Preamble
For your convenience I have listed below other posts featuring my prints on paper that has featured on this blogspot:
Made to Order
Unique State (Partners in Print)
Veiled Curtains
A Letter to a Friend
Beyond the Fear of Freedom
Travelling Solander Project
Star Series
Imprint
Cry for the Wilderness
Federation on Hold – Call Waiting
Wish You Were Where?
The Four Seasons
The Creation of Hurricane Katrina – The Disruptor
The Creation of ‘Whose Place? My Place, Your Space’
The ‘Vine Glow’ Series
Vine Glow - Series 2
Vine Glow - Series 3
‘Whose Church?’
‘A Journey Ends . . . Another Nightmare Begins’
Introduction
In 2019 the Newcastle Printmakers Workshop in Newcastle, NSW, Australia celebrate 40 years as the oldest community access printmaking workshop in Australia! A most significant event marking an important juncture in Australia’s printmaking history!
With a long history of exhibiting in Newcastle, the NPW decided to combine two significant historical exhibitions as inspiration for their 40/40 exhibition. These were called the Mini print (1985– 2014) and the Book print (1988-2006). The Mini print was traditionally made up of small framed prints exhibited in Newcastle and regional NSW. On the other hand, the Book print was an edition of 26 prints, bound into a large format book and so constituted a collector’s item. The 40/40 exhibition consists of 28 x 28 cm framed prints, along with a series of artist books containing the prints (mini print and book print combined). The 40/40 exhibition will also tour throughout Australia in the future.
Forty current and past NPW printmakers were engaged and selected to celebrate this 40 year milestone anniversary. Each participating artist was randomly assigned a year that spanned the history of the workshop in order as a base for their art concept. Works could focus on global, local or personal interpretations. Each printmaker created an edition of 12 prints with a maximum print size of 28 x 28 cm.
My given year was 2005 and I based my art print on the fruits of my research which centered on the devastating effects that Hurricane Katrina caused on the City of New Orleans. My print, ‘Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor’, along with 39 other exceptional prints will be exhibited at the 2019 ’40/40’ NPW celebratory anniversary exhibition at Art Systems Wickham Gallery, Newcastle, NSW, between the 8th to the 24th November 2019. Hope to see you there!
Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor
Before I start on any print project my golden rule is to do an extensive amount of research on the topic.
Research on Hurricane Katrina was easily gleaned via multiple sources on the internet, from books and documentaries. Whilst I gutted libraries and other warehouses of information, I also focused on what media and design I should employ. That is, a synergic relationship between information gained from research and the form or design of the print that works for me.
Numerous images were sourced and/or sketched that concentrated on various visual and cultural associations with the City of New Orleans. Having visited New Orleans the previous year of the hurricane, I also had an extensive personal portfolio of photographs, which I could reference. Printmaking tools were then created employing the numerous images.
After creating three very different proofs/versions of prints containing various combinations of design elements, I finally settled on the third proof/version. This printed proof featured all of the design elements that I felt captured the visual aesthetic that I wanted to encapsulate in my print edition. The following images and text give you an insight into the processes that were employed to create my multi-layered print ‘Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor’.
Artist Statement: Hurricane Katrina – The Disruptor
As the world’s population is spiralling out of control, the number of sources for greenhouse gas emissions will increase (e.g. power usage) and the number of sinks for greenhouse gas capture will decrease (e.g. land clearage). Scientific studies suggest that the strength of hurricanes have increased in intensity due to climate change.
Hurricane Katrina (category 5) hit New Orleans in August 2005 and killed an estimated 1,833 people. Millions of people were left homeless and it’s estimated cost was US$161 billion. It took 14 years to rebuild New Orleans, although work is still in progress.
Technique and Media
Silkscreened, stencilled, stamped and mono printed employing glazes, transparent, opaque and metallic pigments on Stonehenge stock.
Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor
Steps and layers involved in creating the limited edition print.
The following images and text give you an insight into the processes that were employed to create my multi-layered print ‘Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor’.
The first series of printed images consisted of the following five layers as can be seen in the above example:
1. An initial mono printed layer printed in a metallic black glaze as a textured background.
2. Screen printed images in mid metallic black of a building in the New Orleans French Quarter.
3. Screen printed images in white of New Orleans jazz musicians playing their instruments.
4. Stenciled shapes overprinted in white to add depth to the images of the jazz musicians.
5. Screen printed images in gold of French Quarter ironwork used in fencing, balconies, gates and door insets.
The second series of printed images consisted of the following overprinted six layers as can be seen in the above example:
6. Screen printed images in white of the swirling hurricane viewed from above.
7. Stamped images in blue of water references.
8. Stamped images in blue of habitat loss references.
9. Stamped images in blue of communication disruption references.
10. Stamped images in blue of rising water/flooding references.
11. Areas overprinted in white indicating the strength of winds as the storm surge moves onto land.
The third series of printed images consisted of the following overprinted three layers as can be seen in the above example:
12. Screen printed images in metallic black referencing uprooted leafless trees.
13. Screen printed image in terracotta of the year ‘2005’ when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.
14. Screen printed image in white of the extensive rainfall that Hurricane Katrina brought together with the storm surges over the ‘05’ section of the print.
The fourth series of printed images consisted of the following overprinted two layers as can be seen in the above example:
15. Screen printed images in white of deconstructed musical notes.
16. Screen printed images in apricot referencing scrawled graffiti messages.
The fifth series of printed images consisted of the following overprinted four layers as can be seen in the above example:
17. Screen printed images in a heavier white pigment of deconstructed musical notes.
18. Screen printed images in apricot of the swirling hurricane viewed from above.
19. Screen printed images in terracotta of strewn twigs/branches.
20. Screen printed image in gold of the City of New Orleans logo.
The sixth series of printed images consisted of the following overprinted four layers as can be seen in the above example:
21. Screen printed images in pale teal of deconstructed New Orleans jazz musicians with small musical notes floating above them.
22. Screen printed images in metallic black of swirling leaves.
23. Screen printed images in blue of swirling leaves.
24. Screen printed image in blue of words painted on the rooftop of a home informing the helicopter rescue service of how many people and animals needed to be rescued.
Note: With the exception of one area of the print, all of the design and color elements that captured the visual aesthetic that I wanted to encapsulate, balanced. The swirling metallic black leaves were too dark with the visual ‘weight’ of the leaves dominating and forcing the eye to the top left corner rather than moving around the print.
The seventh proof print in the series extended the swirling metallic black leaves from the left corner to the central area of the print but again the swirling metallic black leaves were too dark with the visual ‘weight’ and position of the leaves dominating and forcing the eye to the top left corner/central area thereby not allowing the eye to move around the print.
The image of the final print.
In the final version of the print, the swirling leaves were printed in a pale metallic black glaze and re-positioned so that the visual ‘weight’ of the leaves did not dominate thereby allowing the eye to move around the print and allowing the viewer to explore the various elements that give the print its multi-layered levels of depth.
I hope this gives you an insight in what I do as a printmaker in order to birth a final print from an imagined work. Hence, you can see for me its a dynamic rather than a static process. I hope you have enjoyed the insight into my printmaking process!
For your convenience I have listed below other posts featuring my prints on paper that has featured on this blogspot:
Made to Order
Unique State (Partners in Print)
Veiled Curtains
A Letter to a Friend
Beyond the Fear of Freedom
Travelling Solander Project
Star Series
Imprint
Cry for the Wilderness
Federation on Hold – Call Waiting
Wish You Were Where?
The Four Seasons
The Creation of Hurricane Katrina – The Disruptor
The Creation of ‘Whose Place? My Place, Your Space’
The ‘Vine Glow’ Series
Vine Glow - Series 2
Vine Glow - Series 3
‘Whose Church?’
‘A Journey Ends . . . Another Nightmare Begins’
Introduction
In 2019 the Newcastle Printmakers Workshop in Newcastle, NSW, Australia celebrate 40 years as the oldest community access printmaking workshop in Australia! A most significant event marking an important juncture in Australia’s printmaking history!
With a long history of exhibiting in Newcastle, the NPW decided to combine two significant historical exhibitions as inspiration for their 40/40 exhibition. These were called the Mini print (1985– 2014) and the Book print (1988-2006). The Mini print was traditionally made up of small framed prints exhibited in Newcastle and regional NSW. On the other hand, the Book print was an edition of 26 prints, bound into a large format book and so constituted a collector’s item. The 40/40 exhibition consists of 28 x 28 cm framed prints, along with a series of artist books containing the prints (mini print and book print combined). The 40/40 exhibition will also tour throughout Australia in the future.
Forty current and past NPW printmakers were engaged and selected to celebrate this 40 year milestone anniversary. Each participating artist was randomly assigned a year that spanned the history of the workshop in order as a base for their art concept. Works could focus on global, local or personal interpretations. Each printmaker created an edition of 12 prints with a maximum print size of 28 x 28 cm.
My given year was 2005 and I based my art print on the fruits of my research which centered on the devastating effects that Hurricane Katrina caused on the City of New Orleans. My print, ‘Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor’, along with 39 other exceptional prints will be exhibited at the 2019 ’40/40’ NPW celebratory anniversary exhibition at Art Systems Wickham Gallery, Newcastle, NSW, between the 8th to the 24th November 2019. Hope to see you there!
Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor
Before I start on any print project my golden rule is to do an extensive amount of research on the topic.
Research on Hurricane Katrina was easily gleaned via multiple sources on the internet, from books and documentaries. Whilst I gutted libraries and other warehouses of information, I also focused on what media and design I should employ. That is, a synergic relationship between information gained from research and the form or design of the print that works for me.
Numerous images were sourced and/or sketched that concentrated on various visual and cultural associations with the City of New Orleans. Having visited New Orleans the previous year of the hurricane, I also had an extensive personal portfolio of photographs, which I could reference. Printmaking tools were then created employing the numerous images.
After creating three very different proofs/versions of prints containing various combinations of design elements, I finally settled on the third proof/version. This printed proof featured all of the design elements that I felt captured the visual aesthetic that I wanted to encapsulate in my print edition. The following images and text give you an insight into the processes that were employed to create my multi-layered print ‘Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor’.
Artist Statement: Hurricane Katrina – The Disruptor
As the world’s population is spiralling out of control, the number of sources for greenhouse gas emissions will increase (e.g. power usage) and the number of sinks for greenhouse gas capture will decrease (e.g. land clearage). Scientific studies suggest that the strength of hurricanes have increased in intensity due to climate change.
Hurricane Katrina (category 5) hit New Orleans in August 2005 and killed an estimated 1,833 people. Millions of people were left homeless and it’s estimated cost was US$161 billion. It took 14 years to rebuild New Orleans, although work is still in progress.
Technique and Media
Silkscreened, stencilled, stamped and mono printed employing glazes, transparent, opaque and metallic pigments on Stonehenge stock.
Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor
Steps and layers involved in creating the limited edition print.
The following images and text give you an insight into the processes that were employed to create my multi-layered print ‘Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor’.
1. An initial mono printed layer printed in a metallic black glaze as a textured background.
2. Screen printed images in mid metallic black of a building in the New Orleans French Quarter.
3. Screen printed images in white of New Orleans jazz musicians playing their instruments.
4. Stenciled shapes overprinted in white to add depth to the images of the jazz musicians.
5. Screen printed images in gold of French Quarter ironwork used in fencing, balconies, gates and door insets.
6. Screen printed images in white of the swirling hurricane viewed from above.
7. Stamped images in blue of water references.
8. Stamped images in blue of habitat loss references.
9. Stamped images in blue of communication disruption references.
10. Stamped images in blue of rising water/flooding references.
11. Areas overprinted in white indicating the strength of winds as the storm surge moves onto land.
12. Screen printed images in metallic black referencing uprooted leafless trees.
13. Screen printed image in terracotta of the year ‘2005’ when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.
14. Screen printed image in white of the extensive rainfall that Hurricane Katrina brought together with the storm surges over the ‘05’ section of the print.
15. Screen printed images in white of deconstructed musical notes.
16. Screen printed images in apricot referencing scrawled graffiti messages.
17. Screen printed images in a heavier white pigment of deconstructed musical notes.
18. Screen printed images in apricot of the swirling hurricane viewed from above.
19. Screen printed images in terracotta of strewn twigs/branches.
20. Screen printed image in gold of the City of New Orleans logo.
21. Screen printed images in pale teal of deconstructed New Orleans jazz musicians with small musical notes floating above them.
22. Screen printed images in metallic black of swirling leaves.
23. Screen printed images in blue of swirling leaves.
24. Screen printed image in blue of words painted on the rooftop of a home informing the helicopter rescue service of how many people and animals needed to be rescued.
Note: With the exception of one area of the print, all of the design and color elements that captured the visual aesthetic that I wanted to encapsulate, balanced. The swirling metallic black leaves were too dark with the visual ‘weight’ of the leaves dominating and forcing the eye to the top left corner rather than moving around the print.
In the final version of the print, the swirling leaves were printed in a pale metallic black glaze and re-positioned so that the visual ‘weight’ of the leaves did not dominate thereby allowing the eye to move around the print and allowing the viewer to explore the various elements that give the print its multi-layered levels of depth.
I hope this gives you an insight in what I do as a printmaker in order to birth a final print from an imagined work. Hence, you can see for me its a dynamic rather than a static process. I hope you have enjoyed the insight into my printmaking process!
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