October 12 – November 27 2022
The print works on display were produced under Covid lockdown and in a domestic circumstance. Open access studios at the time were closed along with material suppliers and any public studios of any type. Across London artist printmakers were trapped in their individual houses or ‘home studios’ if available. Finding materials became a matter of commuter searches and waiting for deliveries. All this limited means and space, simple problems like space for drying work became major issues. All artists were returned to basic means and methods for the production of work.
Many artists took their iPads amassing sketches and ideas – I took to the more familiar ground of sketch books which have always been the support of my work and ideas. Many of the lines of thought for the works came from these investigations. I had also ended my teaching career after three decades and retired into this restrictive time. I was also dropped into shielding – anyone of an elder age with underlying conditions were required to stop at home and not mix with others to cut the rate of infection and the need for hospital care. Fortunately the fast development of vaccines and their deployment did open up the situation, but the different variants still ruled the access and limits of what could be done.
The Arts particularly suffered with shows by appointment and restrictions on numbers indoors. Things did slowly open up, but many organisations and studios have permanently closed on the way to this point.
Three particular themes have informed this work – Human Traffic, The Natural World and Modern Technological War became subjects that grew in meaning and affect during the production of the work. Drones, a basic unmanned aerial torpedo whose history extends back to the ‘Kettering Bug’ of the late years of World War One, and Afghan Baghlan Rugs (War Rugs) were a strong influence on Overflight and Human Traffic. Depressingly human attitudes towards the environment continue as a destructive war and every country and sea on earth can provide growing evidence of destruction, a source for Nature in the reflection of forms fast disappearing.
Any form or combination of print medium could constitute a work for Stephen. He chose print for the freedom and wide range of what is possible. Though he does edition traditional form print works, a series of varied prints or a single unique printed work have the same high value for him. The first question must be what is this work about? That may be the simple result of experimenting with particular print methods or a difficult process to achieve the form and ideas together through a print process or as a combination with other means. We live in complex times so printmaking as an activity reflects this and with what can be achieved with a mixture of traditional and the use of the new technologies, printmaking is far from a dying art. Bio at re-printmakers