In my garden the wild cherries are blossoming at last. The wild cherry is my tree following tree for this year. They were chopped back severely in the winter but still they are covered in the tiny pretty white flowers. The bees love them which is one of the few good reasons to have this tree is your garden.
As part of the tree following project I am intending to make a small print based on a twig of the cherry each month, to reflect the changes of the seasons. I have images for Jan and Feb when nothing much happened although in Feb there was snow. In early March the buds started to swell, followed last week by the white blossom. Already some of the petals are falling in these strong March winds. So March will be the buds and April will be blossom and bees.
Eventually I hope to bind them in into a small book so the printing has had to be carefully worked out with a registration plate and each of the printing plates cut approximately to size. The project is really a vehicle to try out different print techniques on a small scale.
These are a few of Jan Feb and March trials… nothing quite working well enough yes but good practice.
The white flowers are giving me a problem because I need to use the white paper for the white. White ink is not very satisfactory unless really opaque. It might work better if slightly tinted. But I am using quite thin translucent layers so am persevering with the cut away shapes ( very fiddly and patience trying).
Some first proofs with various colour trials
Printmaking is pure alchemy, every combination throws up new possibilities. Frustrating and rewarding in equal measure. This year is all about experimentation in print, bookmaking and in developing ideas for the coursework.
It is all equally frustrating and fascinating!
