Research Point: Edward and Richard Bawden

Research point

Look at the work of Edward Bawden, and his son, contemporary printmaker Richard Bawden. Take a close look at the way they have worked with multiple blocks. What can you learn from them?


Edward Bawden (1903-1989)

Edward Bawden was a painter and illustrator as well as a printmaker and commercial graphic artist. He trained alongside Paul Nash and Eric Ravilious at the Royal College of Art.(1) (2). He also served as a war artist during WWII. This research point will confine itself to his linocuts the medium with which he is probably the most closely associated. I'll look at a few of his works as follows. 

Bawden's large scale print of Brighton Pier is one of his most famous works. Click here to view the print on the V&A Museum website. (1) The composition is framed on either side by graphic representations of local architectural features in starkly contrasting black and white. The pier itself is placed such that we have a foreshortened view and our eyes a drawn along a strong diagonal to the structure at the end (the Palace Theatre). 

The print was formed using two main blocks - one for the black and white detail work and one for the main areas of colour such as the sky and the sea. The block was large so was apparently printed by being laid on the studio floor where the artist used his feet to print it. (3)

The thing I find most interesting about this print, is the decorative detail that is included. There is a great deal of difference between the kids of marks the artist has made on the architectural structures and the natural elements like the sea and the beach. The inking appears to be be different in these areas too. Paler with lest stark contrast compared to the decorative details such as the ironwork on the pier. This dramatic difference in treatment of different elements of the composition seems to be quite common in Bawden's work. 

Looking at Bawden's linocut of Liverpool Street station Click here ro view it on the Fry Gallery website (2)you can see some variety in the inking techniques he has used. The ironwork is printed in flat graphic black. The sky showing through the ironwork, however, has a different feel. It is pale and possibly translucent. It seems to fade away to nothing almost as though Bawden has only partially inked the roller - but I'm sure this is deliberate. On the right side of the image, he has printed translucent pale grey ink with a swirly pattern over the black iron work. The iron work shows through. This effectively represents the billowing translucency of steam. The use of these effects means that the edition would have been variable - more like a series of monotypes in fact (2).

Edward Bawden employed a wide variety of mark making techniques and his work is very decorative and illustrative with surface patterning being the most outstanding feature. When people appear in his prints, they are flat like cardboard cut outs. He also produced numerous linocuts of animals (especially cats). These are more humorous and cartoonish in nature. 

Richard Bawden (Contemporary)

Richard studied painting, printmaking and graphic design at Chelsea, St Martin's and the Royal College of Art.

His work echoes some of his father's techniques. He also works in linocut as well as other printmaking techniques. He too, is concerned with surface decoration to a large extent. In some of his work there is a great proliferation of patterning. For example in 'Fizz' seen here on the Art Angels website, (reproduction) the majority of the surface is taken up with patterning of different types. Checks and lines on he sofa, geometric patterns on the cushions and two different layers, directions and colours of stripe on the cat. In the background there are prints within prints which are also covered in pattern. The background is translucent pink fading tho grey, much like in the Liverpool Street station sky of Edward Bawden's print. They both use the roller in this situation in a painterly way.

Richard Bawden will sometimes overlay one pattern over another. This can be seen in this image of mackerel on the art angels website. Here he has laid dark hatching over the bright geometric patterning of the tablecloth and over the various patterns and colours of the fish in order to create shadow and build three dimensional form to the bodies. 

In 'Roses and Freesias' he exploits the translucency of the ink. Laying one colour over another to create a third colour.

The artist describes his approach in the book 'Printmakers' Secrets' by Antony Dyson (5):

"Excited by what I see, I am driven by a compulsion to draw and paint. Sometimes I am inspired by the sheer grandeur of a location and sometimes by its details, by the richness ad depth of colour and texture. I am not ashamed to admit that I love decoration. Yet I am also enraptured by monumental geometric simplicity and the satisfying tension of a straight line. As an artist, my starting points are many: people, places, open landscape, intricate interiors, things which are odd or, at first glance, even completely boring (although inviting transformation). For me, making a print is a way of extending an idea a stage further than drawing or painting. A spontaneous drawing is often the starting point for a considered design, frequently lurking in my mind in several forms'.

He goes on to describe how he works with the Lino, using a Stanley knife to make precise linear cuts and flat shapes.For him Lino is a very controlled medium in comparison with etching which he uses in a very free way using multiple proofs which he works into using watercolour and crayon. with lino, he plans everything meticulously in advance as, "This leaves nothing to chance; everything is carefully considered and thought out." (5)


In his linocut 'Fireside' click here to view the 'green man' version on Gwen Hughes -Fine Art site (6),the artist acknowledges the influence of his father on his work. This is self portrait, the artist is relaxing in an armchair. Above his head there is a picture of his father in an almost identical pose. Above the fireplace hangs one of his fathers linocuts of a cat while Richard's own cats play on the fireside rug. Everywhere there is the surface patterning that is a feature of both artists' work. 



The work of both father and son is extremely accomplished and exploits the medium to its full extent. There is certainly a lot that I can learn from their work although personally it doesn't excite me or draw me in. It has certainly been a valuable exercise to look in more detail at how they have achieved their results.


What Can I Learn from These Artists?:

• It is possible to combine very different techniques of patterning and mark-making in a single print
• Less isn't always more when it comes to surface pattern and decoration - sometimes more can be more!
• It is possible to ambitious with scale and subject matter
• The block can be inked in different ways to create a variable series of prints.
• Translucent ink and lighter ink can be used over dark ink to good effect
• Colour mixing of overlaid layers of ink can be exploited to good effect
• A Stanley knife is a good tool for cutting straight lines (although being a surgeon I'd prefer a scalpel)
• Art and design are two parts of the same thing. Edward Bawden was both a designer and a fine artist
• Multiple blocks can be used and they can be pieced together to form a design. (For example when printing wallpaper)

References:
(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bawden
(2) https://www.scribd.com/document/35418461/Lecture-Notes-Edward-Bawden-Art-vs-Design-Kristian-Purcell
(3) https://artuk.org/discover/stories/edward-bawdens-tips-for-creating-a-great-linocut
(4) https://www.birchamgallery.co.uk/catalogue/artist/Richard:Bawden/biography/
(5) Printmakers' Secrets by Anthony Dyson. Bloomsbury Visual Arts, London 2009 - reprinted 2016






Image Sources:
(1) http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O123292/brighton-pier-linocut-bawden-edward/
(2)http://fryartgallery.org/the-collection/search-viewer/686/artist/6/Edward-Bawden-CBE-RA/241
(3) http://www.art-angels.co.uk/prod/fizz-593
(4) http://www.art-angels.co.uk/prod/2-mackerel-588
(5) http://www.art-angels.co.uk/prod/roses-freesia-583
(6) http://gwenhughesart.co.uk/artworks/richard-bawden-fireside-ii-the-green-man/

Project 7: Multi - block Lino print

For this print I decided to develop one of the ideas in my sketchbook. It is the image of a pug constructed using fingerprints to reflect the fact that humans have interfered with the conformation of these dogs by selective breeding. Stamping our human (cultural) identity on them by producing what our consumerist society wants without consideration of the welfare of the resulting animal. Our fingerprints are all over these animals:

Pen drawing from A5 sketchbook

I'm running low on Lino so I chose three approximately A5 blocks that I had. They weren't exactly the same size which meant I had to try to cut them to the same size using the guillotine (my first mistake - I didn't realise I hadn't successfully achieved this until the end of the project).

I decided to make one block for the detail and print this in the darkest colour (black). One block for the general colour of the face and body, and another for the tongue and some details around the eyes and nose. 

I transferred the shapes I wanted to use onto each block by tracing from the sketchbook onto each separate block. (my second mistake: - I hadn't read the instructions in the course book properly. It was impossible to ensure that my blocks matched up correctly in this way.)

The carving process took some time because in the key block I had to carve away a lot of the line leaving very thin lines of black so it was necessary to be very careful with the carving. When carving away the lino, I was careful with the direction of the marks because I was aware that marks would show. I made directional marks extending outwards from the head in a kind of 'sunburst' effect on all three blocks. I did encounter a slight problem during the carving process: as I carved more of the blocks away the tendency for them to curve/curl up seemed to increase. I put some heavy textbooks on top of them between my working sessions to try to flatten them but it didn't really work. 

Single colour print of the detail or 'key block'

In order to align the plates and paper when printing I used a combination of a jig made from cut up mount board and Ternes Burton (click here to see these on the handprinted website) registration pins. On previous lino courses I've tried just using a registration sheet prepared by drawing round the paper and the plate. However, I haven't found this particularly successful. I seem to be particularly bad at placing the paper - even if I align consistently to one corner - something always seems to shift at the last minute. The Ternes Burton system makes life so much easier. However, I did still have one problem with the registration system. Because the plates kept curving, I struggled to place them accurately within the jig. They tended to spring up which meant I was relying on the press to flatten them down and couldn't be completely sure that the registration would be spot on.

Registration system: The blocks are aligned to the
mount-board jig. Tabs are attached to the paper which
click onto the registration pins to allow the paper to be
repositioned accurately for each layer.

Combination of the two colour blocks

So far, it seemed to be going OK. It was only when I combined the colour blocks with the key block that I realised the errors I'd made: 

1. The block for the tongue and nose (pink) was obviously smaller than the key block despite my efforts to cut the blocks to the same size.
2. There was quite a large discrepancy between the outlines of the head and body on the key block and those on the coloured (yellow) block.

The pink block is smaller than the black block - this is especially visible on the left side of the print

The carving on the yellow plate doesn't match the carving on the black block

Three block print

I was disappointed with the result so I reviewed the technique to see how to accurately align the images on three blocks. Obviously the problem of the different sized blocks was a separate issue. But my main question was how to transfer the image from one block to the others. I thought I'd been pretty accurate in tracing mu images in multiple layers but this was not the case. There must be a better way.

I found a You tube video which suggested carving the key block first and then transferring this to the other plates by printing onto non absorbent paper (tracing paper) and then placing this paper over the next block and transferring the ink from the paper to the second and subsequent block. When I re-read the course book I realised that this step was included in the instructions for this project but for some reason I had overlooked it. 

I decided to do this retrospectively in order to try to improve the print:

Image transferred from the key block to the
next (yellow) block

I carved away areas that didn't match up but I decided against trying to cut the blocks to exactly the same size because I wasn't confident that I cut trim the two larger blocks while maintaining the alignment between the three block. To get around the problem of the smaller block, I carved away more lino from the 'white' areas so that hopefully the discrepancy in the edge of the plate wouldn't be so obvious. I also printed this plate I a paler colour so that the edge of the plate wouldn't be so obvious against the white. I also removed some of the details around the eyes which didn't seem to be working and were not well aligned.

The plates ended up line this: 

Key block

Yellow block

Pink block

I re-printed the three blocks together using a pale pink and a tan colour:

Re-print after re-carving

The discrepancy in the carving has been resolved here, and the discrepancy in the plates is somewhat less obvious. However, the colour combination is not interesting. A more serious problem, is that, having carved away the coloured part of the body, it just looks like a head floating in space. It would have been a better approach to carve away the black outline of the body on the left side of the key block and leave the coloured part. I'd got tunnel vision about matching the other plates to the key block and hadn't considered that the reverse could have worked too. I could have carved a further block to print just the body but I wasn't generally happy with the image so I decided to move on instead.

So far I had printed with water-based ink on cartridge paper. My plan had been to eventually print with quality oil-based inks and to try a variety of papers. However, I was unhappy with the image I'd made and felt that this attempt didn't warrant going any further with. The image  itself doesn't really communicate what I wanted it to anyway. It just looks like a stylised pug on drugs. The only thing I like is the texture on his nose.

This has been a very useful exercise, because the errors I made really helped me learn a great deal about creating multi-block prints. I would like to repeat this exercise from the beginning, but I have run out of time and must submit what I've done so far. I will have a second attempt if I am able to find an opportunity. 

What I learnt:

• ALWAYS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS THOROUGHLY BEFORE YOU START !!!!!
• It is of paramount importance that your blocks are of exactly the same size.
• I learnt how to use a combination of a jig and the Ternes Burton registration system to align plates and paper.
• Carve the most detailed block first and transfer this image to your subsequent blocks to ensure that the images coincide.

Project 6: Single colour linocut - third attempt

My second attempt at the single colour linocut taught me the importance of planning before cutting. Unfortunately, this made me feel constrained. My most successful pieces in part one of the module (monoprints), had been abstract prints which I had not planned and which had come about in a more organic way through experimentation. I was starting to think that Lino may not be my thing and longed to go back to the fast-moving experimentation of monoprint and the immediacy of drawing. On the positive side, I do enjoy the actual process of carving - it is quite meditative. The upshot of this is that I rebelled against the rules I'd given myself after my second attempt at project 6. I decided to do the opposite and just carve the Lino without planning at all. This was partly inspired by the research I'd been doing, in particular the work of Daniel Zeller.  I thoroughly enjoyed doing this as there was no pressure. 

I started with a blank piece of grey Lino.I made circular marks by spinning the tip of the cutting tool in the surface of the Lino taking out a small core. These marks were inspired by the bacteria from my sketch book. I added some undulating thin linear marks to represent the fibrinous tendrils of an expanding colony. I carved for a while and then proofed it onto newsprint:

First proof onto newsprint using water based ink

What I realised at this point, is that I'm hopeless at visualising the composition in reverse. My eye in this composition seems to come in at the lover left hand corner and swiftly be drawn out of the composition at the lower right hand side. There also seemed to be just too much black and not enough interest. I decided to try to adapt the composition somewhat to try to bring the eye back into the print in a circular motion. I drew directly onto the Lino with a  Posca (acrylic) white pen and then proceeded to carve. 

I proofed this again. I neglected to wipe the plate down before inking it up. Consequently I ended up with lots of tiny bits of Lino in my ink so the proofs were of very poor quality. 

Proof in water based ink onto the rough side of cheap Chinese paper

Proof onto thin cartridge paper using water-based ink and printed using the bottle jack press

I wondered whether adding some colour might help so I splashed and brushed some watercolour over it. It didn't help and the water based ink ran into the colour creating a muddy mess:

Although - on looking at its through the camera view finder, the image reminded me of some kind of bizarre sea creature with tendrils - a bit like a lion fish. I'm abandoning this block for now as I need to move on, but there is the possibility I may revisit it to try to develop this idea. 

What I learnt:

• I really do need to plan the composition as I can't visualise my image in reverse while I'm working
• ALWAYS clean the plate before inking up otherwise you will end up with tiny grains of Lino in your ink and on your roller which will show up with white haloes on your print. 
• The rough side of the Chinese paper is difficult to print onto - it needs a lot of ink. It gives a texture to the print but it's difficult to get a clean print. Try using the smooth side next time. (This was the first time I'd tried printing on this paper because I'd run out of Japanese paper and I happen to have a large roll of the Chinese paper in my studio and limited funds at the moment)

Project 6: Single Colour linocut - second attempt

My first attempt was OK as far as it went, but the subject matter of onions wasn't particularly interesting. I decided to develop some of my sketchbook experiments from my small scale sketchbook about medicine and the body. (actually my first subject was sunspots, but after doodling on these for a while I realised the reminded me of fungal or bacterial cultures on Petri dishes and it went on from there.)

Sketchbook:sunspots pencil and ink

Sketchbook: Sunspot - white acrylic ink on black paper

I also had some very small squares of soft-cut Lino for experimenting with, so I developed some of my sketches into small linocuts, just as an exercise to get used to handling the tools and to experiment with using different papers. 

Sunspots: Small Lino prints on various papers

Sketchbook: Staphylococci - pencil sketch based
on an electron micrograph(E.M)

Sketchbook: abstract doodles based on E.M of
chordae tendinae of the heart

Sketchbook: Pencil and pen sketches of papillary
muscles and chordae tendinae (heart strings)

Small linocut inspired by bacterial colonies
and pencil sketch of chordae tendinae(C.T.)

Linocut of bacteria and sketch inspired my E.M.
of C.T. in graphite and India ink

Linocut of bacteria and pen sketch inspired my E.M.
of C.T.

Pen and India ink sketches inspired by C.T.

Sketches of heart and skeletal anatomy

I decided to develop one of the sketches inspired by the chordae tendinae of the heart. I liked the architectural feel of the chordae and papillary muscles. They reminded me of pillars of rock inside a craggy cave. I thought there would be plenty of opportunity to use different marks to reconstruct the sketch on the lino. 

First I scaled the drawing up to A4 size and then traced it onto my Lino, thus reversing the image. I used soft cut line for this experiment. I proofed the Lino on more than one occasion using water-based ink onto newsprint to assess how much more cutting I would need to do. 

Proof of the linocut in water based ink on
newsprint to show work in progress. 

I printed the block onto cartridge paper and and onto smooth watercolour paper using black oil-based ink (Hawthorn stay-open ink). 

At first I was relatively satisfied with the outcome. I had made marks using a rage of tools including Lino cutting tools, needles and scalpels. However, the prints were hanging on my drying rack for quite sometime, which meant that I kept seeing the in passing. From across the room, I realised that there wasn't a huge amount of tonal variation and, therefore, the print didn't have a great deal of visual impact. 

I decided to try to remedy this with more carving in order to create more areas of white. I thought that this would have the effect of bringing the two chord at the front forward, thereby creating a feeling of more depth:

This tactic worked to a certain extent. I do think it created some extra depth. However, it was executed rather hurriedly without a great deal of consideration of the marks I was making. This meant that some of the detail and variation in the mark making from the previous iteration was lost. It would have been better to proof at stages during this second carving and perhaps make one of the two chordae lighter than the other.
I'm still not satisfied with this print. In retrospect, I think that the composition wasn't great in the first place. The two 'pillars' at the front are probably too symmetrically distributed and your eye gets stuck in the dark centre of the piece. 

Below is an image of the Lino:

I found the soft-cut Lino easy to make marks in. However, there were a couple of annoying problems with it. Firstly, sometimes the pieces don't come away cleanly and if you aren't careful you get small pieces of the Lino dangling but still attached. Secondly, on printing this Lino using the bottle jack press, after several prints, the Lino started to distort. The thinner end where I'd carved more of it away seemed to stretch so the the printed image was no longer rectangular. Maybe this type of Lino is more suited to hand pulled prints. It doesn't seem to be able to withstand the pressure applied by the car back. 

What I learnt:

• A large variety of different marks can be made even using a limited range of tools. 
• It is a good idea to proof the Lino more frequently than I did on this occasion as it isn't possible to go back once you've carved it away. 
• Soft-cut Lino isn't very robust and although it is soft, I actually find it more difficult to carve than the grey lino.
• I now recognise just how important careful planning of the composition is. It saves time in the long run. I must make sure that I am happy with the composition BEFORE I start carving in future. 

Research Point: Contemporary Printmakers - Lino

Research point

Find a couple of contemporary printmakers whose work you like, and reflect on their techniques. How do they use lino? What sort of marks do they make? What could you learn from them?

I have done quite a lot of research here looking at a wide range of printmakers who use or used Lino in their work (not all of the artists I researched are contemporary). I do not intend to give an exhaustive account of every artist I looked at - I will include very brief comments on most but then talk in more detail about the artists to whose work I am drawn and which seems to have more direct relevance to whet I would like to do. 

Examples of linocuts by Picasso, Gertrude Hermes and Angie Lewin

• Picasso - very bold colourful use of the expanses of flat colour possible with Lino. Did he use multiple blocks as these are bold primary colours without evidence of other colours showing through.
• Gertrude Hermes (1901-1983). I particularly appreciate the variety of mark-making used to create texture - especially on the Stonehenge linocut.
• Angie Lewin (contemporary) - a very commercially successful printmaker. Main interest is horticulture. Stylised images of plants and nature. Extremely accomplished work but probably not directly relevant to my own interests.

Examples of linocuts by Arthur Homeshaw and Gail Brodholt

• Arthur Homeshaw  (1933-2011). Stylised landscapes with bold contrasts of colour and tone and very extensive patterning. A wide variety of mark making in evidence over the whole surface of the Lino. His work reminds me both of Paul Nash (especially the shapes of the trees) and Eric Ravilious for the mark making and patterning. I love the patterning and the complexity of this work but the subject matter doesn't interest me so much. 
• Gail Brodholt (contemporary). Her subject matter is very familiar and talks about life today. Depicts railway stations, commuters on trains and the underground as well as motorways. Exploits the full potential of the medium in the aspect of producing graphic images with areas of flat colour. Less so in terms of the variety of marks made. Her use of colour is wonderful. She really knows how to capture the atmosphere and light effects for example of train tracks at dusk or the artificial lighting on the tube. I can really picture myself in the environments she creates. I am ambivalent about this work. I love the colours and the fact that the work reflects life today but I am more drawn to work which uses lots of textural mark making and I seem to gravitate towards the monochrome. 

Examples of linocuts by H.J Jackson, Angela Cavalieri and Chuck Close

• H J Jackson (contemporary) creates hand pulled linocuts as he doesn't own a press. His prints are made on multiple blocks (an average of 8 prints from 6 blocks for each (1)). His subjects are often nautical. The multiple layers of ink add to a grainy texture which is suited to his subject matter of rusty machinery and peeling old boats. Again, I find this work impressive and accomplished but the subject matter doesn't interest me so much. 
• Angela Cavalieri (contemporary) Uses writing as a form of drawing on her large scale works. These are created on canvas using a combination of loco print and oil paint.

Chuck Close

I was already familiar with Chuck Close's large scale portraits which are painted using a grid (almost pixellated) structure. Patterns or circles and ovals of contrasting colours are painted into each square on the grid so the painting looks abstract when viewed close up but from a distance the patterns combine to give an average hue or tonal value and the painting reads as an almost photorealistic portrait. I have always admired this way of working. It seems to be almost an extension of the theories of the pointillists. 

I first discovered that Close had also experimented with printmaking when I visited "The American Dream - Pop to the Present" (2). A very large printmaking exhibition at the British Museum (more about this in a separate blog post). He has worked with a variety of printmaking media including mezzotint (on an incredibly ambitious scale), etching, woodcut and linocut. 

In the reduction Linocut Roy (Click for image online), the image is created using multiple layers of tonal values of grey and black. On each layer the carving is composed of multiple small marks rather than areas of flat tone. This treatment resolves into a grainy texture at a distance, which lends itself well to the wrinkled texture of the skin. 

In Lucas the marks are more linear and directional in nature which describes perfectly the texture of the hair and beard. 

I also found online, a site which shows step-by-step images of the creation of one of his linocuts Alex. The Lino was printed step by step onto mylar and used to create screen prints. Click here to view images of the process of creation. 

These are quite amazing prints and show just what is possible. There's certainly a lot that can be learnt from this. 

Chuck Close collaborates with master printmakers on his printmaking projects. He had 'an event' in 1988. A spinal artery collapsed, causing paralysis from the neck down. He has regained movement but is still significantly disabled so probably would not have the dexterity to carve the Lino himself. This 'outsourcing' of the physical making of the art object has been common practice throughout the history of art, with the artist directing others to create their vision. This doesn't detract from the validity of the work. Personally, I am attracted to the 'craft' of printmaking (and obviously am never going to be on a level with someone like Close!). Part of the satisfaction for me comes from the act of carving the block or creating the plate. 

This artist also works exclusively with portraiture. He suffers from prosopagnosia - that is , the inability to recognise faces. This may explain his obsession with faces. Repeatedly painting or reproducing the same face helps him to recognise the people around him (although the artist himself says he wasn't conscious that his decision to work on portraits had its origins in his condition) (3)

Examples of linocuts by Richard Galloway and Ade Adesina

Richard Galloway casts an apparently critical eye over aspects of today's society and urban life. Click Here to view examples of the artist's work on his blog. His down to earth subjects include the clientele of a greasy spoon kaff or a pub or the bin men on their rounds. His work 'Dolor'(Here) shows environmental degradation with effluent and fumes pouring out into a city in a dystopian world. The world is populated with somewhat grotesque characters. Lads in hoodies or balaclavas with English bull terriers. Fried chicken shops and payday loan outlets. Enormous shopping trolleys and wheel-clamped cars. Above this mess what looks like a WWII plane and pilot are grimacing. What are we doing to our world? What do we do when we have the freedom to do as we please? Do we all sink to the lowest common denominator? Stuff ourself with fried chicken and buy as much as we can in our consumerist frenzy while destroying the world around us? - At least, that's my interpretation of the scene but I don't know what the artist intended. 

Galloway's linocuts are impressive in scale - His average prints are 1825x1525 but same are larger than this. They are black and white, single block linocuts. Every part of their surface is crowded with action so they feel, to a certain extent, claustrophobic. He creates a very large variety of marks and cuts to create textures and tonal values. I really appreciate this work but I've only seen it online. I would love to see these prints in real life as it's impossible to get a sense of the scale on a computer screen. 

Ade Adesina

I first encountered the work of this artist when I visited National Original Print Exhibition at Bankside Gallery in London last year. Like Galloway, his linocuts are impressive in terms of their sheer scale, he also works in monochrome (black and white) and there is also an implication of criticism and concern for our deteriorating environment. 

Adesina (click here to view the artist's website)(4) produces imaginary landscapes which have a post -apocalyptic feel about them. The ground is cracked and dry. Boats and superfluous nautical spare parts such as anchors are discarded in the landscape or  the boats run on rails instead of water (in a work entitled adaptation). Whales fly through the sky on enormous wings. A panda pulls a cart full of flowers on a road through a parched landscape and is avidly pursued by bees. Baobab trees from the artist's native Nigeria feature in many of his prints. This seems to be an image of our possible future after the planet is devastated. 

As previously mentioned, the linocuts are ambitious in scale, ranging going up to 110x160cm. There are marks on the Lino that are tiny. Adesina sometimes uses needles to carve Lino(5). Creating something this large using such painstaking techniques must require a great deal of patience and stamina.

This artist has also produced a number of collaborative works with other artists including the Scottish artist June Carey. My favourite collaborative work is the collaboration between Adesina and David Mach Signs of Life which draws imagery from Mach's collage Towers of Babel (which can be viewed on his website) but is placed very much within Adesina's landscape. Both images appear to treat similar subject matter i.e. ecology and the destruction of out environment. 

Work by David Mach and Ade Adesina
Facing page: Lino prints by Henryk Królikowski

Magda Szplit and Henryk Królikowski

While browsing the internet for this research point, I came across This website. I was amazed by the images of linocuts by these two Polish artists. Some of the works are figurative and some abstract. Some appear to have phallic or vaginal symbolism. The this that interested me the most, however, is that they don't look like linocuts at all in some cases. The marks on the Lino are so fine as to just impart a grainy texture or tonal value to the surface. This may be a reflection of the small scale of the pictures on my computer screen compared to the large scale of the prints in real-life. Or could it be that the artists use a combination of Lino etching and cutting - I'm not sure. Either way these prints made my jaw drop. There is certainly a lot that can be achieved using lino. It is much more versatile than I had previously thought.

lino prints by Henryk Królikowski and Magda Szplit 

References:

1. Printmakers' Secrets by Anthony Dyson. Bloomsbury Visual Arts, London 2009 - reprinted 2016

4.https://www.britishmuseum.org/PDF/American%20Dream%20Press%20Release%20Jan%2031.pdf

3.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Close
4. http://www.adeadesina.com
5. https://www.jmlondon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Ade-Adesina-E-Catalogue.pdf

Image References:

1.https://www.picassomio.com/chuck-close/31548.html

2. http://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/11/chuck-closes-printmaking.html

3. http://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/view/collections/collection-spotlight/alexreduction-print.html

4. http://chuckclose.coe.uh.edu/process/alex-images.htm

5. http://richardgalloway.co.uk/dolor.php
6. https://affordableartfair.com/ade-adesina-signs-of-life
7. http://www.davidmach.com/gallery/
8. http://www.printmaking.pl/index.html