I am pleased that I have been single
minded about my product outcome for this unit and not been tempted to diversify
into other areas which could have led me off course. I wanted to focus on working with this hand process
and not reproduce it digitally. I like
the fact that there will perhaps be a very small market for hand printed
wallpaper and this encourages me to continue working with a traditional print
process. I have found it quite
difficult to find other people working in a similar way, although this gives me
confidence that what I am doing is somewhat unusual and inspires me to pursue
it.
Before the degree show I will be
creating a website and business cards, the talk Alex gave about online
portfolios was extremely insightful and showed how valuable the internet can be
when it comes to promoting oneself. I
have decided to use Wix to create a website.
I want to make it easy to navigate, with a simple layout and clear text
and images, I will continue to work on and improve the website after the course.
I have loved working with the 175
years old Columbian printing press this year. The physical action of using the
press feels a long way from sitting at a sewing machine or designing at a desk,
I like the physical activity needed to produce a print. Although it has been a great friend to me
this year and I will surely miss it, I do not think it is ideal for printing
wallpaper as it was originally designed for printing newspapers with
letterpress. My first challenge after we
leave will be to find a suitable press.
Marthe Armitage who I have previously
looked at uses an old lithographic proofing press; a large roller picks up the
ink from her 21 inch wide lino cut and transfers it to the paper. From a video I have seen it looks to be very
effective, but I still like the idea of the wood making physical contact with
the paper. If I am not able to find a
suitable press, I will consider having one made. I would be collaborating with my cousin on
this project, he has built his own house from scratch and he has offered to
design a wallpaper printing press with me.
He has suggested using a hydraulic system for this. I look forward to being involved with this
and being able to continue working with hand-carved woodblocks and exploring
different design possibilities.
I have really enjoyed all parts of
this unit and I am very happy with the way I have been working. I am sad that my time at MMU is over, I have
loved the experience and I have felt very privileged to have been on the
course. I hope I can progress and
continue to work as an artist in the outside world.