Calm Waters I & II

Calm Waters I   acrylic on canvas 24x30cm   ©2017Lisa Le Quelenec

Postcard sketches for paintings 'Calm Waters I & II  ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

You might remember these two little postcards sized sketches that I posted last year. They have been patiently sitting on my pin board waiting to be given attention. I wanted to develop the idea of looking into the light and also of verticals in a seascape without reverting to motifs of landmass or sails etc. Another theme that seems to be developing in some of my work is an aspect of minimalism. How far can I take a subject and subtract detail without losing it's essence? I seem to go from one extreme to the other capturing small details of shells and feathers and the next the opposite where I am painting just tone and colour. It keeps things interesting...

Colour inspirations photographs ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

I have to admit I am really enjoying using these strong blues again, it has been a while. Intermittent warmer days have arrived and the blues are making me feel that Summer may just be around the corner - or at least a warmer Spring.

Calm Waters II   acrylic on canvas 24x30cm   ©2017Lisa Le Quelenec

Both paintings are available as prints in various formats and cards at Redbubble - Lisa Le Quelenec - click on the link.

Submerged in the Sky - the moon and Neruda

Submerged in the Sky I  monoprint  ©2017Lisa Le Quelenec

I have been playing with some new ideas somewhat inspired by a translation of Neruda's 'Ode to the Moon', the idea of the moon being '...submerged in the sky.' is appealing as always its reflection on the ocean is a motif that seems to be constantly evolving in my work. I have been monoprinting and the process has taken over and so it developing and metamorphosing and blending with other strands and lose threads of work. I'm not sure where I am going with it but it is interesting none the less to let the process determine the direction.

Submerged in the Sky II  monoprint   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

These are available as reproductions on Red Bubble or Fine Art America

100 Ammonites Project - an introduction to the online exhibition

Ammonite no.1 and no.100   etching and etching and mixed media 6x8cm   ©2016Lisa Le Quelenec

This project started on a print making course at Arts University Bournemouth tutored by Jan Bullas where I made a tiny etching plate of an ammonite. I hadn’t done any etching since my foundation course in Art & Design at Falmouth College of Arts many, many years before but had been hankering for a long time to return to experimenting with printmaking. During the course, I tried different printmaking methods including monoprints, lino cuts, collagraphs, drypoint and etching. It was etching and drypoint that really got me hooked.


From March to November 2016 I experimented printing an edition of 100 prints from this small plate. As time went by I could see more and more possibilities to explore. I did set myself a few rules and boundaries to work within;

• All prints have been made on the same size paper 6x8inch Snowdon printing paper 140lb

• All prints have been made using water-soluble printing ink

• When using mixed media and chine collé I allowed myself to work outside of the confines of the plate and into the paper borders.

Prints No.1 to 50 are straight etching prints, what you see is the result of the ink being passed through the press with no further additions made. After the first 50 I started to use chine collé and from print No. 63 both chine collé and/or mixed media was used for further experiment in variation.

Ammonite no.32 with the zinc etching plate on the right   ©2016Lisa Le Quelenec

Whilst 100 variations did at first feel like a huge undertaking I was soon caught up in the excitement of the project and felt the pressure of time running out by the time that I was getting to the last 30 or so.

Ammonite   photograph   ©2016Lisa Le Quelenec

As I worked I was thinking about the parallels of fossil hunting, choosing a rock, splitting it open to reveal the fossil, not knowing for sure what would be revealed - the excitement and anticipation at finding a perfect specimen. All similarities with each stage of making a print. Experience makes the result more predictable but there will always be an element of surprise when the paper is pulled back to reveal the image. I think this is why I have fallen in love with printmaking and there will be much more in my future.

To view the exhibition click on the tab at the top or click on the link

100 Ammonites Exhibition 

I hope that you enjoy visiting the 'exhibition' and looking at how the image evolved.

The prints are available at seasidestudiosuk on Etsy.

Cards, notebooks and accessories of selected prints are available at Redbubble here.

A catalogue for the exhibition of all 100 prints is available from blurb here;

 100 ammonites Etching and mixed media in a variable edition

 

100 ammonites virtual exhibition - a sneaky peek!

Exhibition opens 6th April 2017....

100 ammonites project a sneaky peek ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

I hope you will join me here next week.

Save the date!

A virtual exhibition of etchings by Lisa Le Quelenec

A trip to Jersey

Snaps from a quick break in Jersey   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

There is nothing like taking a break from a big project and coming back refreshed. A quick trip to Jersey has done this for me and now I am ready for the home run of finishing up the loose ends. I can't wait to share this one with you.

I have competition for finding treasure on the beach now as someone has started his own collection ;o)  . New wellies were put to the test as we explored the rockpools at Green Island finding shrimp, crabs, a blenny and tickling sea anenomes. Holes were dug, castles built and destroyed; shells, stones, seaglass and seaweed collected - that was just me.... I didn't do any sketching at all and only opened a sketchbook to press some seaweed inbetween the pages. As a result I have a lovely damp, beach smelling sketchbook - ah well inspiration takes many forms....

Now back to work.

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

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.