Reflections on relief printing

Student feedback:

"You can make things with anything; even the most mundane objects have a use. Dead leaves and a few strands of grass became some of the most important tools."

(Lizzie)

"I was overwhelmed by the sensation of being in a completely different place."

(Maria) 

"Difficulties: Was definitely the weather; the cold and the wind! It was hard to make a "clean" or "neat" print, because the paper was flying around...It definitely made you think, you can't behave like you do in the studio, so you maybe discover new ways and get in a way more creative. but it can also be a little frustrating."

(Nadine)

"You need a controlled environment to work in but I believe it is important to generate work on location to heighten senses and test your imagination.

The strong winds prevented the use of large sheets of paper, and drying the prints was very frustrating. So to combat this I changed paper size. Working outdoors can become very exhausting in a short amount of time."

(Will)

"Printing outside was good for this because you CAN'T really plan meticulously ahead, you just have to work with what is there and adapt to the surroundings, not try to adapt them to suit your needs. It's quite humbling."

(Philly)

Setting out from E&C to Hampstead, loaded up with equipment.

Trailing through the mud and trees.

Inside the tree, great for relief printing and rubbings

Inside the tree.

It's all part of the process

Soaking in a mud pool

Paprika & Mud prints

 drying prints

What can the wind do?

Clay soil mix

Blotting paper and mud relief prints (leaves)

Plasterzine casts from memorial benches

Dipped in mud

Gatter/mud gauge/making the path

Home to bath!

Group marking

The wind is a mighty force

"The main difficulties was with the weather; 

the cold and the wind. It was hard to make a 

'clean & neat' print."

(Nadine)