I have a long-standing interest in the ephemeral, disposable and continually changing printed posters that adorn the walls and hoardings of Italy. I am intrigued by their visual impact and the glimpse of the preoccupations and interactions of present day life that they offer. Their torn and weatherbeaten juxtapositions of text and image throw together the political and the commercial, the trivial and the solemn. From drawings and photographs of poster sites and printed material made and gathered in situ I recycle imagery and materials to produce collages and photomontages. This in turn becomes a stimulus for prints that refer to the locations from which they originated.

The print 'Chance Encounter: Porto Antico Genova 2019 'was produced from digital photographs of layered wall posters in the caruggi (medieval alleyways) near the port district of Genova. Selected images of sections of aged posters were re-combined and modified in photoshop and transferred to a Toyobo polymer plate. The subsequent etching made and printed at Castle Mills was subsequently hand coloured in watercolour in a manner reminiscent of early twentieth century souvenir postcards of Italy. The enigmatic imagery offers a contemporary memento that alludes to the once unsavoury reputation and atmosphere of the dockside area.

Biography

I began printmaking while working as an art teacher in secondary schools and universities. Following a research fellowship at the Henry Moore Institute and an art teachers bursary at the British School in Rome I was able to develop my interest in the art and culture of Italy and to use this to inform my own practice. Since becoming a member of Edinburgh Printmakers in 2013 I have explored different methods of printing at both ‘the steamie’ and Castle Mills exploring etching, Toyobo plate and photo-etching, lithography, and screen printing. 

Since returning to printmaking in Edinburgh I have shown works at the Royal Scottish Academy Open Exhibition (2014 and 2015), Imprint: Studio 11 as part of the Hull U.K. City of Culture celebration (2017), Humber to the Wash at Ropewalk Gallery: Barton upon Humber (2016) and Deluge at Edinburgh Printmakers (2018).