Seedheads: in a new light
These new seedheads original monotypes were inspired by the low evening sun in our allotment. I've been adding seedheads and grasses to some of my recent landscapes and these new pieces develop that theme a little further. I've really enjoyed working with paper and plastic stencils using colour gradients to create these soft shifting colours that contrast subtly with their background.
Beloved of garden designers, alliums (onion flowers) make great spherical shapes. Their seedheads are some of the best for autumn/winter interest. Their structure is complex but using radical simplification, I found a way to print the stems and draw in the details using the trace monotype method. Scroll down to see a short video of the process.
I've had a few attempts at doing teasels - they are such fantastic silhouettes from summer onwards. Again, I needed to find a simplfied way of portraying their geometric complexity. My plan for the one above is to add three goldfinches which can sometimes be seen feeding on the teasel seeds. So this one is not for sale just yet but feel free to express an interest. You can see more of my British birds series here.
This video shows briefly the process of creating the three square seedheads monotypes. A curious thing happened with the poppies one. Working in reverse in layers, it's easy to get mixed up with what goes where. You'd think after 25 years of doing it, I'd get it right but sometimes it still goes awry. The colour order got reversed on the final layer which meant they weren't as harmonious as I planned. But now I think it's a great result as there's a more lively syncopated feeling to the colours. One example of the serendipity that is often a part of printmaking!
Just get in touch by phone +44 7717 256169 or email info@rebecca-vincent.co.uk if you're interested in purchasing any of the new originals shown here.
On the 17th and 18th July I had my first open studio event for a couple of years. This was part of a Summer Art Fair at The Hearth Arts Centre organised with my fellow artists. It was a baking hot weekend so some of the artists were able to exhibit outside. I stayed in my cool north-facing studio having re-hung it with my most recent work and lock-down creations.
We asked people to book tickets in advance so that we could limit the numbers and keep them safe: everyone wore masks and the doors were flung open. I had a wonderful time chatting with old friends and meeting new ones and I was delighted to see people going home with pictures and greetings cards to brighten their homes.
Just in case you're wondering why you didn't get an invitation to this event, let me explain that I have two email lists - one for events and one for getting updates about new work. You can, of course, be on both lists. If you want to receive invitations to exhibitions and open studios in the North East of England, just drop me a line to info@rebecca-vincent.co.uk and I'll add you. I usually offer a discount voucher to email subscribers who attend.
You can also book to visit if you want to browse the wide range of prints in my studio.