The pond in the wood is a great place for them to get water and we've often watched them diving down to skim across the surface and drink as they fly.......a wonderful spectacle and it's often caught our dog, Poppy, by surprise. She hadn't realised how fast swallows can fly but allows them to use the pond because she's definitely not a water dog and avoids anything larger than a puddle if she can!
. Pencil and wash sketch in Jubilee Wood diary
John Clare, the wonderful romantic poet [1793-1864] who later in life had such a sense of despair and isolation lived near here at Helpston in his early years. I often turn to his poems for inspiration as they are full of fascinating observations and 'visual' words. If you haven't discovered him yet, he's well worth a read.
Pencil and wash sketch in Jubilee Wood diary
I decided to look at the subject using a different medium this time and wanted to try a collagraph. It seemed sensible to keep the design as simple as possible as I was using carborundum for gradients of tone and it isn't the easiest thing to use. It works by the carborundum being stuck on to the plate using a liquid glue and then the plate being sealed well with a suitable gloss finish such as varnish.
Collagraph 34cm x24cm
I'm interested in the texture you can produce just by the technique you use when wiping off the inks and the ink also settles into the carborundum leaving a very dark tonal area.
Collagraph Plate with carborundum
The beauty of collographs is that everyone is different according to the way it's been inked up and you can, of course, add anything you like to them in terms of drawing on top or adding colour. I think they can be an exciting way of freeing yourself up from some of the rigours of other types of print making and really encourage you to experiment. That's what I intend to keep on doing........
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