Y Wraig
Limited variable edition linocut print (unframed)
6 cm x 9 cm printed area
Number of prints in the edition: 10
Y Wraig (which translates from the Welsh as The Wife) is based upon a photo of my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Williams (née Roberts), in which she is seen standing outside her house in Scotland Street, Llanrwst, alongside her husband and the youngest of their eleven children c. 1915. In my portrait, she stands alone.
The effect that I have aimed for in the portrait is achieved as much through the printing process as through the act of mark making. The marks are suggestive and drawn out by haloing the figure; the shadow is achieved at the printing stage by applying variable pressure with a small spoon across the back of the paper once it has been placed upon the cut block. The greater the pressure, the darker the impression, and by pressing only lightly in the area surrounding the figure a shadow forms. It is a challenging effect to achieve, particularly on a small block.
The prints in the edition are pressed to 250 gsm Somerset Satin paper which I have hand-torn to sheets measuring 12 x 16 centimetres. In one of the photos here, I have placed the sheet on a dark background such that you can see the shape of the sheet itself. Each print in the edition is signed, titled and numbered in pencil beneath the printed area. As the process used to create Y Wraig results in variation of tone, the number is followed by VE to denote variable edition, for example 1/10 VE.
Limited variable edition linocut print (unframed)
6 cm x 9 cm printed area
Number of prints in the edition: 10
Y Wraig (which translates from the Welsh as The Wife) is based upon a photo of my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Williams (née Roberts), in which she is seen standing outside her house in Scotland Street, Llanrwst, alongside her husband and the youngest of their eleven children c. 1915. In my portrait, she stands alone.
The effect that I have aimed for in the portrait is achieved as much through the printing process as through the act of mark making. The marks are suggestive and drawn out by haloing the figure; the shadow is achieved at the printing stage by applying variable pressure with a small spoon across the back of the paper once it has been placed upon the cut block. The greater the pressure, the darker the impression, and by pressing only lightly in the area surrounding the figure a shadow forms. It is a challenging effect to achieve, particularly on a small block.
The prints in the edition are pressed to 250 gsm Somerset Satin paper which I have hand-torn to sheets measuring 12 x 16 centimetres. In one of the photos here, I have placed the sheet on a dark background such that you can see the shape of the sheet itself. Each print in the edition is signed, titled and numbered in pencil beneath the printed area. As the process used to create Y Wraig results in variation of tone, the number is followed by VE to denote variable edition, for example 1/10 VE.
Limited variable edition linocut print (unframed)
6 cm x 9 cm printed area
Number of prints in the edition: 10
Y Wraig (which translates from the Welsh as The Wife) is based upon a photo of my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Williams (née Roberts), in which she is seen standing outside her house in Scotland Street, Llanrwst, alongside her husband and the youngest of their eleven children c. 1915. In my portrait, she stands alone.
The effect that I have aimed for in the portrait is achieved as much through the printing process as through the act of mark making. The marks are suggestive and drawn out by haloing the figure; the shadow is achieved at the printing stage by applying variable pressure with a small spoon across the back of the paper once it has been placed upon the cut block. The greater the pressure, the darker the impression, and by pressing only lightly in the area surrounding the figure a shadow forms. It is a challenging effect to achieve, particularly on a small block.
The prints in the edition are pressed to 250 gsm Somerset Satin paper which I have hand-torn to sheets measuring 12 x 16 centimetres. In one of the photos here, I have placed the sheet on a dark background such that you can see the shape of the sheet itself. Each print in the edition is signed, titled and numbered in pencil beneath the printed area. As the process used to create Y Wraig results in variation of tone, the number is followed by VE to denote variable edition, for example 1/10 VE.