Displayed below are a series of a4 prints of a female subject gagged by an eye ball gag. Over the course of this project I have been mildly influenced by the obscure imagery of Junji Ito, in a sense each series of my works follow a macabre-esc narrative, not following death but the allegorical dance of losing ones sight and dependency, to then shun this with a trans figurative state of being. Creating somewhat yonic work appeals to the "shock factor" initiated by society, with shock comes interest, with interest comes acknowledgment of the cause.
The inking plate had became quite delicate as the vast majority of the subject was white, meaning a lot of the print was carved and gauged, resulting in a very malleable block. Originally the subject did have a nose but upon carving it was very difficult to refine and had an odd appearance about it. Fortunately this board was lined with hessian so there was a further layer of protection in regards to being stagnant during the inking and pressing process. I found the inking of this print to be quite difficult in conjuring the correct ratio of ink to roller. Despite using a larger roller as to distribute the ink evenly aboard the plate, I was having no such luck. I had attempted to combat this issue by re-rolling the ink numerous times, only to be met with mild improvement. All of the ink was settling into the lesser defined debased surfaces of the linoleum resulting in detail being lost.
If I were to conduct another series of these prints, I would perhaps explore different coloured papers and surfaces to work on. In the future I may just do this, but due to the time constraints and demand of other commitments, I hadn't the chance to; perhaps in my printing business I may experiment with different colours, both ink and paper. I would especially like to see this print over some fabric to see how the fabric ink would react, and the new relationships that this piece can derive from being aboard varies surfaces, would these variables further emanate the message of the print or would the message be lost? I think perhaps this image being over a fabric surface may allow room for blotting of ink, resulting in a more vivid display. Although I do not favour the over inked prints, they do have a somewhat posterised feel to the composition.
In regards to any benefits I have gained by commencing in exploring Lino printing further, I have become a better printmaker in relief methods. I have always employed the intaglio processes opposed to relief, as I had thought in the past that detail could not be captured to its full potential within the relief process, however I am most definitely wrong. Though intaglio process allows me to draw each and every line that I wish to, I can still do the same through relief over a bolder altitude. As I have frequently mentioned over the course of this year, I chose to explore relief methods of printing in order to provide a tactile format of display for a visually impaired and blind audience to interact with.
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