Lamia – abstract monotype print inspired by Greek myth

£90.00£135.00

Lamia – abstract monotype print based on Greek mythology – acrylic on paper – 30 cm x 30 cm

Description

Lamia is an abstract monotype print. The title comes from Greek mythology, where Lamia was a child-eating monster that in later tradition became a type of night-haunting daemon. The print is abstract, but when in the process of making it those two yellow triangles appeared, they immediately made me think of some sort of monster. Somehow the word Lamia came into my mind as the title, so I must have come across it before somehow. I’ve recently read Stephen Fry’s ‘Mythos‘ so perhaps it came from there.

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 have a few prints available with similar links to Greek mythology which will be added to the shop in due course

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.

Additional information

Dimensions 30 × 30 × 2.5 cm
Mounted or Unmounted

Unmounted, Mounted on panel

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