Lost in Space – monotype print

£220.00

Lost in Space – monotype gel print – acrylic on paper – 30 cm x 30 cm

Only 1 left in stock

Description

Lost in Space is a monotype gel print. I made it in my usual fashion of building up layers. As I add each layer I am directly responding to what I see in front of me. I am very drawn to the way in which abstract, almost accidental layers of colour can be incrementally transformed into a harmonious image. I rarely have an end product in mind, but I tend to have a repertoire of marks from which I draw.  Many shapes are created from torn paper, giving them a diffused edge, combined in this print with strong parallel lines.

The print is about 30 cm square. It is mounted on a cradled wooden panel, with black painted edges, ready to hang on your wall.

During lockdown, I made a large series of similar colourful abstract monotype prints. This intuitive approach to creating the image, of seeing the art as a record of a journey as much as being a thing in itself, is new for me, It represents a new direction for my work that I intend to continue to explore for a good while yet. Many draw their inspiration from real places. Others while still abstract, have a link back to the world of experience. Still others are purely abstract without external references beyond broad ideas of harmony and balance. In this case the ideas suggested by the title Lost in Space may be read as referencing the literal space between the stars or the metaphorical space of the image.

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. The nature of the process allows for both intense bright colours and  subtle variations in colour as well as tangible physical texture.

Additional information

Dimensions 30 × 30 × 2.5 cm

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