Pastures New!

Spent a brilliant weekend at Edinburgh Printmakers recently, learning Stone Lithography with Alastair Clark. Have always wanted to try this technique as it is supposed to be a very responsive medium - and so it is.

The stone in question is limestone - my favourite rock - so it was bound to be 'sympatico' as far as I was concerned!

This was the first image from my first drawing on the stone - a view of the Cuillin from Sligachan, Isle of Skye.

Some more work on the stone, including some tuche washes which needed to dry overnight.

Some more drawing and adjusting on Sunday and this was the second state of the image.

I'm off to Edinburgh again next week to spend some time in the studio, adjusting the image again and making a new stone. Can't wait!

Working in the Mountains Again

Arrived in the Val di Fiemme on Thursday 15 August. Very hot and sunny in the valley. Up to the Col Lusia on Saturday with lots of moody clouds over the mountains,- just the way I like it! The Pala di San Martino in one direction, the Rosengarten in the other - wonderful!

Made my first drawing - the view of the Pala from above Col Lusia. Cloud obscuring half of it by the end!

Back up again yesterday, Wednesday, and this time cloudless with a few clouds developing to cast lovely shadows as the afternoon progressed. Result - my first watercolour of the trip.

Took a couple of hours or so with some lovely comments from a family from Udine. The daughter is a budding photographer!

The Rosengarten will have to wait for next visit - just not enough time to do this magnificent group justice!

The drawings were made on 17 and 21 August. Apologies for the delayed posting - I couldn't get the server to upload photographs!

More to come!

Back to the Mountains

I'm pleased to be heading back to the mountains again tomorrow - the Italian Dolomites and later, the French Alps with perhaps a little diversion in between, to the Julian Alps or climbing in Croatia, depending on the weather. I look forward to sharing some of my drawings with you!

Before I go here are some of the monotypes I've been making inspired by my visit to Herculaneum in April. This one is a version of the 'seahorse' fresco which also inspired the etching I posted last time. Interesting to see the effects on the image of using a different printmaking technique.









Monotype really lends itself to re-creating the character of these ancient wall paintings. Here are a few examples. What do you think?

 

 

 It would be interesting to have your comments on my work - and very encouraging if you were able to 'like' me on Facebook!

 

 

Italian Inspiration

 

Since returning from Scotland I've been  down at Northern Print making some work inspired by my visit to Herculaneum in the south of Italy.This is the first piece which will be part of the annual 20:20 exhibition, the joint fundraising project run by Northern Print and Hotbed Press in Salford.It is a small etching with aquatint. The image is 12cm x 12cm on paper 20cm square.

 

This is my photograph of the fragment of fresco which inspired it.

 

Making an etching involves several processes. Top left, the  reversed image is traced on to the zinc plate which is covered with a soft wax ground. It is then placed in nitric acid which bites into the plate where the wax has been removed by the tracing. Top right, the resulting line etching.Bottom left, aquatint is used to add tone to the plate. This is the first proof printed with black ink.Bottom right, the colour proof using two colours.Centre, the finished zinc plate.

 

The edition of 25 prints - all numbered, titled and signed - made by inking up and wiping the finished plate - 25 times!

 

A Short Trip to the West Coast

 

It may seem difficult to believe after the wonderful weather of the last week or two, but a month ago in Torridan, this was the only drawing I managed to make in over a week.

Liathach stood proud against the grey, lowering skies for one morning before the rain and gales swept in from the Atlantic.

With cloud down to Loch level each morning and midges galore, we eventually headed for Rannoch Moor.

A lovely sunny evening there gave way to a well clagged-in morning - so back to Northumberland through torrential rain storms - and plans for another trip in the Autumn!

A Mountain of Rubbish!

When Lakpa Sherpa and the Adventure14Peaks team set off for Everest with the Joint Indo-Nepal Army Expedition, they  also took with them a special team of ten Sherpas. Their job was do a big clean-up of the route between the South Col and Camp 2.

Everest is the Sherpas' mountain and is sacred to them. A Puja ceremony is always held at Base Camp for the blessing of the expedition. Offerings made to the Gods and juniper is burnt for good fortune for the sherpas and climbers.

On this year's trip, the sherpas collected and carried out 4000kg (4 metric tonnes) of rubbish, all collected on the route from the South Col to Camp 2. This is what it looks like!

Lakpa and some of the clean-up team surveying the 'mountain' of rubbish!

An excellent achievement and a job well done!

Namche is the main Sherpa village in the Khumbu and home of the famous Bazaar. Here is Lakpa, back in the village after his successful summit, with the traditional welcoming garland of marigolds and good luck scarf given to all travellers in Nepal.

And he doesn't look in the least bit tired!!

Everest Update

Back in April, you may remember, our Sherpa, Lakpa and his team from Adventure14Peaks.com were setting off with the Joint Indo-Nepal Army expedition to climb Everest. In early May, after acclimatisation climbs as high as Camp 3, the weather closed in with snow and high winds, preventing any early summit attempts. By mid May, more settled weather was forecast and the team were able to set off. Here they are on the way up with their last camp clearly visible below on the rocky area.

Early on 19th May, on a fine, clear morning, the team makes their way on the final stage of their climb to the top of the world. What a fantastic photograph!

Lakpa celebrates the summit. For the second year running, the weather is perfect!

The view from the top - magnificent!

Makes me think of Joe Simpson's evocative description of 'the beckoning silence of great height'

We are incredibly lucky to have such an accomplished guide as Lakpa looking after us on our trips to the Himalaya.