MA Printmaking
My work is primarily concerned with the weather and its related atmospheric conditions â a subject that is often transient and has no fixed form. I am also interested in maps and how they operate as vehicles for our imagination. Combining these interests, I produce objects and images that play on our personal associations with nature and maps. The embossed areas on my prints are reminiscent of contour lines seen on topographic maps or isobars on air pressure charts. These patterns are actually derived from tree-rings, their shape and width providing an indication of climatic conditions over time â Natureâs own weather map. The discrepancies between the shape and size of the rings can be easily seen when you compare the embossed areas on the two prints â each originating from trees planted and harvested at a similar time. By association, these inconsistencies operate as a reminder of the subjective nature of mapping. Photographic images of clouds surrounding the map-like embossing are an obvious connection to the subject matter. However, there is also a historical link to Edward Quinâs 1828 atlas, where illustrations of clouds were used as a device to mask unknown areas of the World at various points in history. Within my work there is a close link between my subject and the technical processes I use to make the work. I enjoy the idea that images connected to air pressure are made using a physical pressure exerted by the etching press. Similarly, cloud images are transferred from plate to the paper using pressure and water moisture â the actual stuff of clouds. I have recently started to look more closely at the symbols used to represent weather conditions, starting with the arrow. When piled together these objects remind me of the debris blown off trees during a storm.