This set of a whole train of thought about production animals but in particular, chickens. The chickens in this image had relatively good life in comparison to those which are intensively farmed.
As a veterinary student I had to go to various intensive chicken farms. We visited battery hen units and witnessed the appalling conditions in which the animals were kept as well as the mass slaughter of all the day old male chicks which are no good for egg production. (They are often killed by being thrown alive into a meat grinder or suffocated n plastic bags).
We visited farms on which chickens are intensively raised for meat. They are raised in extremely overcrowded conditions walking on their own waste in a shed which stinks of ammonia so that your eyes stream when you go into it. Overcrowding makes them very stressed. We had to be very quiet as a sudden noise can initiate panic in which many birds can be injured. Many of them have broken legs by the time they are slaughtered because they are bred and fed for rapid weight gain and they outgrow the strength of their bones.
We also visited the Marshall's Chunky Chicken Factory. This is a massive mechanised slaughter house. The live chickens are attached by their feet to hooks with their heads dangling down and go on a nightmarish mechanised roller-coaster ride to come out as supermarket cuts of chicken at the other end. There are first supposed to be stunned when their heads pass through an electrified bath of water many of the chickens aren't stunned because they lift their heads away from the water. The next machine lets their throats (some also evade this). Then they go into a scalding hot water tank where rubber 'fingers' pluck out their feather. (The ones which evaded the knife die here) This tank is a slurry of faeces and feathers. On the other side the pass down the line and people eviscerate each chicken as it passes by. After experiencing all of this is it any wonder became a vegetarian and then a vegan!
However, if you ask people in general for their image of a chicken they will talks about cocks, hens and chicks scratching around in the farmyard. This image bears no relation to the way in which most chickens are farmed. Advertisers and supermarkets exploit these romantic association and most people either don't question, choose to ignore or are blissfully unaware of these facts.
The chicken's place in society is an interesting one. In the past they were revered in many cultures. Even today, the cock is seen as a potent symbol of masculinity as well as a natural alarm clock signalling the new day. The hen protecting her chicks is like the ultimate symbol of maternal love and protection. Eggs and chicks are used as symbols of rebirth, renewal and springtime. However, they are also probably also the most exploited and badly treated animals on the planet. Why is it considered normal to exert such cruelty on this species while there would be a huge outcry if we did the same procedures to puppy and kittens? This speaks of our natural tendency to categorise and classify elements of the natural world for our own convenience.
Even among chickens there are subcategories. There are fancy chickens and rare breeds which are primped and beautified to be shown as status symbols. There are urban chickens living in plastic Eglus all over London. There are pet chickens. There are still some farmyard chickens on smallholdings and then there are the vast majority of chickens which are the production animals previously described.
I have not yet attempted to address any of the above in my work. I have started with simple representation. While looking at images of chickens I became fascinated in particular by the texture of the comb and wattles of cockerels so I thought about ways I could achieve this and thought that etched Lino would be ideal for this granular texture.
I have made a print using two plates - one is a reduction plate which includes the etching. This plate was used for the eyes, comb and wattles. The second plate had the details of the beak and feathers. I used a photographic reference for this print.
The first layer of the reduction was printed in pale grey with a few highlights cut away. Layer two was a dark red for the base colour of comb, wattles, earlobes and the eye area.
The next step was to apply watercolour resist medium in the pattern of the textured parts of the comb and wattles and then to etch with caustic soda. This etched Lino was printed in a pale pink (which actually appears more grey against the dark red)
I was quite pleased with the way the texture appeared. I then went on to carve the second block and do a test print on that. I chose to print the second block in green to create a complementary colour scheme.
Layer 4 of the print ( the final layer) was plate 2 in green.
The registration isn't perfect which meant that I lost the highlight on the eye and I think this detracts from the character of the subject. I like the textural effect but I'm not sure about the colours. The red and the green are quite close in tonal value. They make a nice dark where they overlap but I haven't really exploited this fully. I think some more carving of the beak would have helped by giving a lighter point. I have some of the red/grey prints left so I might try printing plate 2 in another colour to see what difference it makes. However, at this point I have run out of time and must submit my work.
What I learnt
- I am managing to align two plate prints better at this stage although registration is still not perfect
- Lino etching can be used as a stage of a reduction print
- Lino etching ca be useful for creating textures
Points to consider for next time
- Try out colour schemes - perhaps using collage in the sketchbook - even if time is short this may save time and wasted effort in the long run
- This is an entirely illustrative and figurative work - try to develop the concept of the work further next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment