Over the recent holidays, I've been playing with a gelli plate.
I like it because it's portable and quick. I can go 'play on a tray and put it away'.
I had never used a gelli plate before so I had to think about it from beginning to the end - learning materials and methods, then playing, getting creative and figuring out what to do with all those prints.
This led me to notice that every new foray is a microcosmic version of the whole art process; we explore the materials, what they will do, what we want to do with them and where we want the process to go.
After a few weeks I had so many prints, I kept printing over and over them, which is part of the game. In the end I did get 10 or 12 keepers.
I also cut a lot of them up for collage material, and I made a little sketchbook full of gems that I selected from the prints with a little window. all this processing is so much fin. I like to push things to a product. It's part of my 'oeuvre' as a teacher I think. I like participants to be able to take something away.
The most interesting outcome, now, is that I am thinking about incorporating printmaking into my painting process. I am also thinking about giving gelli printing workshops because its so easy to enjoy without a lot of art background. I'm so excited to share how fun and enriching it can be for artists and beginners alike.
Have a look at some of the results I got from making my own simple stencils.
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