Indigo

Monoprints mounted onto carved wood panels - Series made in Senegal, 2011/2012

XXXII - 2011

Woodcut print and monotype onto Shan Burmese paper, fabrics, metal plate collages - mounted on a carved wooden board.

14” x 40” - 35 x 76 cm

In private collection

XXXV - 2011

Diptych, woodcut print and monotype onto Shan Burmese paper, fabrics, metal plate collages - mounted on a carved wooden board.

1 panel - 4” x 20” - 10 x 50 cm

In private collection

Not available

XXVII - 2011

Woodcut print onto recycled paper, indigo dye, stitching - mounted on canvas.

23” x 33.5” - 58 x 85 cm

In private collection

XXXI - 2011

Diptych, woodcut print and monotype onto Shan Burmese paper, fabrics, metal plate collages - mounted on a carved wooden board.

1 panel - 14” x 30” - 35 x 76 cm

Available

XXIX - 2011

Diptyche - woodcut print and monotype onto Shan Burmese paper - mounted on canvas.

17.5” x 17.5” - 45 x 45 cm

Available

XXXVI - 2011

Indigo dye recycled paper and woodcut print mounted on canvas.

20” x 20” - 50 x 50 cm

In private collection

XXXIII - 2011

woodcut print and monotype onto Shan Burmese paper - mounted on carved wooden board.

5 panels - 9.5” x 75.5” - 25 x 194 cm

Available

XXVI - 2011

Woodcut print onto recycled paper, indigo dye, stitching - mounted on canvas.

23” x 33.5” - 58 x 85 cm

In private collection

Indigo is a colour that has importance for so many cultures, covering huge geographical areas. Indigo is the starting point for the colours in this series – that move from different shades and nuances of indigo, to the colours of the earth and of rust.

I explored the use of indigo in textiles from Burma to West Africa.

Inspired also by the beauty and geometric shapes of Kuba textiles from DRC, but never trying to mimic the fabric exactly, I have superimposed reflections of the textiles to create abstract pieces. Sometimes the work is made up of other pieces, connected together in a patchwork to form a whole.

The patchworks can also suggest the metal doors, roofs, and walls that we see around us all the time in West Africa.

Much of the work is printed from wood engraving. The work is laborious and physical. Concerned more about the result than the technique, I experiment and improvise. Working on sheets of wood, I engrave using small metal sculptor’s tools.

I prints by hand onto handmade local paper or onto material, producing a unique piece of art each time.

In some of these pieces the engraved wood is used in the art, rather than being used to print a series of works.

This time-consuming approach gives a bas relief effect and a unique piece of art, reflecting the individual work that goes into the embroidery of the textiles.