About Rubicon / viridiflora
Rubycon is the title of Tangerine Dream’s 6th studio album, and is also one of the first records I ever bought, way back in the late seventies or very early eighties I guess. Tangerine Dream were early adopters in the synth revolution, using (multiple) synths to create their dreamlike musical soundscapes.
There’s also a nod to the idea of crossing the Rubicon, as the original study has a deliberately watery feel, working as a circular adjunct to the cerulean blue variant of Lyric SV, another deliberately wave like piece, both of which I hope evoke some of the interest you get when you see the ocean breaking onto the shore.
The print club edition turns away from that however. The palette here is inspired by the strong pinks and greens that you see in tulips, and particularly the parrot and viridiflora varieties that really dazzle in the garden as the early summer months come in.
I like to think that the Print Club editions may have some kind of seasonal component, arriving sporadically, in much the same way that cut flowers come into the home, each bunch replacing the previous one, catching the eye for a fleeting period, before inevitably being replaced. A small meditation on the nature of time perhaps.
As ephemeral works, being supplied in an irregular sequence, it may well be that the Print Club editions can function in a similar way, which of course also speaks to the long tradition of Japanese wood block print making, as rapidly produced, deeply ephemeral pieces, designed specifically for seasonal display in the home.
I like the idea that the editions may be seen as a metaphor for seasonality, and the inevitable parallels that draws with the arc of time, and the ability we have to sense that passage of time thorough the transit of the seasons each year.
Rubicon, in the studio & in situ
Print Club blog, May 24th, 2018
“…Edition 8 is going to be a celebration of Spring, and in particular that particularly beautiful combination of greens, pinks and deeper carmines that marks out the first flush of really powerful colour that comes out here in May. I've attached an image here of my new tulip border, that I planted deep in the midst of last winter, with freezing hands, sure in the knowledge that I would get a sensational blast of colour as the gardening year really gets going this spring. I have to say that I didn't plan for the bright orange ones, but in fact they have been a serendipitous addition that has no doubt been bolder and better than my original choices…
…Edition 8 is being colour balanced and tested today, and will be printed here over the next day or two, and as such will certainly be some variant or version of the latest colour palette for my Rubicon study, which will be suffixed 'viridiflora'. I've yet to nail the exact blend of greens and pinks that I want, but I think it'll resolve shortly. I'm expecting to make the image area about 44cm SQ, in order to provide a good blast of colour, and allow the details to reveal themselves, so I guess the paper size may end up around 50 / 60cm. All will become clear as the work progresses... I hope it has something of a 'parrot' feel, if you're up on your tulip types…”
Text from the Print Club blog, May 24th, 2018
About the Print Club
If you’d like to receive three or four exclusive new editions in the post each year, alongside personal news and views from the studio, and invitations to shows and fairs, please do consider becoming a member of my Experimental Print Club. You can join or leave the club at any time, with absolutely no obligation to stay any longer than you want to.
New works are sent out somewhat sporadically throughout the year, often in line with the changing seasons. Each piece is unique, exclusive, and only available on the day it’s editioned, the size of the edition being determined by the number of members on the day.
I hope the club presents a more personal and intriguing way to connect with the studio, by creating a platform for collecting engaging new works for your home. The club is hosted online here, and I send out fairly regular blog posts and emails about the work too. I’d like to think that it’s an interesting proposition!
Membership is currently priced at £36 per month inc. UK delivery, or £42 for an international address.
Associated works
