Here are the first working proofs from some small etchings that I have been pursuing since the lichen drawings… looking a little like lichen, or perhaps any micro-organisms, in colonies of moss, mould, algae…
Even after all the photographs of lichens (I must have taken two hundred or more) and then the pen drawings, I begun these etchings with no visual references in front of me (and no plan to illustrate a species), prefering to see what initial textures and tones I could create, working from memory… I like the discipline of a slow, considered, meticulous process – etching seems the perfect medium in which to combine delicate line with texture… here are two of the initial trial proofs… printed in a warm black… I need to rework them in more detail later in the week and experiment with colour…
…
It’s curious to think that many years ago I used to pore over books such as this one on earth as seen from space (published in 1981), as a source of inspiration… these satellite images of the Himalyas were taken in March 1977 and December 1978 by Landsat spacecraft…
and am inspired by these old textbooks too…
[pages showing section of the ileum or small intestine]
[page on lichens, showing a cross section]
The only issue with printmaking is the evidential traces of concentrated work – that is, printmakers hands…
[self portrait with hands]
