Introduction/Background Information
Mary Carrick M.A., a former arts and crafts tutor, specialises in Printmaking and has exhibited her work in galleries locally, including the Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, The Ropewalk, Barton upon Humber, Caistor Arts Centre, Lincolnshire and the Beverley Art Gallery. Mary tends to concentrate on collagraphs, but she experiments with a number of different mediums and techniques. It is her exploration of methods and use of colour which attracts me to her work.
Mary's work is also interesting in the way that she sometimes incorporates fabric or embroidery into her prints. This aspect resonates with the research I undertook earlier into Michael Raedecker, who also is inspired by fabrics and embroidery.
I was pleased therefore when she agreed to be interviewed and she was very willing to show me examples of her prints and her working methods. I include some photographs by way of illustration below.
Mary Carrick, Landscape, aquatint on aluminium, inked "a la poupee" (colours inked by hand)
Interview
General:
1.
Are you inspired by particular artists
(past or present)? – If so, who and why?
2.
Are you interested in any artistic
movements or theories – if so, what and why?
I am interested in Art Nouveau and the Arts
and Crafts movement of the Pre-Raphaelites. I love the use of curves and Celtic
designs and the romanticism of the Pre-Raphaelites.
3.
Do you aim to make a point through your
work e.g. political/social/ environmental? If so, how?
I am not really interested in making a
point through my work.
4.
Have you been influenced by your
background or surroundings? If so. How?
I have always been interested by the
environment in which I grew up and the natural world; in particular botanical
subjects.
5.
How would you describe your own “personal
artistic voice”?
I am not sure that I have a personal
artistic voice; I create prints and pictures purely for the pleasure of it.
6.
How do you promote yourself as a
Professional Artist? Do you have any advice?
The only way I promote myself as a
Professional Artist is through networking with fellow artists.
Practical (Printmaking):
I tend to specialise currently in print-making but also enjoy textile art through machine embroidery. Within print-making I prefer collagraphs for the versatility of the plate and range of mark-making and tone possible. Machine embroidery allows a freedom of expression not possible with other media and the possibility of 3-D work.
2. Please describe your way of working and why e.g. do you
work from observation, memory, photographs or in some other way?
I work mainly through
photographs but with observation as well at times.
3. Does colour play an important role in your practice? - If so, how?
Sometimes I enjoy using colour to create a more striking
effect and creating a different mood but I usually prefer monotone.4. . Do you think that monotone can be effective? If so, in what ways/ circumstances?
I believe monotone can be very effective; especially creating prints, as it is still possible to create a good tonal range within a single colour, which is as effective as using different colours.
5. Can you describe how you achieve mood or atmosphere in
your work?
With reference to the above, I achieve mood and/or
atmosphere in my work through the use of different tones and different media
such as carborundum and tailor’s chalk.
6. . How do you relate your work to the viewer?
I am afraid my work is purely personal but would like the
viewer to enjoy it and relate to the mood created.
Curation:
1.
What do you consider to be the main
considerations in curating an exhibition?
This is an area with which I am unfamiliar
but would think that it is important to make any exhibition interesting through
a variety of media but also accessible without anything being too high or too
low to be enjoyed by the general public.
The most important elements must be that the
works are not too esoteric or obscure and they cover a range of different types
of media to be inclusive – not mainly of one particular type which happens to
appeal to the panel choosing the exhibits.
Mary Carrick, Swan, collagraph with" mask" (swan) and dry point on Perspex
Mary Carrick, Burton Agnes Hall, Aquatint on aluminium with sandpaper (bushes)
Mary Carrick, Cockerel, collagraph, wallpaper, acrylic paint, wool, material, sequins, machine embroidery
Mary Carrick, Butterfly, screen print with aqua crayon (butterfly) and hard pastel added later
Comments and Summary
Mary uses a wide range of techniques which I can learn from. I would like to experiment in the use of stencils and masks as I have not tried these methods before. The use of the stencil enabled Mary to produce a very strong silhouette of the plough against the background of a stunning sunset. I think that I could use the idea of the "mask" in a number of different ways, perhaps for adding layers where I want to create an element of "time" or "eeriness" to an image. In a number of her prints there is more than one process or layer of work. Also, a number of different materials can be incorporated (e.g. material, French Chalk etc.) I believe that this is an area that I can really develop to create more unique and interesting prints.
The examples also illustrate Mary's good use of colour. Sometimes she uses monochrome very effectively (Burton Agnes Hall/ Boat at Dusk), or colour very subtly (Landscape). In other prints her use of colour is bright to express the context and create mood and atmosphere (Cockerel and Butterfly). Sometimes she applies the ink direct to the printing plate by hand, carefully using different colours for different areas. Often Mary will use a coloured, pre-prepared background of a collagraph or screen print for example, to provide a coloured base to work from.It is also interesting to note that she can use colour afterwards to enhance a print - this may include pastel, or it could be water colour, acrylic paint etc..
In conclusion, for the above advice on techniques and the use of colour, this was a very rewarding piece of research.
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