A blog about Stockport landmarks by artist/printmaker Neil Robinson which follows a printmaking project depicting the diverse architectural styles of my hometown both new and old.
This is an etching aquatint print I created early on in the project which I seem to have not shared before in this blog.
I used a combination of printing inks with black ink printed first, then leaving the remaining black ink on the plate, I then inked up blue ink and printed again to get the desired effect of deep dark shadows and lines with the black ink and light highlighted areas with blue ink.
I recently received a link to a virtual tour of the Impressions: a response to Towneley exhibition which is currently closed due to the UK national lockdown. Two of my prints, one depicting one of my Stockport related etching prints is currently in the show.
2020 has been a “challenging one”, which is a phase I’ve heard many times this year not surprisingly. My year in general has had its fair share of ups and downs like most folk.
The printmaking project has certainly been affected by this year’s pandemic but I have made the most of the situation by being as productive as possible with home printing and attending a few social distanced workshops. I took part in the first ever Manchester Open which ended early, the Macclesfield (Virtual) Open which was a first for me and the Towneley Hall ‘Impressions’ exhibition which will run until mid-February 2021. Hopefully more people will be able to view the Towneley exhibition before it ends if lockdown restrictions are relaxed in time.
In the Autumn, I entered a screen-print edition for the annual Hotbed press Twenty/Twenty International print exchange.
I will definitely be doing more screen printing next year and experimenting with other printing techniques like lithography on kitchen foil.
Currently, I am in the process of designing a brand-new personal website which will be linked to my blog.
I will be adding new features to my website and displaying artwork previously not seen before. The new site will be launched early in the new year. Really looking forward to getting my new website online.
At the beginning of the year, I started work on a new etching depicting the river Mersey just before lockdown kicked in. I hope to continue work on this printing plate in the new year all being well.
In November, I launched a brand-new Instagram account for the printmaking project which will be good for promoting my project and blog.
I am looking forward to getting back to studio workshops and completing my printmaking project by the end of next year.
This print depicts the Garrick Theatre which is located just off the A6 in Stockport. I used a different technique this time by first printing a drypoint print with black ink, then I printed a single triple-coloured linocut on top using which gives a painterly finish. I cut out areas of the lino to mark windows and posters on the building.
One of my two mix media prints of Stockport has been accepted in this year’s Stockport Open. Will find out Friday (tomorrow) which of my prints made it in. Looking forward to the preview and meeting other artists. Update 13/7/19. My print of the viaduct was accepted into the 2019 Open exhibition. See picture.
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