20:20 2013

This Years 20:20 Print Exchange organised by HBP was bigger & better than ever. Below is my submission. Click on the link to the flicker site & browse through the other 580 prints!

Hot Bed Press 20:20 Print Exchange 2013

This years print is developed from the same collection of drawings as last years, an evening spent on a hillside above the village of Hayfield in the Peak District. I did much more mark making inspired by those original drawings and did further experiments in producing an edition, which as a textile;e artist is still an unfamiliar concept. The method this year was developed from the process I use to print a repeating pattern, see the photos below. There are two layers to create depth & they are hemmed together top & bottom. This edition has inspired a pair of larger landscapes and a series of modified 20:20 prints which will be catalogued here.

In preparation for this I spent a day doing some screen print sketches some of which are below.

Repeat Pattern Workshop at Hot Bed Press

Back in November I did a workshop At HBP with fellow tutor Mandy Tolley. Everyone created a repeat pattern, put images on screen and printed from these onto cloth. During the workshop we assisted in transforming the printed fabric into beautiful vintage inspired tote bags and luxurious cushions to take home.

20:20 entry Hot bed Press Print exchange

The challenge was to produce an edition of 25 prints for a print exchange organised by HBP. As a textile printer the idea of an edition is not generally part of my practice, but I was intrigued by the principal & it was interesting to explore this aspect of paper printing tradition through my own process of moving between drawing & paper based experiments translated into fabric pieces. I am interested in series and groups of work and to try and produce 25 identical images was a new experience for me.

I wanted to start with some fresh imagery, I had been captivated by a particular view I had come across recently mountain biking in the Peak district, a valley opening out from behind a corner, where you could see the cultivated lower slopes give way to the tousled moorland. I went back to this hillside one evening, did some drawing & took some photos & back in my studio did some drawing on collaged paper surfaces, attempting to create some interesting marks to print.

I was keen to do a two or three colour separation so I built up several layers to the image to try out.

The way I decided to approach the paper fabric transition was to screen print disperse dyes onto paper and heat press this onto fabric. My work generally involves layers and translucent fabrics.

I tried using a vinyl cutter to scratch one layer – a scrawly gestural scribbled detail, but this couldn't be resolved in the time I had, for the number of images I had to produce, so this layer was also screen printed. This time onto paper to act as a backing for the flimsy layer of fabric and main image… ( for another print it may be interesting to flip these around so the detail is where you would expect it – on top!)

There was several rounds of colour testing as disperse dyes appear darker & duller on paper, & more vibrant when you print them in the heat transfer press.

The rest was just the mechanics of screen printing the two layers on paper, & the third layer on a backing sheet. It was time consuming to prepare the paper & fabric to size; I left the fabric edges raw for lightness & handle, which meant trying to fray them all the same & evenly.

Once heat transfer printed onto fabric each piece was ironed on to the backing layer of paper with a strip of bonderweb, signed, numbered & sent off to Hot Bed for the swap & touring exhibition. 

Above are colour variations in the Artist Proofs, the more orange print on the left was heat pressed for longer than the other two, and there was some variation across the prints caused by uneven pressure in the press, all parts of fine tuning the image.

A scan of the final print and the rest of the 20:20 colection from 2012 can be seen by folllowing the link below

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hot_bed_press/8208642423/in/photostream

Watch this space for this year's contribution.

Table Top Textiles @Hot Bed Press

Another six week evening class got under way last week and I have some photos of the last course to inspire new participants.

Metamorphosis @ Cow lane

Cow Lane Gallery space is a very atmospheric room, moody lighting, exposed beams, huge supporting pillars and all the architectural hallmarks of a building with a past. The room is partially divided in two and we hung many of Kiran’s textile hangings in the space while Alison’s framed ceramic pieces adorned the walls.

We had a Private View on Monday 10^th September and the exhibition ran until the following Monday. Many thanks to all our visitors, it was great to meet some new people and see some familiar faces. Thanks are also due to all at Cow Lane & Hot Bed Press & our respective families for making the exhibition possible.

I hope the Private View photos above and the following shots capture the atmosphere of the exhibition.

Exhibition

Table-top Textiles @ Hot Bed Press

6 Evenings Course
Starting: Wednesday 11th July 2012
Ending: Wednesday 15th August 2012
From: 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

The course will provide the opportunity for participants to learn the basics of dying fabric and using dye stuffs to print onto fabric. We will use procion dyes to provide some background colour and move on to using the liquid dye to produce mono prints by painting designs onto silk screens. The dye can be used to transfer painted designs onto fabric.

We will look at using heat transfer dyes, and over the course of the six weeks work towards developing a design in repeat which is similar to techniques used for printing fashion and furnishing fabrics.

Participants can take home a swatch book of samples of all the techniques covered, information on where to source equipment and resources and a finished artefact which may be a bag, scarf, keepsake purse or similar item.
 

Check for updates as the start date approaches and if you can't make it to the course sessions, watch this space for pictures of the evenings as they happen.