Submerge / Descend monoprint and mixed media

 

I was itching to play with my usual inky blues so indulged myself for a day with some monoprinting...

Submerge monoprint and mixed media 9.5x15cm   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Details from a lino stamp used in pebble monoprints   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

I enjoyed experimenting with layers of thick and thin ink and how they interacted. I used lots of ink extender for very thin and transparent layers (it works much like glaze medium in oil and acrylic painting). Once the prints were dry some pebbles were collaged in and extra white ink drawn in to enhance the light/current/flow. I wanted the feeling of being pulled gently under water.

Descend I -IV   monoprint and mixed media 9.5x15cm   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

The same prints just playing with layouts - seeing how they speak to each other/if they speak to each other.

Descend I - IV   monoprint and mixed media 9.5x15cm   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Sometimes erosion seems to happen quickly and violently as in a storm but sometimes it is the persistent, gradual and slow process of wearing surfaces over many years that leads up to the big event. I think this is true of painting/printing too. Some days you feel like you have made leaps in your work but it is all the days where tiny little steps have been made that are important to get to your goal. Slow and persistent - the message that I take from the sea.

The two prints at the top in the above photograph are available in my Etsy store  and the lower two are available in my Folksy store.

Spring or sea glass greens - coastal collage and mixed media

 

Untitled   Mixed media collage on A4ish watercolour paper  ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Sand and water ripples ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

So much inspiration in this photograph...the colours and textures especially. I'm not sure what people think when they see me taking pictures of soggy sand but I am quite happy in my world 😊 This photograph could be the route of a lifetimes work there is so much that appeals to me.

Untitled   Mixed media collage on A4ish watercolour paper  ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Ripples in the sand ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Untitled   Mixed media collage on A5ish watercolour paper  ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

I have always been drawn to green stones, probably because they are rare here, and have some lovely green serpentine from Cornwall. The very pale textured pebble in the photo I am at a loss as to what it is but would love to know. The mintyness is lovely.

A selection of minty green pieces are available in my Folksy Store.

Trying out a little video - after much messing around with editing this is my first effort!

Ripples and reflections ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Piddock made hagstones ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Hag stones made by piddocks are a bit more unusual here too, I normally find them made by tidal erosion. The perfect circles put me in mind of Barbera Hepworth's sculptures and one of my favourite quotes from her:

'Many people select a stone or pebble to carry for the day, the weight and form and texture felt in our hands relates to the past and gives us a sense of universal force. The beautifully shaped stone washed up by the sea is a symbol of continuity a silent image of our desire for survival, peace and serenity.'    - Barbara Hepworth

Land or Sea? - collage and mixed media

Untitled A4ish collage and mixed media on paper ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Pebbles colour inspiration ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

I am pushed and pulled on the tide.. is the series about the pebbles or the sea each new piece seems to change its' focus first land is more dominant then the sea....is this a metaphor.....? Edges, relationships, boundaries, liminal, erosion, words that are scribbled in my sketchbook.

Untitled A4ish collage and mixed media on paper ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Detail - Untitled A4ish collage and mixed media on paper ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Sand Ripples ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted! A virus got the better of me and then ten days of road trip travelling as far up as Edinburgh and Whitby to Liverpool across with a stop off in York has kept me away. So much inspiration on the trip and much beach treasure gathered.

I will be reopening my Etsy shop again soon. There has been quite a few changes since it was last open so a steep learning curve to get up to scratch but hopefully I will be ready in the next couple of weeks. Some of these new works will be available there.

Mixed media collage - tide patterns

 

Untitled   Mixed media collage on A5ish watercolour paper  ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Untitled   Mixed media collage on A5ish watercolour paper  ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Tide patterns ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Sand ripples ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Thinking about the patterns left by wind and water on the sand, how it forms ripples and carves hills and troughs - the traces left behind.

Worn by water and wind   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

So many of my reference photos have dogs walking through, sometimes Lu sometimes randoms... I think she shows the scale rather well in this one though. The pattern has formed by dry sand catching on the textures made by the sea as it is blown across the beach. This photo was taken in Jersey where the large and rapid tides make large shapes. By contrast the photo below is much smaller in scale.

The trail of water flowing back to the sea, navigating the pebbles left behind   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec