Making Waves: Northumberland coast, seascape prints in progress
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
One of the challenges of an artist’s life is deciding what to work on and then settling into it long enough to give the work the time and attention it needs to truly develop. Sometimes I work on more than one project at a time; sometimes I set aside a dedicated block of time for inspiration like an art holiday and, at other times, I work sequentially in focused project blocks. I used to alternate between monotype and etching, but these days I move between painting and monotype, with the lessons from one often feeding into the other in unexpected ways.
Having shared my latest paintings in my last post, I’m now halfway through a series of Northumberland coast prints that revisit ideas I’ve explored before, but with a new confidence in composition and shape. I’m sharing them with you at this halfway stage, where most of the sky and background detail has been printed, while the foreground detail and texture are still to come.
There are four large square monotypes and three tall rectangles that will form a triptych. You can see here the full-size drawings that guide me through the complex registration required when printing several layers of colour. I add a little colour to the drawings so I can distinguish different areas more easily and stay focused on where the composition is heading. All the key shapes are outlined in black pen, as I use a light box to cut stencils and wipe away ink in the right places. The drawing is taped to the back of clear perspex, which shows a reversed image on the side I ink up. I’ll make a video of the final stages of these pieces for my next post, but for now you can see this method in action in this previous video.
This planned way of working is very different from my approach to painting, where I plan very little and deliberately leave the process open to change and happy accidents. Even with the careful preparation involved in monotype, however, a lot can still happen along the way. I respond to each printed layer, adjusting colours and mark-making to keep the composition working spatially.
I love combining seascapes with flowers and seedheads in the foreground, so I’ve returned to this theme once again. This time I’ve also included a Northumberland flavour, featuring the iconic silhouettes of Bamburgh and Lindisfarne castles. You may have seen in this recent post that I’ve used these distinctive castle shapes before. This time, I’m aiming for a softer, brighter feel that recalls happy family trips to the beaches of Northumberland. I have many family videos of my children enjoying the waves, building sandcastles and moats, and flying kites in the relentless wind - while I sunbathe fully clothed! I’m hoping these pieces will evoke that same sense of joy and wonder we feel when approaching a beautiful coastal location: the vastness of the sea alongside the intricate details of the shoreline.
In the past I’ve struggled with how to depict the sea in a simplified way. This time I’ve chosen a distinctive sweeping shape that gives the composition structure and coherence. I’ve avoided small, complicated waves that would distract the eye. Instead, I want a clear sense of perspective, with the waves and sand diminishing into the distance as they converge at the horizon - the viewer’s eye level.
I’m using a series of paper stencils for all the hard-edged shapes. Some are cut with a knife, such as the straight horizon line, while others are torn to create the irregular edges of the headlands.
At this stage I’ve used only light and mid-tones, reserving my strongest dark colours for the foreground details. Gradually increasing the tonal values helps create a sense of recession, with distant elements appearing lighter and cooler.
I’ve already cut all the stencils needed for the foreground plants and flowers. These include both positive and negative shapes: some are sheets of paper with holes cut into them (which will print as positive, dark shapes), while others are cut-out leaf shapes placed over the print (creating negative, light shapes). I love this interplay between positive and negative forms - it adds visual interest and contrast, and it’s also a fun mental challenge to think in reverse while working with the stencils!
The three taller rectangles will depict rocky outcrops filled with texture and colour, each with a windswept lone tree. These works revisit the ideas behind my popular prints Keep Me Hanging On and On the Edge, both of which are now nearing the end of their editions of 100. They have often sold as a pair, so this time I thought I’d try a triptych, with designs that intentionally flow from one panel to the next. So far I’ve completed the swirling skies and suggested distant landscapes. It will be a little while before I finish the foreground rocks and trees, but I’ll be sure to share them here when they’re ready.
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