Full description

This small abstract monotype is from a series playing with the idea of standing stones, although morphing here into something more like the ruins of Ancient Greece and Rome. It also I think owes something to the paintings of Howard Hodgkin.

I made it using a process called gel printing (sometimes gelli printing, but strictly speaking that is a trademark.) This uses a synthetic gel as a plate and standard acrylic paint so allowing prints to be made without the need for a press.

Paint is applied to the plate using rollers, brushes, my fingers or anything that will leave a mark. I sometimes use stencils or masks, which I make myself. I don't use commercial stencils so the end product is absolutely unique. After applying the paint, I create texture in the surface in various ways. I can draw into it, with a piece of card or a cotton bud. I can partially wipe it away creating various thicknesses of layer. Each tool leaves a distinctive mark in the paint which transfers to the paper. For a given image, I will do this several times, building up layers, each of which interacts with those already printed. Some of my larger pieces may have 20–30 layers, which also creates a distinctive physical texture.

The image here is 6" x 6" (15 cm x 15 cm) in a mount sized for a standard 10" x 10" (25 cm x 25 cm) frame. The mount is antique white and acid free.

The frame shown was software generated, for illustrative purposes only. I retain all copyright to the image.