A new print edition in the making...Silence & Snow

 

I have had an image whirling around in my minds eye, a seed that has started to grow for a while. There is a very early version, more of a sketch at the time from some years back that I have always had on my list to explore further. Recently I have decided to just get on with it - enough with the procrastination.

Starting to carve Silence & Snow....©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Below is the scribbly sketch of the idea.... you can see the folds in the paper that gave me guidelines for the composition using the rule of thirds. I am very much inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, the style and minimalism, and although that doesn't show at all in the sketch I think it will be obvious in the prints.

Thumbnail for Silence & Snow

Before printing the carved block I printed an uncarved block to give a base colour using very thin ink. For the initial prints I don't want to show any of the white paper - I'm sure this will change as I explore further and experiment with different colours and tones. My thinking is to create different versions using colour, extra elements and possibly adding tissue paper chine colle at some point. I would like to evoke the magical gloaming as night falls, hazy, misty and frosty nights, possibly a few prints inspired by the recent Northern Lights displays, then maybe warmer winter sunshine. Can I do all of these with one image? I want to experiment to find out, I haven't done this using this technique before nor on this scale which is somewhat larger that I have done before in print.

printing a base layer ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

This is one of the first prints with the second layer added. I felt like something was missing and out of balance - I wasn't getting the depth that I could see in my mind...

Second layer of Silence & Snow ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Testing a third block addition ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Using a small piece of the soft carve lino I cut a third mini block of tree silhouettes to add to the right of the composition. This gave much more depth and balance, now to experiment.

Variations of Silence & Snow drying ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

This is one of the first prints that I felt happy with. I like the looming distant trees and the frosty haze that is lighting up the sky as it descends. I have printed on my usual bright white paper but it didn't feel right with the warmer blues so I have ripped the edges of the prints up to the image margins and mounted them on a warmer off white paper for the warmer blues and a softer white for the cooler ones. I think if I continue to do this it will give some continuity to all the prints in the series despite some big variations in colour and other additions. It will also add some opportunity to contrast a different texture with the backing paper that will show when it is framed.

Silence & Snow  open varied edition lino print  image 20x29cm approx   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Silence & Snow  open varied edition lino print  image 20x25cm approx   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Cropping changes the composition and feel of the image, I might go back into the square versions and add additional tree silhouettes in between.

Silence & Snow  open varied edition lino print  image 20x20cm approx   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

I have just a few prints that I am happy with so far and will add to both my Folksy and Etsy stores. In addition I will put a version on RedBubble as I think it will work well as a holiday card.

Any way this has very much kept me out of mischief, what do you think?

Winter

Winter - A/P    blind embossed collagraph 12x20cm   ©2018LisaLeQuelenec  

Winter continues with it's dark, cold and damp here on the south coast. It may not be the best light for painting but work continues with printmaking, sketching and planning for this lovely fresh new year.

In December I had made a collagraph plate of a lone winter tree the first print of which I used for my Christmas card. Well I have made a further three prints from this plate and one blind print (a print with no ink that just shows as an embossed image). It is a technique which I rather like especially mounted and framed completely white on white - very crisp and pure.

All three are available at Seaside Studios Uk on Etsy.

  Winter - 1/3          collagraph print        12x20cm   ©2018LisaLeQuelenec

   

A digitally manipulated version of this image is available as reproduction prints and cards on my RedBubble site

Winter tree moon II  reproduction print   ©2018LisaLeQuelenec

Deeper through the forest

Deeper through the Forest   mixed media diptych  19x28cm each   ©2017Lisa Le Quelenec

Thinking about hard and soft, lost and found edges using pencil, oil pastel resist, watersoluble pencils, inks, and new to me pigments from Daniel Smith - sodalite genuine and lunar black. These two are fast becoming favourite colours. I love, love, love the soft inky denim of the sodalite.

I might leave this as it is or work into it again at a later date....it may even be the starting point for something else. The half term week has thrown me off kilter a bit. It's funny how just a few days off work can make you lose your thread. For now back to sketchbooks to find myself again I think.

If you go down to the woods today.... monoprint and mixed media via a digital sketchbook

Birch Study III   monoprint and mixed media   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

Sometimes I like to experiment digitally with images - it can be a quick way of trying different crops of an image without commiting to changing physically a piece of work. I like how I can change tones and colours in seconds and so can be a useful tool to progress a project.

I scanned one of the birch tree monoprint and mixed media pieces from the last post, cropped it, changed the tones and then started to adjust the colouring. I rather like the warmer version and also the darker more moody version that came last. I chose the last idea to explore first wanting to go deeper into indigo with a bigger contrast in the tonal range for more drama.

Birch Study III digital sketchbook experiment page  ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

birch sketchbook sample ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

This is a small sample that I made using a scrap from a failed print and adding washes of watercolour in varying strengths. The oilbased printing ink resists the watercolour in unusual ways giving nice textural effects - something I want to use to my advantage although difficult to control.

If you go down to the woods today...   monoprint and mixed media   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

The above image is the result of the experiment so far. On top of the monoprint I have used drawing ink, coloured pencils and watercolour. The surface qualities and textures of the materials resisting each other are producing some lovely marks. I think my next step is to return to my sketchbook and work through some composition thumbnails maybe also to see how some of these marks can be translated into pure paint. Fun and messy times ahead I think...

Birch tree monoprints and mixed media with a dash of freezing fog

A few days of thick freezing fog the other week has inspired a different avenue to explore. I don't ever remember seeing such thick and persistant freezing fog before. It has caused quite a bit of disruption to travel but has had an element of surprising beauty to it. The little one was fascinated by the 'crunchy' sparkles on the spider webs on the way to preschool. Simple looming silhouettes and subtle greys have inspired a very different feel to the series.

A Progression of monoprints and monoprint mixed media pieces - Birch Study I & II ( last two images) ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

The two mixed media pieces at the bottom have been made by using ghost prints. (a second print made from the printing plate from which a print has already been taken. Due to there being only residual ink left on the printing plate the second print is much more subtle.) As you can see from these two I was lucky enough to get two ghost prints the one on the right was the first to be taken.

I often prefer the ghost prints as I like the subtlety and delicate textures and they are often interesting to work into with other media. I think my next stage may be to take scans of these two and then play digitally with them and see what happens. 'Birch Study I & II' are available as reproductions at Redbubble here.

monoprinting birch trees

Night Watchmen  monoprint 15x21cm  ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

The first monoprint of the year! I have been really enjoying markmaking with monoprint recently experimenting with a combination of applying ink and different tools to take the ink off and draw into it. Birch trees are a favourite winter subject and feel a good fit for these first pieces.

Initially I rolled a layer of ink mixed with extender for a little transparency onto the plate before wiping off some trunk shapes. Then applying ink with a stiff brush I added the trunk markings in. The rough grassy floor was fun! I added a little more ink and scratched into it with sharpened sticks, a supersharp pencil point and toothpicks.

I wanted a really sharp and bright white moon so cut a paper stencil for this. The thickness of the paper has meant a darker edge to the ink surrounding the moon but I quite like this as it adds to the contrast and I think it needed something hard amongst all the lost and found edges through the rest of the image.

This image is available as a reproduction and stationery on my Redbubble site

It is also available here on Fine Art America.

I managed a ghost print (running the plate with leftover ink again through the press with some slightly damper paper) only adding a little extra ink to the trunk markings and lower corner of grass.  Once the print had dried I worked into it with watercolour and coloured pencil introducing some colour and neutralising some of the harder darks adding more form into the trunks. I liked the way the pencil picked up the texture of the inks where it had printed thicker in some areas. I think this is an avenue well worth exploring - a big adventure for the start of the year - the results could be very exciting...

Night Watchmen   monoprint and mixed media 15x21cm ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

Night Watchmen detail   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

Pine cone - a drypoint

Pine cone   drypoint etching print   ©2016Lisa Le Quelenec

I have been working on a set of new monoprints of winter birch trees and am impatiently waiting for the ink to dry so I can work into them and experiment with combining other media. My fingers are itching to get going but It will be another few days yet....

In the meantime here is a small drypoint pine cone that I finished last year and have just put for sale in my Etsy store SeasidestudiosUK.

I am so lucky to be so close to the sea and near the New Forest - it really is the best of both worlds.

Full moon and birch tree drypoints

Silver birch moon   30x40cm acrylic on canvas ©2012 Lisa Le Quelenec

The above painting is an old favorite of mine, I really do like this theme and often revisit it. So I thought I would use it as a starting point for a small drypoint using a metal plate instead of acrylic. I have also been enjoying working in a circular format so set myself the challenge of combining the two elements.

Moonrise metal plate 7cm diameter  ©2015LisaLeQuelenec

 A set of five prints is the result. Each one a variation in colour and tone. I am doing these as an open edition as I might do another few impressions. I don't think there will be many more than this as each time the plate runs through the press the burr gets more worn and the prints will be less clear.

All are for sale at my Etsy shop seasidestudiosuk.

Moonrise   open edition drypoint  7cm diameter on 15x21cm paper   ©2015LisaLeQuelenec

Moonrise I   open edition drypoint  7cm diameter on 15x21cm paper   ©2015LisaLeQuelenec

Moonrise II   open edition drypoint  7cm diameter on 15x21cm paper   ©2015LisaLeQuelenec

Moonrise III   open edition drypoint  7cm diameter on 15x21cm paper   ©2015LisaLeQuelenec

Moonrise IV   open edition drypoint  7cm diameter on 15x21cm paper   ©2015LisaLeQuelenec

Moonrise V   open edition drypoint  7cm diameter on 15x21cm paper   ©2015LisaLeQuelenec

Dry point pine cone three variations

Pine cone   dry point with chine colle & watercolour 8x7.5cm   ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec

Pine cone   dry point with gouache 8x7.5cm   ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec

Pine cone   dry point  8x7.5cm   ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec

My little press and I have been busy experimenting with dry point. I'm still using perspex as a plate but I now have an dry point tool which is much easier on the hands than my old compass. I am rather pleased with these three variations and the different qualities that you can get just by changing an aspect of the printing process or working into the prints after. All three of these pine cones are available in my Etsy store here.

Below is the plate and dry point tool.

Through the woods

Through the Woods   acrylic on paper   37x15cm   ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec

It feels strange to be posting a snowy painting today when outside the sun is shining. It's so beautiful and I feel like I'd nearly forgotten what it looked like.

Forest Gloaming complete WIP

(The first three stages of this painting can be seen here)

Forest Gloaming 21x28cm mixed media on paper  ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec

By the end of stage 3 I had a very cold painting. I wanted to bring back some warmth and a little more light into the piece and so scumbled some yellow ochre and zinc white to take the edge off the very blue greens. Neater yellow ochre in the foreground warmed up the forest floor and added to the sparkle of the more purple/blue greens. Overall I have kept the cool atmosphere and the warm ochre has only served to emphasise this. (For some reason when I photograph this painting the warm ochre has been exagerated, it's not quite as obvious looking in the painting and the whole thing is quite a lot lighter. The camera is emphasising a higher contrast than in real life.) Very gently, I have strengthened the trees that stand against the light they are barely there and are suggested with broken line.

Using a NOT watercolour paper has meant that the surface has more of a texture than I would normally use but has been advantageous with some of the media. I've rather enjoyed mixing it up a little and think I will do some more work exploring mixed media.

A new year and a new WIP

stage 1

stage 2

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a lovely time this holiday season. I've had a lovely break and feel raring to go. 

With no pressing deadlines coming up in January I have decided to take a little time out for experimenting and play. During December and most of November I had so many ideas flitting around my head and not enough time to explore so I'm rather looking forward to this month. January is still so cold and dark and feels decidedly flat after the glitz, sparkle and excitement of December what better way to cheer up the month than to hole up in the studio and play.

In the spirit of experimentation I thought I'd start this years posts by sharing a wip. This piece has been inspired by a walk in the New Forest, I wanted to capture the feeling of walking through the dense trees, their thick canopy overhead, into the bright light of a clearing. The word that kept coming to mind on this particular day was 'gloaming'. Whilst not strictly correct the lack of light in the thick of the forest can often feel like dusk.

Stage 1 - I began with a quick pencil drawing lightly plotting the shapes of the trunks and then adding oil pastel to this which would act as a resist to the watercolour layer that was to come. I scratched back into the oil pastel with a sharp pencil adding in the markings on the birch trunks. The watercolour stage was rather fun, soaking the paper and adding lots of dilute paint, tilting the board and letting gravity have it's way, encouraging back runs. Whilst the paper was still very wet I added some trunks very lightly with the side of a pencil. The extra pressure on the paper was sufficient to give a subtle tone indicating but not over stating the trees presence against the brightest light.

Stage 2 - Building up the trunks with a mixture of coloured pencil and acrylic. I scratched into wet and dry paint enjoying making marks and building up the darker tones, adding in highlights here and there. Then I took stock - the painting felt a little too warm and didn't have the cool and damp feeling that I associate with the forest, I need to shift the colour temperature. Also the left hand side needed more trees to counterbalance the weight on the right.

Stage 3 - More trunks but with less detail on the left, I made these darker in tone to balance the weight on the right. I added light glazes of a phthalo turquoise mix to cool down the temperature which got progressively stronger towards the right away from the light source into the denser trees. With a dry brush and acrylic paint I've added the suggestion of foliage from the forest floor. Finally to contrast against the cool blue greens I've added light touches of cadmium orange (I was feeling reckless, I wouldn't normally use this colour but it felt 'right' in this painting.) I'm leaving this piece here and will return to it next week with fresh eyes.

Stage 3 Forest Gloaming 21x28cm mixed media on paper  ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec

Silver birch moon

 

Silver birch moon   30x40cm acrylic on canvas ©2012 Lisa Le Quelenec

Although my last visit to the New Forest was during a perfect summer day it did inspire me to return to an older theme of the forest lit by the full moon. This seems to be a series that I am not quite finished exploring yet. The strong back lighting of the trees and capturing the depth of space keep pulling me back to explore further.

This painting will be amongst the works I am exhibiting at the Hayloft Gallery in Christchurch from 7th - 20th September. A percentage from all the sales will be donated to two local wildlife charities. Do pop along if you are in the area and support this worthy cause.

March moon

March Moon
15x26cm acrylic on paper
©2012 Lisa Le Quelenec

We have been having very clear brightly moonlit nights here the last couple of days. I had started work on a moon painting and whilst the moon was full last night I completed it.

This painting joins a series of four others that I began last year. You can read the posts for them here , here and here . It seems apt that the next painting for the series should be painted in March.

All the songs of spring are being sung by the birds in the garden and in honour of this I am starting a spring clean of the studio. It's amazing how piles of paper, unfinished paintings, quick notes and sketches etc can pile up. Not to mention the pile of framing that has grown.... Methinks it will be a big job despite having tried so hard to keep on top of it. So I'll leave you with an early wish for a very happy and creative weekend.

And the trees whisper

And the trees whispered
13.5x13.5cm acrylic on paper
©2011 Lisa Le Quelenec

We are being treated to some amazing cloud displays here in Dorset. One minute blazing sunshine the next heavy cloud bursting with rain. Celebratory bright sunlight that turns the rain silver and makes the yellow in the trees sparkle against purple/blue skies. Inspiration for the above painting, the wind picks up and the trees whisper, I hold my breath...

Trees For Life

A little while back whilst reading a post on Jeanette Jobson's blog Illustrated Life she spoke about a charity fundraiser for Trees For Life who work to restore the Caledonian Forest in the Highlands of Scotland. A fellow Canadian artist now based in Scotland, Trevor Jones , was organising an exhibition to raise money for the charity by asking for donations from artists. So I emailed Trevor to find out more.

Trevor was looking for 140 artists from all over the world to join him in contributing an original artwork or signed, limited edition photo print in 6”x9” format, each of which will be sold for £45 either online or during an exhibition to be held in Edinburgh in November 2011. So far just over 100 artists have answered the call. You can find out more at Trevor’s blog , the deadline has now been extended until 15th August and there is still time to contact him for details about contributing. All the work is available to view and purchase here.

Below is my contribution, a mixed media piece. The trunks have been mono printed with an oil based paint, giving a slight texture to the bark and then worked back into with pencil. The land and sky began with a watercolour wash which the mono print resisted and then layers of colour pencil added which has given a more diffused effect. My aim was to make the background soft and less focused to give full emphasis to the trees.

It's inspired by one of my favourite areas of the New Forest. I love birch trees which at first glance look like their trunks are straight and true, I find the more I look the more I notice how uneven they are with their ridges and textures. I've enjoyed trying to capture the subtle differences in colour from one tree to the other.



Standing Guard
6x9inch mixed media
©2011 Lisa Le Quelenec

Moon rising

Moon Rising

mixed media on paper 57x37cm

©2011 Lisa Le Quelenec

I seem to be on a roll with finishing paintings at the moment. This is another one pulled from the portfolio that was started a while back. I know it sounds odd that I'd forgotten about these paintings but the house move we had took nearly two years it was off and on so many times and we packed and repacked so many times that our heads were spinning by the end of it. Now I've got a few paintings that were packed at the beginning that given just another few hours of work will be complete.


This one started off with a monoprint of the birch trunks, at the time I was very interested in the effect of white on white and how there are so many different coloured/toned whites when you really start to look. As a print it didn't really work out, it was a second take from the plate, so I worked into it with paint. The ink used in the print was oil based and when I washed over with watercolour it repelled the paint leaving the trunks untouched. I kept flooding the paper with watercolour and added FW acrylic ink to the washes to build up colour in some areas and blotting it out in others.

The golden coloured bands in the sky and foreground are gold ink, something I wouldn't normally use, but seemed right with the colour scheme. The mica in the gold diffused and swirled into the wet wash in interesting ways and repelled the colour of further washes. Once dried I added the moon and now the light source was decided on I could work out where all the shadows would be on the birch trunks. The sketches I'd done in the New Forest had been done during the day during bright sunlight so I had to use a little imagination in working out how moonlight would fall.

My favourite passage is the three trunks that are right in front of the moon that become almost a silhouette because of the back lighting. Now I've revisited the subject I can see lots of ideas to develop it as a series. I'll be getting my sketchbook out over the weekend to work out some more compositions.