Printmaking: "Plight" Prints

Printmaking: "Plight" Prints

 Plight”, drypoint etching and drypoint etching overprinted onto water colour monoprint:

Truelove Sculpture,  River Hull, Kingston Upon Hull:

Sculpture by Stefan Gec (2002).

Introduction

On my walks along the River Hull, I came across a fascinating piece of sculpture set amongst the wooden posts of the old harbour, near the Tidal Barrier.

Two heads sit on a round plinth surrounded by curved fans of steel rods. The scene intrigued me and I researched the background to the sculpture and then made my own interpretation of the scene in some prints. My aim was to capture the pathos of the scene with a sensitive approach to the subject matter.

Background

The plaque reads: "In 1847 Memiadluk (aged 17) and Uckaluk (aged 15) arrived in Hull close to this site aboard the Truelove, a local whaling ship. The following year the married couple set sail for their home in Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island. During this journey Uckaluk died following an outbreak of measles on board the ship."

The sculpture illustrates Hull’s connections with people across the seas. Truelove displays the heads of eskimo (Inuit) couple Memiadluk and Uckaluk. When the two were brought to Hull on the whaling ship, Truelove, they were then exhibited here in native costume and with canoes. In the spring of 1849, Memiadluk and Uckaluk began their return journey home, then Uckaluk contracted measles, and died shortly afterwards. She was fifteen years old.

The heads are copies of casts which are on display in the Maritime Museum along with posters of their “visit”.

The installation is sited at the mouth of the Hull where the old harbour was and where many whaling ships including the Truelove would have landed.

Process

Plight”, drypoint etching

I followed the same process as in my previous blog entry which illustrated the "Looking Out" prints. However, due to the nature of the subject matter, I was able to use more of a variety of techniques and etching tools. The wooden posts had many textural qualities which I wanted to depict. To enhance the rugged and aged qualities of the posts I used an etching tool with a row of forked points, I also followed the natural splits in the wood, especially at the top of the posts. The barrel-shaped plinth is made of metal, and I used a new tool for the first time, which was very effective in producing marks which replicated the material and tonal qualities of the "drum" shape.

I printed a small edition in Charbonnel Carbon Black printing ink on Fabriano Rosapina cream paper (see above).

I then made a water colour monoprint which I hand printed using a spoon onto Fabriano Unica white paper. While the paper was still damp, I then over printed the drypoint etching, using Charbonnel Carbon Black printing ink.

I chose subtle colours for the monoprint as I did not want a bright, harsh result, which would not have been in keeping with the sadness of the narrative. I also applied the colour onto the perspex plate quite thinly and sensitively. It produced a soft result which was what I was looking for.

Conclusions

The sculpture really inspired me, and I hope that my prints do justice to the concept behind the original piece of art. The textures of the old wood worked well, using a variety of tools and techniques. I managed to capture the tonal qualities and the choice of colours and their application was good, in that they are subtle, and suit the pathos of the story.