One of the most fascinating aspects of collecting art is discovering the many different techniques used by artists to create pictures and in particular the methods used to create prints. By prints I don't mean the mass-produced reproductions of Van Gogh's and Monet's that adorn many a wall but those pictures that have been printed by the artist from their own design whether etched onto a metal plate, drawn onto a stone or carved from wood or lino.
Don't get me wrong reproductions have their place and it's right to see these wonderful paintings being replicated for a wide audience to get to know and appreciate and important that they are remembered and enjoyed by new generations of people for whom it will be their first introduction to art. But it is the craft of the artist as printer that is so captivating. That the picture you see in front of you started life with a piece of lino, stone or metal and has gone through a whole range of techniques to produce a work of art that is a revelation and one every bit as enthralling as the ceation of an oil or watercolour.
Indeed many artists known primarily for their painting from Rembrandt to Picasso have also produced prints. Sometimes the artist will work with somebody who is a printing specialist but for many they undertake the whole process from conception to the end product.
Usually the artist will produce a limited number of these prints, which makes them very collectable. The fewer in the edition the more sought after and valuable they are. Sometimes the edition can be as few as 10 or 25 but more often between 100 and 250. What is intriguing about these prints is that although they are printed from the same original piece, be it a plate or piece of wood, no two prints are exactly the same as each time ink is re-applied there can be a variation in the colour.
Joan Hodgkiss does her own printing from etching onto a metal plate and produces colourful pictures of landscapes, trees, bird and flowers influenced by her Suffolk surroundings. Her website gives a fascinating insight into the etching and printing process and can be found at www.joanhodgkiss.com We have a print of hers entitled Benacre from a print run of 50 she produced in 1983 that really depicts the intricacies and creativity of the natural world she portrays.
Another artist who was known for his printing was Stan Rosenthal who died in 2012. His work was characterised by wonderfully bright colours particularly of the South Wales and Sussex coastlines. He employed a number of printing techniques but the print we have is a screen print (or serigraph) of Porthgain Harbour in Pembrokeshire, South Wales from an edition of 250. A screen print uses a screen usually of silk or nylon through which ink is pushed onto the paper with stencils used to block out the ink. This can then be applied several times with different colours and stencils to build up the picture.
What we love about this picture is the vividness of the colours and the contrast this produces particularly of the sun soaked sky and blue sea.
The third example and another favourite again due to its vivid colours is Le Printemps a lithographic print by French artist Andre Minaux (1923-1986). Minaux was a renowned lithographer and this print is from an edition of 150 believed to be from the 1970's.
Lithography is a process where the artist draws an image on a flat stone or metal plate with a greasy or oily substance that the ink, when applied, will stick to whereas the other areas repel the ink.
Like the previous print we love this picture because of the striking colours that burst into the picture like the arrival of the Spring that it portrays.
Usually the artist will produce a limited number of these prints, which makes them very collectable. The fewer in the edition the more sought after and valuable they are. Sometimes the edition can be as few as 10 or 25 but more often between 100 and 250. What is intriguing about these prints is that although they are printed from the same original piece, be it a plate or piece of wood, no two prints are exactly the same as each time ink is re-applied there can be a variation in the colour.
Joan Hodgkiss does her own printing from etching onto a metal plate and produces colourful pictures of landscapes, trees, bird and flowers influenced by her Suffolk surroundings. Her website gives a fascinating insight into the etching and printing process and can be found at www.joanhodgkiss.com We have a print of hers entitled Benacre from a print run of 50 she produced in 1983 that really depicts the intricacies and creativity of the natural world she portrays.
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| Benacre by Joan Hodgkiss 1983 |
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| Porthgain Harbour by Stan Rosenthal |
The third example and another favourite again due to its vivid colours is Le Printemps a lithographic print by French artist Andre Minaux (1923-1986). Minaux was a renowned lithographer and this print is from an edition of 150 believed to be from the 1970's.
Lithography is a process where the artist draws an image on a flat stone or metal plate with a greasy or oily substance that the ink, when applied, will stick to whereas the other areas repel the ink.
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| Le Printemps by Andre Minaux |
Like the previous print we love this picture because of the striking colours that burst into the picture like the arrival of the Spring that it portrays.
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