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Carborundum Prints

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Carborundum is a powdered mineral which can be mixed with glue to form a paste. Several tones can be mixed by adding more or less glue. This paste can then be painted onto a clean de-greased aluminium or plastic plate. Lines can be drawn or scraped back into the carborundum. This is a very fast and painterly way to make a plate. Once the glue is dry the plate can be inked up and run through an etching press with damp paper. This process allows one to work on a large scale as aluminium is inexpensive and also portable being lightweight. I frequently take large aluminium plates outdoors and work on them en plein air.

'Lemon Tree' carborundum diptych

Apple , Belle de Boskoo

Detail of 'Apple Belle de Boskoop', carborundum print.

                              

                                      Inspiration

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My work is about the changeable and fluid state of the natural world, a sense of place and the patterns found in natural forms. I work outdoors directly from nature whenever possible as I feel it gives a particular dynamism or energy and focus to the end Result. I am interested in the peculiarities of a particular plant or tree and how it emerges from the earth and the environment it grows in. How particular plants may interact with each other and their environment. The imperfections of how a particular branch or stem may grow as well as the perfection of a flower in bloom or a tree in fruit.  For many of us who live in cities we are divorced from the sense of wonder the natural world can elicit. I believe this is something many of us wish to reconnect with.

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