High Cup Nick - a collagraph

On the way back down from High Cup Nick there was a lovely group of trees in a very typical limestone landscape. With simple curved lines in the landscape they make the ideal subject for a collagraph print. I've only printed in one colour as I'm trying to develop a few images for this week's collagraph course...I'll experiment with more colour when I have time.

The view...

Converting the image into grayscale and increasing the contrast simplifies the design....

The image is transferred in reverse and the surface of the mount board cut away...

Areas of sandpaper and carborundum powder were added....

The plate was sealed with aluminium foil (thin and sticky backed) ...

..and printed onto damp paper intaglio style.

Buttermere on a damp day

With high winds forecast at home a walk on the beach didn't seem the best of ideas and the winds were supposed to be significantly weaker at Buttermere, so round the lake it was .....breezy and 'fresh'. Damp so the camera wasn't out as much as I'd have liked and an odd light....good out be out though! 

Views.

Goosander and dipper.

Plenty of water running off the fells today...

The obligatory Herdie! 

Ardnave point collagraph, Islay

A rather short post, but here is the coloured version of my earlier collagraph with the source photo beneath it. I can't wait to get back there later this month - somehow I don't think there'll be quite such a blue sky, but it has to be one of my favourite walks! Click here for photographs of the printing block and process.

Derwent Water oil painting

Following our damp walk around Derwentwater last weekend click here I wanted to do an atmospheric oil painting ...the only problem ..there wasn't much to see! However, here's my interpretation of Castle Crag, which has just sold! Now to do another similar one!

The view....

The painting.

Northern Fells lino cutting course

..another successful morning with many of us getting to grips with the reduction / suicide method. We'll be continuing with those that aren't finished at another session. ....and there was one that I seemed to have missed photographing in the rush at the end ...another lovely reduction linocut of a view.

A busy session with plenty of tea and coffee required! 

A fellside reduction.

Simple but effective.

Love these delicate snowdrops! 

The beginnings of an ambitious reduction lino! 

Something fishy! 

The beginnings of a reduction lino cut....

Tom Garner: Fused glass by-the -wind sailor!

During our travels we have occasionally found by-the-wind-sailors Click here and here and here and ...here...for example! They are quite beautiful when fresh and Tom took them as an inspiration, for what I think, is a brilliant piece of glass work! When freshly washed up they have a lovely blue fringe which in the glass work was blue frit. The 'sail' locks into the 'foot' of the glass work. Now to find a beach to float it in the edge of the sea!

The by-the-wind-sailor...and below.

The glass interpretation....and below.

Derwentwater round walk

Not a forecast for the tops today, so round Derwentwater it was. Plenty of drizzle and low cloud - atmospheric, but unfortunately too damp to photograph at the Mansty boardwalk end.

Male goldeneye.

Female goldeneye.

Luxuriant mosses and liverworts.

Looking back towards Walla Crag and to the cloud on Skiddaw.