Helen Brasher
Printmaker
Originally a painter I have been printing for the past 30 years. I love the immediacy and unpredictability of print, the way in which the process itself can produce effects that come as a complete surprise when the paper is lifted from the plate, although admittedly not all surprises are necessarily good ones! I like to use the same plates over and over so that each one develops a little history of its own creating random marks which add to the energy of the print . My work is landscape derived. I print semi-abstract tactile images based on the colours and forms of the coastline. I am drawn to detailed fragments of the landscape, the patterns and textures of rocks, rusting metal, peeling paint - the sense of the past pressing upon the present. I like to work directly from the landscape, walking, observing and gathering information by sketch book, photograph and found materials. In the studio I explore ideas through the process of quick mono print sketches, and will either continue in monoprint, which sometimes leads to an almost painterly expression of the subject, or move onto the more labour intensive process of creating a collagraph printing plate. I create this by cutting into, scraping and generally altering the surface texture of greyboard or card to create deep textural marks. There is a similarity between the destruction of the card surface to create the printmaking plate and the effects of erosion on the subjects that I often like to depict. Follow me https://www.instagram.com/helenbprintmaker/
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: helenbprintmaker.com