Description
The Print
Only the finest materials were used to make this limited edition print, which I have produced myself. Both the paper (Somerset Enhanced Velvet) and the inks (Epson UltraChrome Pro) are of archival quality, meaning the print could last up to 400 years.
The Technique
I draw with Bic biros on raw linen canvas. To prepare the surface I lighten the canvas with a white oil paint wash. Once this is dry, I draw with the biro, as I would with pencil on paper. After the drawing is complete, it’s varnished (to fix the ink in place) and more white oil paint is used to add light and finalise the composition. The Bic ink is actually surprisingly versatile, in terms of its colour. If I want a blue tinge to the work I can smudge it, and a sepia tinge can be achieved by layering white oil paint over it. The paint interacts with the ink as it dries, changing the colour.
The Inspiration
There are a few moments in our lives when we witness such beauty that it takes our breath away and touches our souls. I have been fortunate enough to have had a few of these; one was turning the corner at the sun gate in Peru and seeing Machu Picchu laid out before us in the dawn light, another was in the cloud forests of Costa Rica and yet another came after labouring up steep paths, to the suitably called Lookout Rock, and emerging from the undergrowth to gaze over the cloud covered hills of Kelala. However, you don’t have to travel far for these moments and this piece was inspired by the stunning beauty of a local marina, witnessed after an early morning walk. The sun was just rising over the horizon turning the calm water and thick mists into an almost pure white mirrored world.
