'Pretty swallow once again.......'

Our recent  weather must be confusing all of our avian summer visitors but even when the wind is blowing and the  rain is falling, it's still warm enough for the swallows to enjoy their snacks on the wing.

The pond in the wood is a great place for them to get water and we've often watched them diving down to skim across the surface and drink as they fly.......a wonderful spectacle and it's often caught our dog, Poppy, by surprise. She hadn't realised how fast  swallows can fly but allows them to use the pond because she's definitely not a water dog and avoids anything larger than a puddle if she can!

 

.        Pencil and wash sketch in Jubilee Wood diary

 

John Clare, the wonderful romantic poet [1793-1864] who later in life had such a sense of despair and isolation  lived near here at  Helpston in his early years. I often turn to his poems for inspiration as they are full of fascinating observations and  'visual' words. If you haven't discovered him yet, he's well worth a read. 

 

 

Pencil and wash sketch in Jubilee  Wood diary 

 

I decided to look at the subject using a different medium this time and wanted to try a collagraph. It seemed sensible to keep the design as simple as possible as I was using carborundum for gradients of tone  and it isn't the easiest thing to use. It works by the carborundum being stuck on to the plate using a liquid glue and then the plate being sealed well with a suitable gloss finish such as varnish.

 

 

Collagraph 34cm x24cm

 

I'm interested in the texture you can produce just by the technique you use when wiping off the inks and the ink also settles into the carborundum leaving a very dark tonal area.

 

 

Collagraph Plate with carborundum

 

The beauty of collographs is that everyone is different according to the way it's been inked up and you can, of course, add anything you like to them in terms of drawing on top or adding colour. I think they can be an exciting way of freeing yourself up from some of the rigours of other types of print making and really encourage you to experiment. That's what I intend to keep on doing........

Small Owl Dancing with Bees

Yesterday we had a morning in Cambridge, first the Botanical Garden and then the Fitzwilliam Museum to see the Turner Watercolours and the other exhibition of watercolours which trace the development of the watercolour. Both were fascinating. But also walking through the ceramics gallery there were two lovely owls. One a huge Martin Brothers owl and the other a gorgeous smaller slipware jug.

I made a couple of quick sketches because it just so happens that I have been making a small experimental print of an owl. It started out as just a regular if stylised owl, but it seemed to need a bit of action so I changed the drawing to make it dance… and then it seemed to also need some companions so I gave it some bees.

There were brown/yellow and  blue/dk blue prints. The image is 6 x4.

Small Owl Dancing with Dees.

What was most interesting about the slip ware owl was the dot/dash decoration of the slip. The simplification is very design-y. So is my owl. I may try a print of the slipware owl too. but in some ways it seems like cheating because the “design” element has already been done…. unless I could bring something new to it….

All prints are just more experiments in combining plates, improving my cutting and trying to get the registration right. I am getting better, slowly …..

Mole: Deceased

Last week Chris saw a dead mole when we were out on a cycle. Poor mole.. but an opportunity this time to get a closer look at those feet.

It was not in very good shape, a bit chewed, very smelly and with circling flies but I did bring it home for some quick sketches and photos.

The front feet are extraordinary, huge and paddle shaped with long pointed claws. The skin is leathery and deeply scored. I have a lot of respect for the moles who attempt the heavy clay soil around here.

I sketched the rather handsome hovering iridescent green bottle fly too. Its all part of the cycle after all.

Mole is now buried under the apple tree in a box. I am hoping the flies, bugs and microbes will work well in this warm weather and in a few months time I might have a relatively clean skull!

Snails and chickens

As you walk through to the Jubilee wood from the road, you have to pass several different pens of very beautiful and well looked after chickens and bantams. They happily scratch away at any lettuces or cabbages we donate which have gone to seed and are regularly let out to free range over their owners allotment.  No wonder they look so well......

 

 

                                                                Pen and ink drawing

They were the inspiration for my next print, particularly the breed which I believe is called Plymouth Rock,  along with the many snails who seem to be enjoying the recent thunderstorms we've been having. What  interesting creatures they are, even if they can be a considerable pest when they take a liking to your salad crops.  Most snails on land are hermaphrodites and after a mating ritual which can last for several hours they finally fertilise each others' eggs! Their anatomy is fascinating too, under that beautiful shell they even have a lung which they  breathe air through which I suppose shouldn't surprise me but somehow did.

First lino  prints 30 x 20 cms

 

 

The image has transferred well with the strong  lines of the  Plymouth Rock feather patterns and I like the contrast of the swirling snail shells but Val suggested I try a graduated colour print and she was right.....the print changed quite dramatically although the difference is probably not so noticeable in this reproduction.....

 

Lino print 20 x30 cms

 

The prints will vary of course as each time you add the ink to the roller [dark red and black in this case] the balance of colour will change slightly  but that's what makes the prints so fascinating to create.  The next step will be to apply different colour combinations which will again change the image.   

Some More Moles …

 

  

Just sketching and thinking… :).. as, I think, is the mole.