Bridget Harris

So much more is visible when you look at the detail of this print from the plate, the leaf looks fragile , hand drawn and has a historical botanical feel about it, this was printed on paper , however I think being a textile practitioner  I should try this on linen or calico, then I need to see if the body of the leaf changes at all. I have done this in the past with lace and it has been very successful, first printing on cloth and then taking a negative, not only do you get the print of the object but also the weave of the cloth .

Having become the lucky owner of a secondhand Hawthorn Etching Press I have been experimenting this morning in my studio. Once I had set up the weight of the roller I got some random flowers, leaves and vintage lace, inked up the plate and off I went. After the first print I took off the elements and reprinted the plate causing a negative effect which can be seen in the second photo. This negative effect is really interesting and something I have been investigating with vintage lace when doing my Wednesdays at The Ropewalk  http://www.the-ropewalk.co.uk/ nts. Another interesting factor was how the sap and stamens from the leaves and flowers bled onto the paper thus causing natural dye. As the garden is coming into full bloom this may be the idea time to carry on with investigating this further. 

Print making and playing with order and position. Often I just use one piece of garment or lace to print with , here I am trying to get out of the habit and use a variety of different elements. The reason is to try and link these pieces with further work in some way. I like the difference between the ghostly images and then the block colour of the lace in the right hand corner,I'm not sure if I could now print and over print to get different textures and colours .

F ragments. A morning in my studio is rare during the school holidays. I felt like a child in a sweet shop, not really knowing what to do or where to start. I took some of the work I had been doing at the Ropewalk  https://www.the-ropewalk.co.uk/  and used this as a starting block.This is a very different concept to working for me as I normally do at least two sketchbooks full of art work etc before I even start to think about anything else. However as I am continuing with the Foundlings I could say alot of the ground work has already been done, this is more about developing my practice and incorporating new ideas.