Pebble Prints

Pebble Print:Beauty in Decay

The encounter between living and the dead is the source of the stories that we tell to make sense of being alive and to be that explorer at that moment is to be given back the power to tell those stories for yourself. We don’t want to be passive consumers of history with a capital H nether spoon-fed (Urban Decay)2011. These words have been taken from a book I have researched Beauty in decay compiled by RomanyWG words by Patrick Potter printed by Urbex. There are a series of these books and they are really beautiful images of Urban Decay, similar to Art instillations.

Close up of gold leaf detail.

While I was printing my lino prints I felt an affinity towards faded printed images maybe the third or 4^th print using the same lino with only one application of ink. I felt that the patina, warn away faded out effects were more compelling and relaxing. Similar to beach comber, bleached out effects created by natural weather giving a feeling of antiquity and nostalgic reverences.

Some of the work I achieved in my sketch book I felt was a bit predictable and even naff, so to find myself as far away as possible from this I have experimented with an historic look, adding a back story almost of hidden times gone by, a live cycle of age within a new print. Vintaging adding the power and allure of Urban decay. This somehow proves that society is not indestructible revealing narrative ,a life journey a reflection of life and death.

Aesthetics of Decay by Dylan Triggs explains in more detail the allure of Urban decay, seeing urban decay proves that society is a mutable process. Seeing our society from a perspective of the beyond.

Some photographers have said that old building have souls seeing nature reclaiming old buildings conquering what man has left behind in some way gives me hope that nature beauty can be re found resurrected from urban chaos. In the same way I wanted to remove a feeling of commercial expectation away from my prints and make them more like contemporary urban frescoes of the future.

Rebecca Bothory photograph : Orphans of Time Series

Rebecca Bathory photograph.

"Rebecca  Bathory first fell in love with decaying beauty of abandoned buildings when she photographed an abandoned school in 2012. This allure took her to 30 countries and over 500 locations, accumulating in a photographic series called Orphans of Time"

 (Jayden Simpson: http://petapixal.com2017)

This colour duck egg as a translucent quality.

 
The lino print of the pebble sketch lino cut is an refined version of the original which I think is a bit stayed, a really like the colour of the inks and creating a blue series of prints is a great idea. I may try and add some gilt in a more refined way and see what they look like.Possible use may be on tea towels for a kitchen. A surface design for a dinner mat. I combined it with a lino cut of sea gules which gives it more interest. The indigo colourway I really like its strong and bold. It would go with many colours within a lot of interior spaces.
Refined Pebble lino Print

Indigo colourway of refined pebble print.

Pebble and seagull lino print development.

The lino below is a two colour lino using two different linos to create a more 3D effect which is very much an interior fabric pattern choice. I can see this with other lino prints that are more figurative.This print is more of a secondary print to go with more dynamic imagery to match and contrast. Rather than a feature print that would stand alone its use would to blend with other fabrics.

2 colour lino print , evoking a hand finish artisan sketchy effect.

Hand cut Lino Print with gilt effect added by hand. This effect has added an historical hand made effect.

Lino print with a different effect using bronze gilt to create an ancient artifact feel.

Lino Print one colour ,agate effect patterna-ation with silver gilt.

Faded out print using less ink.

Mounted pebble print on Japanese paper.