital tools can be combined to produce new ways to challenge the definitions of print. She has exhibited widely internationally.

  Tracy will be doing a free curator tour on the 8th of April at 1PM in the exhibition space. Just drop in and join us!

  www.tracyhill.co.uk

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Impressit's Artist Spotlight: Katherine Jones

Bubble High. Photo by Tony Knox

  Jones's work is informed by landscape and includes floating structures, which convey the tension between security and vulnerability, safety and over protection. She scores into mount board and uses a number of plates to create abstract and slightly fantastical compositions, with luminous buildings.

Bubble High was created for Art on Poetry, a season of artists' books which responded to the Poetry Library' Collection. The hanging books are a development from the ghost like structures floating in her prints. The idea was developed in collaboration with Retta Baven, whose award winning book The Ornamental World is included in the Poetry Library's Collection. The term Bubble High describes a small area of high pressure and unstable air typically associated with impending thunderstorms. The resulting books opens to reveal a series of Gampi tissue leaves onto which the poem is printed and which responds to the movement and temperature of the surrounding atmosphere.

  Jones lives and works in London. In 2007, she was awarded a three year research fellowship in Printmaking by the city and guilds of London Art School, where, alongside her teaching, she was able to experiment with materials and techniques. In her current work she uses mainly traditional printmaking techniques with collagraph to add and subtract colour and create contrast until the piece is realised. Jones recently won ‘Printmaker of the Year’ at Printfest in Cumbria and was shortlisted for the Art’s Foundation Fellowship Award 2013. She has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally.

  www.katherine-jones.co.uk

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The Impressit exhibition includes a education / 'hands-on' space for all visitors to learn more about printmaking processes. You can find out about different tools, materials and techniques, and make your own pencil rubbing/drawing to add to the walls.

Exhibiting artist Jason Hicklin will also be working in the space from 12 - 4pm on Saturday 20th April - drop in and chat as he demonstrates intaglio etching processes.

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For those who have still yet to get down to the harris, firstly what the devil are you playing at! your missing out on a real treat, secondly here are some rather enjoyable photo's from the opening night ( photos by Tony Knox)