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?

Flowing to the sea - mixed media

Flowing to the sea   27.5x27.5cm collagraph and mixed media   ©2022LisaLeQuelenec

This is an older piece that I found when having a studio tidy that somehow didn't make it into the shop. It reminds me of recent frosty walks down by the river. It has been cold but sunny and with such beautiful muted colours.

I've popped it into my Etsy store, here's a link.

Headland - a new etching

Headland   etching 6x6cm   ©2018LisaLeQuelenec

I love the super strong contrasts of light on the ocean that you get after a heavy downpour and the energy and exhilaration as you wait in anticipation for the next bout to come. So inspiring, even though it can make your eyes ache for the relief in the shadows.


This etching is available on Etsy at Seaside Studios UK.

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

Shining Sands

Shining Sands   acrylic on canvas board 20x20cm   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

I am working on extending this series and have a couple more paintings 'on the go' . As I work on more than one painting at a time they all evolve together each one informing and developing each other in a constant conversation. I had thought I had finished two but when I went to the studio yesterday I could see that they weren't. A mini breakthrough on one has meant adjustments on the other two... It's all to the good.

It's funny but when I started working on these I had envisioned mark making being an important aspect of the series but it has really taken a back seat. The work has once more taken a life of it's own and is dictating it's own path which I am happy to follow and so the conversation continues.

Gathering storm sketchbook pages

Storms Doris and Ewan whilst wet and windy passed us by in February without too much damage down here. I don't think they were quite so lucky further north unfortunately.

The following are a couple of sketchbook snippets from the wild weather last week playing with tone and markmaking which seems to be a theme developing in my work recently. I am working on finishing a rather large project which is occupying rather a lot of time at the moment and so sketchbook work has been a little distraction whilst taking a break.

Sketchbook snippet - across the marsh   watercolour 12x12cm approx   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

February storm   watercolour in a6 sketchbook   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

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

A contrast in textures Bee on a teasel photograph ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

In the dunes photograph ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

The Black House photograph ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

A right jumble photograph ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

-7 degrees last night! It was a bit of a shock to the system on the school run this morning. Thankfully the sun is shining though it is still cold and frost still covers the garden. I am sitting in the warm drinking hot coffee and thinking of the warmer summer days and thought I would share these photos. Hopefully they will warm you too if you are feeling the chill.

This first one is for you Rhonda I hope the migraines settle for you soon.

Flowing to the sea II - collagraph and mixed media

Flowing to the sea II   29x29cm collagraph and mixed media   ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

A change of palette and a change of mood. I can't fail to be inspired by the autumn colours that are starting to appear. I love the golden light of autumn as it burnishes the landscape.

Flowing to the sea..

Flowing to the sea   29x29cm collagraph and mixed media   ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

This is one of my favourite views of Autumn, looking from the back of Hengistbury head to wards Christchurch across the reedbeds. I love all the contrasting textures of the land and the sound of the wind in the reedbeds. It always feels so peaceful to me.

collagraph plate  ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

I made a collograph plate on a mountboard base using different textured papers and painting glue on in the highlighted areas. Some areas I cut into the mountboard and peeled back the layers to reveal the texture of the inside of the board. It was then sealed with shellack.

Inking up the plate was a joy. Rubbing different colours into the pits of texture and giving a wipe of different colour to the high points to give variagated colour and really show off the textures to full advantage - never quite sure what the final result will be.

After running the plate through the press with dampened paper and leaving the print to dry I decided to work back into the image with coloured pencils, pastels and acrylic paint. The embossment made by the plate on the paper when it passed through the press was beautiful to work on. Small scumbles of pure colour to visually mix in give a rich surface quality - there is quite a bit of pure yellow and orange contained within the reed areas but they are such small dashes they don't jar the eye and would be missed if absent.

I have two more prints that I would like to work back into in this way. The next one I would like to use a more traditional Autumn palette of ochres and siennas for a different mood. It's an enjoyable way of working with many possibilities to explore.

I have made this image available as a reproduction print on Fine Art America and here at  Red Bubble.

On the dunes - drypoint etching print

On the Dunes   drypoint etching 10x18.5cm   ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

A new drypoint etching print available in my Etsy shop Seasidestudiosuk.   - a larger sister piece to the etching The Wind Whistled from a few posts back. I used a paynes grey watermixable oil paint for this one - I love the subtle tones of the greys. My palette seems to be greying down quite a lot these days...

Along the Jurassic coast path

The Wind Whistled   etching   3.2x10cm   ©2016Lisa Le Quelenec

The Jurassic coast footpath covers 95 miles of beautiful scenery, stretching from Exmouth in Devon to Old Harry Rocks in Dorset. It is England’s first natural UNESCO World Heritage Site and if you have the chance to visit it you will soon see why.

This little etching is from a sketch, a first response, made years ago on one of my first visits. I was struck by the patterns of the fence posts disappearing and leading on through sections of the path. It's not the usual impression people leave with, it doesn't have the iconic romanticism of Durdle Door or Lulworth Cove or any of the other beautiful spots along this bit of coastline. I think it made an impression on me for being so ordinary and overlooked. I liked the pattern it made in the landscape.



This etching is available for purchase here.

A passing shower - drypoint and collagraph combination print

A Passing Shower I    collagraph with drypoint   12.5x12.5cm   ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec

A Passing Shower II    collagraph with drypoint   12.5x12.5cm   ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec

A Passing Shower III    collagraph with drypoint   12.5x12.5cm   ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec

I've been experimenting with combining the two techniques using mountboard as a base for the plate. The land areas are a mixture of acrylic mediums and peeling back layers of the mountboard to reveal the texture. In the sky I used the etching tool to score lines. It is very satisfying to explore variations in mood and atmosphere by varying the inking of the plate. I can see so many avenues to explore.

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

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.

The silence of snow

The Silence of Snow   acrylic on paper 16x15cm   ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec

The sky always seems to look dark against the whiteness of the snow. The silence - it's deafening...

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.

In the soft moonlight

In the Soft Moonlight

Water media 12.5x24cm

©2012 Lisa Le Quelenec

Did anyone see the 'big' moon last week? I was hoping for a good view in Jersey but the sky was full of cloud.

This painting began it's life as a piece of paper used to blot excess acrylic ink from another painting. The paper is a rough watercolour paper so the 'print' only took in some areas of the texture. At the time I put the paper aside thinking I would get back to it later and use it for collage. I pulled the piece from a drawer yesterday and began to build more washes of watercolour and acrylic ink into it.

Working more intuitively than I normally would and letting the paint dictate the direction that it wanted to go in, a landscape started to appear. In the sky area I used some pearlescent ink which has added a subtle shimmer. Keeping the paper very wet and tilting the drawing board in different directions to help the flow kept everything very loose which I think helped the ambiguous feeling of a moonlit landscape. I'm left wondering what is just over the rise.