Rockpool lino series continued & my 600th post

 

Rockpool   lino print on paper   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

I thought I would share a little more of this rockpool series. I have been printing slightly larger compositions on A4 paper and adding in some more different motifs. I love the delicacy of the seaweed, I think they are a good contrast to the more solid shapes of the pebbles and limpets. Other shells are starting to appear in this little ecosystem. I might be slightly in love with little yellow winkles ;o) they are appearing in all of these larger compositions.

I might try out some spicy hot colours next - yellows, rusty oranges and coral. I dabbled with this combination in the A5 ones but might try upscaling that palette again. I struggle with the hotter end of the spectrum so it will be a challenge. Notice how I said coral and not red - red may be a step to far! Red makes me feel out of control and a bit shouty. Do you have a colour that you avoid in your work? 

Can you believe this is my   600th   post!!! I certainly can't. What a bloggerversary! I feel like I have made so many friends online - we might not get to meet in real life but I feel no less richer for that. Thank you for reading along and to the people who take the time, I appreciate all your comments. To all those who don't I appreciate you too! Thank you.

Carving and inking the plates for the Rockpool Series  ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Rockpool   lino print on paper   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

All four A4ish prints in the Rockpool series as well as the smaller prints are all available in my Folksy store.  Best wishes.

New repeat print designs available at RedBubble

 

Beach Vibes ©2023LisaLeQuelenec available at 
https://www.redbubble.com/people/lisalequelenec/shop

I have been a busy bee adding new limpet inspired designs to my RedBubble Store store and this week there is 20% off.

Each design is available as a selection of apparel, home accessories and stationery. 

Sunny Days ©2023LisaLeQuelenec available at
https://www.redbubble.com/people/lisalequelenec/shop

Sunny Days II ©2023LisaLeQuelenec available at
https://www.redbubble.com/people/lisalequelenec/shop

Sunny Days III ©2023LisaLeQuelenec available at
https://www.redbubble.com/people/lisalequelenec/shop

Let me know what you think.

Rockpool series - lino monoprints

 

Rockpool Series   approximately 14x20cm lino monoprints   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

I have sadly neglected my blog this last few weeks due to a number of things - just life keeping me out of mischief rather than paint or ink - but I haven't been completely idle. A new series of work is underway which is really quite different to the gulls I had been painting. With the arrival of longer Spring days and a little more sunshine I have been feeling the season. Of course I am still roaming the coast but I have been turning more attention to rockpools and the memories of the ones we explored in Jersey on my last trip....back to limpets and limpet rings, summery colours and the joyous feeling of long Summer days. Fresh breezy colours and simplified shapes are dominating at the moment with a little green creeping in at the edges.

Rockpool Series   13x17.5cm   lino monoprint   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Rockpool Series   approximately 14x20cm lino monoprints with added drawing  ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Added drawing and mark making and then with the promise of some hot sun to come....golden yellow. All the images here are available to purchase from my  Folksy Store. I am enjoying this series immensely and can see lots of ways for it to develop so I will get back to my sketchbook and try a few more experiments, I wonder which path I will take next.

Rockpool Series   approximately 14x20cm lino monoprints with added drawing  ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

And the Gulls Cry - acrylic on canvas board

 

And the Gulls Cry    acrylic on canvas board   40x50cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

A companion piece to Where the Wild things are....

These paintings will be available in my Folksy store in a couple of weeks or so. I am going to live with them a short while to make sure there are no adjustments to be made and so that I can enjoy them a while ;o)

Where the Wild Things Are & And the Gulls Cry   40x50cm acrylic on canvas boards   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Where The Wild Things Are - acrylic on canvas

 

Where The Wild Things Are   acrylic on canvas board 40x50cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Well that was fun!

Where The Wild Things Are WIP   acrylic on canvas board 40x50cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Where The Wild Things Are - details   acrylic on canvas board 40x50cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

A failed monoprint...a nugget of inspiration - WIP

Study for where the wild things are   monoprint and mixed media 15x15cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Below a failed monoprint...with potential....I worked back into it with coloured pencils and acrylic paint... a nugget of an idea is forming... I think the scale needs to be bigger...I want to stretch my wings a little...

Gulls and cliff   monoprint  15x15cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Gulls, storms and monoprints

 

A little monoprint experimenting has been occurring... thinking in ink...sometimes unexpected things happen which lead to new ideas to explore. That happened with this print below. The plate for some reason known only to the gods of print slid in the press making these lovely marks suggesting cliffs. My work is usually of the sea from the shore or clifftop but now I am thinking in terms of from the sea/sky. Ideas are percolating slowly forming more thinking in ink is needed....

Listening to the Wind   monoprint and mixed media   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

The print below on the left is where I had been intending to go. A monoprint with an embossed gull shape in the lower margin. I am still toying with the idea of including text within my work, slowly trying things out and experimenting. The version on the left is a digital copy with added text.. I am unsure so have photocopied and written on it/tried a fully digitised version in photoshop...I am still unsure. What are your thoughts? Which do you prefer? I think maybe in this image the text is a little too big and obvious....? I will live with them for a while.

...and the gulls cry...   monoprint and mixed media   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

This print was pulled from the plate after the one above, I added and wiped extra ink to the remnants, playing with marks. If the one above was as the storm was building then this one would be the storm from within. Same composition very different energy.

 Storm Spray   monoprint and mixed media   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

For now I will go back to thinking in ink, exploring, pushing pulling the ideas and experimenting to see where it will lead.

Swooping and circling - gull sketchbook page and monoprint

If you spend any time at the shore you will find yourself watching the gulls swooping, circling, gliding and diving. I feel I may just have some gull in my genes as I circle back to them in my work again and again. I am mulling over how to approach it this time around.

Sketchbook page - gull studies ©LisaLeQuelenec

Old sketchbook pages - looking back and moving forward - looking at shapes and trying ideas. At the end of a project I store all my reference materials, sketchbooks and experiments and notes in a folder. I often return to subjects when something new catches my eye or an idea for combinations or new connections are made. Sometimes just revisiting a folder strikes up new ideas on its own. It is good to have all the visual stimulus in one place waiting to be plundered again. 

 I think some monoprinting may be in order to think in ink.

Gliding   13x13cm monoprint   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec   


This monoprint is available in my Folksy store.

Coastal collection - home accessories, stationery and more

 

This is a project I have been working on for the past few months and I am so excited to share it with you today. Using my shell watercolour paintings I have created a series of designs in a selection of colourways to be reproduced on various home accessories, stationery and more on RedBubble. You can see the whole collection here.

coastal collection - available at RedBubble - ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

coastal collection - available at RedBubble - ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

coastal collection - available at RedBubble - ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

I have used RedBubble for a number of years for stock in my shops, also for sending gifts and have always been impressed with both the quality, speed and service. 

So many hours have gone into putting the collection together and it is really exciting for me to see it all come together. Is there a different colourway that you would like to see? Or maybe a different shell or creature? Do let me know what you think. 

Limpet portraits - acrylic on board

 

Limpet Portraits 1-4   acrylic on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

The four shells lying vertically in the photo above are the subjects of these first four portraits. When you closely observe and compare them you can see so many differences, each having it's own characteristics and subtleties. Hopefully you can see better in this photo below.

Limpet Shells photograph ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Limpet Portrait 1   acrylic on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

I have been toying with the idea of using text within work for a while. The text in two of these paintings comes from notes I made about limpets from Wikipedia. During my research of these fascinating creatures I stumbled across a paper by Dr Louise Firth, Associate Professor of Marine Ecology at the University of Plymouth, titled What Have Limpets Ever Done for US? It is fascinating reading taking in thousands of years of cultural history all over the world as well as their importance within the ecosystem and many other threads besides. If you would like to delve into this fascinating read here is a link.

Limpets are extremely common in Jersey due to the island being surrounded by the perfect rocky habitat. As a child their common sight left me a little blind to collecting them and I rarely picked them up. However during the summer on a visit to La Hougue Bie Museum I learnt a little and saw how they were considered of such importance as to be placed within the Neolithic grave mound. During the Occupation when food was scarce they became an important source of food, supplementing meagre rations - not for the first time were they known as famine food (and not just in this location). The more I read, draw and paint these tough little critters the more respect I feel for them.

Limpet Portrait 2  acrylic on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Limpet Portrait 3  acrylic on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Limpet Portraits 4   acrylic on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

All four portraits are available in my Folksy Store.