What first brought you to Edinburgh Printmakers?
I did a couple of courses at EP, but it was an etching weekend with Bronwen Sleigh that really reignited my interest in printmaking. I had made prints on and off over the years, but didn’t think of myself as a printmaker. At around the same time as this I took a painting course as way of finding my way back into my art practice. The main thing I learned from that was that I definitely wasn’t a painter. Printmaking holds my attention in a way that painting doesn’t, and joining EP felt like a homecoming. I have a strong sense of belonging, not only to the community here, but also to the processes and ways of working.
Has your book binding and conservation work informed your artistic practice?
Yes, definitely. Probably the main thing it has given me is a keen eye for detail, but I do try to rein that in it, perfectionism isn’t always appropriate. It also influences my choice of materials. I use many things that I used to use in my old ‘day job’ , for example archival adhesives, Japanese paper and gold leaf. These are the things I’m accustomed to working with. The way I make my artist books and collages is like an extextension of my conservation work. I feel as though I’ve come full circle in my working life.
How has collage and reassembling become a part of your practice?
I began making collages at the beginning of lockdown. It was a particularly difficult time for me personally and I really needed to find a way of working whilst the studio was shut. I had drawers of experimental prints and pieces that hadn’t quite worked. Something felt so wrong - and yet ultimately so right - about cutting, tearing, burning my prints, and then carefully, meticulously pasting and sewing them back together again in a different form. This process of editing and reassembling has become an integral part of my practice. It speaks to my ongoing concern with memory, ways of remembering and how memory can change according to context.
How do you start your printing process?
My go-to process is monotype, although I also work in etching and plate lithography. When making monotypes I usually begin with a carefully drawn and researched plan of action, which almost inevitably doesn’t work in the way I want it to. I’ll then retreat to the kitchen to take stock (and hunt for biscuits). After a while I will return to the studio for another go, which although based on my original idea, will be without some of my self-imposed constraints. I’ll then work spontaneously and intuitively to experiment and see what happens. Working in monoprint and monotype allows for unlimited exploration of texture and mark-making - every time I make a print I discover something new. I always seem to have to go through this process of drawing up parameters, only to discard them.
Do you plan your prints before or are they a process of experimentation?
It’s usually a process of research and then experimentation - in spite of my plans…
What inspires the colour palettes in your work?
I almost always return to the same colours. I am drawn to a range of blues, greens and greys, the colours of the sea and the sky. For me there is nothing quite like the expansive beauty of the sky reflected in the sea on a clear day. I find it uplifting.
Through working within the medium of monotype, do you feel each work is unique? Do you view each print as its own work or do you work within a series of works that talk to each other?
I often make a series of monotypes or collages which are based around the same theme, aesthetic or colour. Occasionally I’ll display two or three together, but I think they are usually stand alone pieces, if anything a (very) varied edition.
What’s next for your printmaking practice?
I have a couple of irons in the fire at the moment, but I don’t want to say anything in case I jinx them! My main focus right now is a group exhibition in September 2025 with the artist collective bound : unbound. It will be a show based around artist books. At this stage I’m playing with ideas, messing around and having fun to see what emerges.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Just to say thank you for asking me. I always struggle to write about my art practice, but doing so feeds back into my collages and artist books. It reinforces my understanding of what I’m doing - it’s a virtuous circle. My work, although underpinned by a consistent theme, is always in a slight state of flux, constantly evolving. It’s good to attempt to pin it down once in a while!
www.christinesloman.com
www.boundunbound.org.uk
Instagram: christineslomanart
