Wednesday 14 November 2012

Youngest son - Printmaker


Although youngest son is a Teacher of Special Needs pupils he is also a Printmaker. 
He has a studio at the bottom of his garden where he diligently works away making lino cuts and printing them off in limited editions during his spare time.
Recently he had a private view in a gallery along with three other printmakers.
Studio 
Each print takes several linocuts to achieve the different layers of colour, all of which have to be meticulously cut out in a negative format. 
Every layer of colour takes time and care and has to hang on a line to dry.
Kerry Coastline
Gannets on "The Skelligs"
Obviously his linocuts feature extensively on our walls including these two views from southern Ireland. They are going to be included in a book called Irish Landscapes, he still has two more to do.
A collage of some linocut illustrations that were used to illustrate an Aesop's Fable of The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass. The book had 16 illustrations plus one each on the front and back cover. It was printed on handmade paper in a limited edition by a private press a short while ago.

64 comments:

  1. Sensational work, I especially like the two Irish landscapes. They remind me of the old railway posters that I love so much.
    Jean x

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    1. Hello Jean - glad you enjoyed seeing them. You are right about the Irish landscapes I had not noticed before. I have done a post on old railway posters, but it is tucked away at the moment in drafts waiting for a rainy day.

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  2. Hello Rosemary, We are not surprised that your son should prove to be an accomplished artist in a medium that moreover requires such meticulous care. He also has great talent as a colorist, which is especially apparent when looking at the wall of linocuts.

    I love they way he combines love of nature and close observation with a touch of humor, again reminscent of someone we know.

    I especially like his tree branches, and never before realized the relationship between the silhouette-like nature of linoleum cuts and that of wrought iron. Your son should consider a foray into that field.

    One of my favorites is the trees with the yellow background. The geometric pattern of the branches reminds me of the Chinese cracked ice pattern.

    --Road to Parnassus


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    1. Dear Jim - youngest son has always been able to draw ever since he was very small and first picked up a pencil. He never copies anything, it all comes from his imagination. Generally people tend not to realise how much work goes into producing a linocut print, the linocut itself is a little work of art and quite sculptural.
      Glad you enjoyed seeing them

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  3. A steady and controlled hand is necessary for such beautiful craftmanship Rosemary, creativity runs in the family I see. My favourites are the magpies on the nest, of course and the gannets on "The Skelligs", the little white gannets on the rock formations are a superb detail.

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    1. The Skelligs is one of my favourites too, and I have a copy of it sitting on my walls in the breakfast room. Thanks for your kind comment Paul.

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  4. Dearest Rosemary,
    How absolutely wonderful of you to share these incredibly fantastic art designs of your son's. They are stunning. One can see how many hours he has put into these excellent designs. I love them.
    Congratulations Rosemary on having such a talented son, and teacher of special needs too. Its amazing he finds time to do it all.
    Please give him my best wishes for the upcoming exhibit.
    val

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    1. Dear Val - I do not know how he finds the time either. His job is very demanding, as you will probably realise. He also has three children. He, his wife and the young ones are all very creative, and get lots of use out of their studio.
      Thanks about the exhibition, it was actually at the end of October, he did very well, and was pleased.

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  5. Dear Rosemary
    You must be very proud of the talent and work of your son.Great work, I do not know about it, but I think that needs patience, imagination and creativity.Thank you for sharing this !
    Have a nice day !

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    1. Thank you Olympia - you are right it does take a lot of patience and time to create the linocuts. Glad enjoyed seeing them.

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  6. Wow, such beautiful prints. His prints are so colourful and creative. I like his prints of the birds. It is always nice to learn about new artists. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Dear Pamela - the bird prints have proved to be popular, my favourites are actually the Irish landscapes. Thank you for your kind comments.

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  7. Dear Rosemary! What great works of art you are showing here! I love your son's linocuts. If I had to pic a favorite or two, I could not! His magpies are very good, and the cat on the branch, so very accurately captured, it looks like a panther..
    The last ones, from Aesop's fables, are those his work too? They look so different tecnically! I want to ask Santa for a copy for Christmas! Do you know if where get hold of a copy, and how much it would cost? Just to help Santa, I mean..
    Have you read my post about Gretna Green? I am a bit naughty about you Englishmen, and Scots, there, but do not take it personally. And have you made a comment on my blog lottery post? Do not miss it!

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    1. Oh, how sad! I really, really would have loved to have a copy! I am so very fond of fairytales, fables, and childrens books by great artists and illustrators. I am still bying, and now, happily, I have a grandchild too...

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    2. Dear Lise - yes the Aesop's Fables are also his work, and are linocuts too. They are much reduced in size because I made them into a collage. It is very generous of you to say you are interested in buying a copy, but in fact the book was limited to an edition of 160 copies which all sold out within the first few weeks.
      I will have a look at your blog now.

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    3. We were shocked at how quickly they sold. Never too old to enjoy a fairy tale.

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  8. Dear Rosemary,

    These are wonderful prints. Your son is very skilled. Thank you for showing us some examples of his work.

    If I had to chose I think that I would pick the magpies on the nest, and the Kerry coastline. But having said that the winter trees with a pale blue sky is rather nice.

    Kirk

    PS
    My lino cutting days finished at school when I ran the chisel into my finger...

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    1. Dear Kirk - my own favourites are the Irish landscapes. However, there is such a lot of detail in the Aesop's Fable that I enjoy looking at. I had to reduce them right down in size to make the collage.
      Yes, I think perhaps lino cutting can be rather hazardous if you are not careful, as the tools need to be very sharp.
      Thanks for your lovely comments.

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  9. Dear Rosemary, No wonder your son needs no samples to work from. You have introduced him to so many parts of the world. That combined with his considerable talent makes for excellence and originality. ox, Gina

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    1. Dear Gina - drawing is something that he has always been able to do. I remember the first day he came home from school, and was shocked at the other pupils work. He said that they drew people like balloons with sticks for arms and legs!!!

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  10. Hello Rosemary:
    What a talent your son has. These prints are truly stunning, such a wonderfully bold use of colour in the Irish landscapes and an incredible attention to detail in the monochromatic Aesop prints. He must have the patience of Job and tremendous skill, just a tiny error and disaster can result.

    We are reminded of the work by John Tavener which we were introduced to by a friend and which we have seen for sale at a gallery in Eastbourne. Your son's prints, particularly the Irish Landscapes, seem to echo his in style.

    We shall be away in watery Venice for a little while and so may be absent for a few days. We shall catch up on our return.

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    1. Dear Jane and Lance - I have just been looking up the work of John Tavener on the internet, but could only find a Robert Tavener showing in Eastbourne, is that perhaps who you were talking about? I certainly like his work. His style seems to reflect that of Eric Ravilious, a favourite of mine, who also came from Eastbourne.
      Have another great stay in Venice, I am sure that the waters will have subsided by now, I think the flooding was caused by a particularly high tide.

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  11. I'm getting shivers of excitement at the thought of your son's craftmanship! Such a lost art and so dismissed today with everything computers can do. But I believe nothing can replace thought, time, touch and vision; your son has layered these and more into each of his prints. He has a wonderful sense of colour and composition as well as storytelling. Congratulations!

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    1. Dear Rosemary - thank you very much for such a kind remark. It is quite interesting to watch how his style changes depending on what he is doing. Nothing can replace things that we make ourselves or the satisfaction gained from doing so.

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  12. Dear Rosemary,

    Thank you for sharing your son's prints and talent. He is a fine artist, or should I say Fine Artist! I can't possibly choose a favorite, but I like them all for their strong graphic quality, for the color combinations, and for the tight compositions — they make a wonderful grouping. I am enjoying lingering over these designs and taking in the details, like the fox's red highlight. The Aesop's illustrations are classics. Wonderful.

    I'm also impressed with that handsome studio!

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    1. Dear Mark - thank you very much I value your opinion greatly.
      The family had the studio built at the bottom of the garden about two years ago, and it has made a huge difference to all of them. They can wander down the garden away from domesticity and work away to their hearts content. His wife teaches art to young pupils and also runs lunch and after school art clubs which are very popular. She can prepare her work peacefully in the studio.

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  13. Dear Rosemary,your son has a very nice talent! Such beautiful prints. His prints are with beautiful colors! I like his prints of the birds.But those with the Irish lanscapes are my favourites! Thank you for sharing!
    Dimi..

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    1. I like the Irish landscapes too Dimi - thanks for your visit and glad you enjoyed them.

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  14. Those prints are stupendous, Rosemary! Your youngest somn has a huge talent. I love them and would happily hang any of them on my walls. You must be so proud of him.

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    1. That is a very kind comment Perpetua - thank you very much - I hope that my son will have a look at the blog and see what people have said.

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  15. As Perpetua (and others) said the prints are wonderful - I also admire his nice neat studio.

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    1. Thanks Susan - the studio does look very tidy and organised doesn't it. I think that they were getting it ready for an open studio weekend.

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  16. Your son is very talented those pictures are so lovely I couldn't choose a favourite as they are all so good. Does he get his artistic talent from you?
    Sarah x

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    1. Dear Sarah - it is just something he has always been able to do from being very small.

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  17. Hi, Rosemary - Your son is very talented and, has quite the eye! I really love ALL his prints. The ones with the silhouette of bare trees are really graphic and striking.

    Does he have a website?

    Has he been featured in Country Living magazine? CL is quite good at promoting UK artisans and their handmade crafts, art, food, etc.

    I really enjoyed learning about the print making process. Perhaps you might interview him in a future post.

    Cheers from chilly DC ~ Loi

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    1. He doesn't have a website at the moment, but does intend doing one in the future. I know that they take CL, perhaps he should think about getting in touch with them.
      Thanks Loi for the tips, and glad you enjoyed seeing the prints.
      Still unusually mild here, and the leaves are still lingering on the trees because the air is so still.

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  18. Linocuts in different colours must take a lot of time to make. My oldest son is all into drawing and art and has been in art school(saturday) ever since he started school really. He once had the chance to make a linocut as well. A person came to demonstrate it to the students. I recognize the machine your son works with from the description my son gave of it. He was very enthousiastic about the method and the little linocut he made has been framed and has been standing on his bookshelf for years now.
    Your son is very talented. The multicoloured linocuts are so beautiful, as are the very detailed illustrations for the fable. Love the wall with all the different framed linocuts on it as well.
    Bye,
    Marian

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    1. Dear Marian - if your son enjoyed doing linocuts, it is the sort of thing he can easily take up again. Before he had his studio my son used to work in the corner of the kitchen. You can do it with very little equipment, my son has not always had the proper press, but was still able to make the prints. He just needs the lino, cutting tools, printing ink, a roller and paper.
      Hope he will give it a try.
      Thank you for your kind comment.

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  19. It was so lovely to see N's recent linocuts. They are all wonderful. We feel very priviledged to have one of the Ireland landscapes on our wall. Well done N!!
    Your posts are always interesting & creative. I enjoy each & every one. Well done you!!!
    Carolyn from Canada

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    1. Dear Carolyn - a treat to hear from you and thank you very much for your kind comments.
      I see you have managed to get your little icon to show now.
      Let me know your news♥

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  20. I'm totally impressed with the prints crafted by your youngest son. They are astounding works of art. My favourites are the the Skelligs with the numerous seagulls, the squirels scampering on bare branches, the hare rustling through the wheat field, the wolf on the prowl, Aesop's fables (so much detail); in fact, all of them.

    Besides being so talented, he must have a sensitive nature to be in his line of work where patience, love and empathy is required in loads.

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    1. Thank you very much Stiletto for your very kind comments. I probably should not say it, but I will. He is an excellent teacher with his very demanding pupils, and they respond to him positively. He designs computer based art work to help other special needs teachers, as well as his own pupils.

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  21. Your son is very talented. It must be a great creative outlet for him too. I have a cousin who does similar work for sale and also teaches art at Uni.

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    1. Thank you Karen - may be your cousin would let you show some of their work? it would be interesting to see it.

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  22. Dear Rosemary,
    Thank you for sharing your son's fantastic work! He is indeed amazingly talented, and I'm sure you must be so proud of him. This post was such a treat to see not only for the finished prints, which are beautifully composed and executed (my favorites; the squirrel and the gannets), but also for the "in progress" images, which are so interesting as well. It is so rewarding to have art as a part of one's life, and I'm sure that this will be an important part of your son's life for many years to come. I look forward to seeing more of his work: perhaps a special edition for your many readers?????!!!!
    Thanks again and warm regards,
    Erika

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    1. Dear Erika - thank you for your very kind remarks. At the moment he has a book in the pipeline which he has done with his brother. It is rather nice that they have done something together. The book features eldest son's poems illustrated by youngest son's linocuts. We are looking forward to seeing the finished article.

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  23. You must be very proud, your son's craftsmanship is stunning Rosemary.

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  24. Really beautiful prints, Rosemary. I'm sure this must be the son who is the Mark Hearld fan. Having creative & artistic talent is a wonderful gift.

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    1. Spot on Nilly - he is fond of Angie Lewin as well. I think that you are right, it must be very satisfying to be able to create images people enjoy.

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  25. Like it, very creative.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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    1. Greetings to you too Filip, and glad you liked the prints.

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  26. Wonderful work by your son, never have I seen it before...hope all goes well for him.

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  27. Oh my goodness I am totally in awe, they are amazing!! Hubby and I have just looked through them a few times and it was a case of wow, wow and even bigger WOW! My niece teaches special needs although she now has a new job working with the eldery who have dementia, trying to help them through art. So very similar to your son with teaching and art. Suzy x

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    1. Dear Suzy and Hubby - thank you very much, and so pleased that you enjoyed seeing them.
      My son teaches at a Special Needs School. Most Special Needs Schools, as I am sure you are aware, were closed down and the pupils were integrated into local schools. His school, is a Beacon School for special needs, as the pupils there could not be placed in local schools. It is a demanding job but he is wonderful with them, and they are very attached to him.

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  28. Hello dear Rosemary!
    I tok a look at your post the other day but never find the time to leave a comment ( well, not before now that is)
    I find your sons work exquisite and I get a lot of inspiration from it.
    Linocuts is hard work and takes time and lots of patient. I look up to him!
    (I understand the reasons you don't want the name on your blog but on the other hand I would love to know the artists full name)

    A very talented man! You must be proud : )

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    1. Dear Demie - what a very generous comment you have made, which I appreciate greatly. You of all people know how much work goes into creating a linocut - it takes a both lot of time and work.
      He is hoping to create a website in the future. I was going to send you his name but could not find an email address on your blog.

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  29. Thanks Mum for your post, and thanks everyone for your generous comments. They are appreciated and very encouraging.

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    1. Yes, I agree, some very kind and generous comments - thanks

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  30. thanks for showing us the beautiful work of your son dear Rosemary, how very amazing...I like a lot the pic of the works framed+hanging on the wall too:-)happy weekend from tulipland!

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    1. Dear Jana - thank you very much, and so pleased that you enjoyed seeing his work.

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