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| Fields & Flowers, Kilkeaveragh reduction linocut by Teresa Newham |
Our recent trip to County Kerry generated so many ideas that I thought I should make a start on at least one of them. This reduction linocut is based on photos I took from our friends' living room window, and an Inktense pencil sketch I made of the same view.
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| source material: the sketch helped me see the potential © Teresa Newham |
I took some time over the design; the first draft was a little too graphic, and I altered the treatment of the clouds and the trees accordingly. I set out to print just three colours, the first two overlapping as little as possible, so as to speed up the drying.
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| getting it right: refining the design © Teresa Newham |
For the first time in ages I was using traditional lino instead of softcut, and I had to adjust my cutting technique accordingly. I soon got the hang of things again. It's much easier now that I use a cutting mat - made of carpet gripper - instead of a bench hook.
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| the three reduction cuts, from one plate © Teresa Newham |
I traced the design onto the lino using carbon paper, and inked it with a pen. After making a few prints I discovered that the pen was transferring to the prints. So I cut away the clouds rather than wiping them, to prevent the pen transferring onto any more.
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| troubleshooting the sky © Teresa Newham |
I'd forgotten to wash away as much of the ink and carbon as I could before printing, so I did that after I'd printed the blue. I used the prints where the pen was showing as trial runs for the green layers, to get the colours right - putting everything to good use!
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| the second printing: uneven marks add texture © Teresa Newham |
The result is a cheerful interpretation of the countryside around our friends' house on the Iveragh Peninsula. It's not one of the obvious views of mountains or the sea, but it has a charm all its own. And there will be more prints to come, I'm sure . . .
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| the finished print: only some will make it into the edition © Teresa Newham |
