Bun Abha Moon – semi-abstract monotype print inspired by Irish coastline

Description

Bun Abha Moon began life as a purely abstract image. However, when I added the silver blue shape across it, I was immediately reminded of waves breaking on the shore at night. Bun Abha is the Irish name of a tiny village in Co Waterford, known in English as Annestown. I visited some years ago and used some of my photos of the small cove below the village as a source for digital prints. Since then, I’ve used Bun Abha (sometimes I’ve misspelled it as Bun Rabha) and Annestown in the title of several prints in this Lockdown Series and the Irish landscape influences numerous others

The print was made by gel printing with acrylic paints on paper and is about 30 cm square. It is unmounted and unframed, although if you wish I can mount it on a cradled wooden panel, with black painted edges ready to hang on your wall.

During lockdown, I have made large series of  similar colourful abstract monotype prints. They represent a new direction for my work, one I intend to continue to explore for a good while yet. I would like in particular to revisit the Irish landscape and coastline.

What is a gel print?

Monotype prints in general are made by drawing or painting on a smooth, non-absorbent surface. This surface, sometimes called the matrix, was historically a copper etching plate. In contemporary work other materials are often used, such as acrylic sheet. The image on the matrix is then transferred onto a sheet of paper by pressing the two together. This usually requires a print press. Monotypes can also be created by inking an entire surface and then, using brushes or rags, removing ink to create light areas in a field of opaque colour. This is then pressed together with a sheet of paper to make the print.

The specific process I used for this print was gel printing (or Gelli but this is a trademark). The matrix in this case is a soft synthetic gel. I apply the paint to the gel sheet with rollers or brushes. The area to which the paint is applied can be controlled by masks and stencils. The rolled out paints can also be drawn into or textured in various ways. This process is repeated until I’m happy with the image.

Some of my prints made this way have over 20 separate full or partial layers. This gives subtle variations in colour and a tangible physical texture. The nature of the process allows for intense bright colours and this colourful geometric abstract print is no exception.