Sophie Holliday

Today I used the press in college to produce some collagraph prints, with the latex moulds, using oil based inks. It was trial and error adjusting the press to the correct pressure to give an even print.

Decided to make a set of mono prints using latex moulds from the plaster casts. I spread the liquid latex using a paintbrush over the plaster casts - if you are going to do this, make sure you use an old paintbrush. This is what it did to mine... It is now a fan brush. 😲 I backed the latex mould onto thick card and rolled out a layer of water based ink onto a gel printing plate. After pressing the latex moulds into the ink and removing them, I took a print. These are the results. I like the outlined impression that the raised parts of the mould gave - it almost looks like an x-ray.  I am going to try another technique to see if I can achieve more detail by using a press.

As the plaster cast I created in Mousehole wasn't very successful, I used the objects I collected from the beach to produce a set of smaller casts at college. Rolled out the clay to the size of a large matchbox and pressed in the beach finds to create an impression. Then, filled the boxes with plaster and produced a small set of casts. I like the tactile quality to the casts. I think that I will develop these further to see what other pieces I can produce using these patterns. I created a set of shallow clay forms so that I could produce a paper graphite rubbing. Although the impression were not as deep as my originals, the detail within the shells was still difficult to capture.

Inspired by Jessica Warboys's exhibition at the Tate St Ives, I decided to experiment with creating my own sea canvases in Mousehole harbour. I used the sea, sand and rocks to move the pigment across the canvas, allowing the land to create impressions. This was my first experience creating a large artwork in a public place and a group of women walking by asked why I was washing my bed sheets in the sea...😄 Then left it to dry across the rocks in the sun. I enjoyed the process and completed two canvases, I was surprised by the intensity of the colours and the rough texture added by the sand.

Visited the Jackson Foundation today to have a look at his Obsession – Following the Surfer  paintings. His current exhibition is  Bees (and the odd wasp) in My Bonnet . I liked the variety of mediums that Jackson used including film, sculpture, painting and print making.  I purchased a signed copy of his book  OBSESSION: Following the Surfer . The book offers many interesting images of his works that capture different atmospheres of the Cornish coast.

Well... Today was a bit of a disaster. I wanted to find a way to capture textures and objects so decided to experiment with plaster casting. After cutting out the base of a plastic food container, I pushed it into the sand and pressed seaweed, a chain and stone into the sand to create an impression. I struggled to mix the plaster quick enough as it began to set before I poured it into the container. Not sure if it was because I used sea water! The sand didn't create as interesting forms as I thought it would - some of the detail was lost.  Final result - not as expected. I like how some of the sand remained on the plaster however the overall cast was not as defined an impression as I would have liked.

I returned to Mousehole harbour a couple of days later to remove the canvas from the chain. Some subtle marks were created that I like, however I think I need to leave the objects wrapped up in canvas for a longer length of time.

Visited the Tate St Ives where Jessica Warboys's exhibition ' The Studio and The Sea ' is currently being exhibited. A variety of her different works were on display. I was most interested by her large scale 'Sea Paintings' which were presented along the gallery wall, facing out to sea - it was the perfect setting to view the work. 

I have noticed many of the textured surfaces around Mousehole and really liked the shape and colour of the harbour wall. Initially I used paper and graphite to create a rubbing. However, this technique didn't capture the texture of the wall as well as I wanted. I decided to use a piece of canvas vertically pinned to the wall. As it was a windy day I had to fill a cardboard tube with sand and attach it to the bottom of the canvas. Using a sponge roller and acrylic paint, allowed me to produce a large scale rubbing, highlighting the colours and textures. To finish, I added black paint to show the gaps between the granite blocks.

I placed found objects, including seaweed, stones, shells and sand inside a piece of canvas. I then sprayed the canvas with vinegar and tea, wrapped it around the boat mooring chain and covered it with seaweed which was attached onto an adjacent rope. I am hoping to keep it out of view of the public as I want to leave it to rust for the next few days, to hopefully create some interesting marks.

Arrived at Mousehole Cornwall - a great harbour to create some rusting samples.