Print Club News / December 2022
I hope this finds you well in the run up to the Winter solstice, Christmas and the New Year.
I have to say I was hoping to be a little further on with the latest Print Club editions by now, but in fact, it’s been pretty busy here, with a lot going on in the past couple of months, and the foil work I'm experimenting with hasn't been totally straightforward. It's an interesting challenge though.
I'm extremely flattered to have been selected as an 'artist in residence' at the Centre for Print Research at UWE, the University of the West of England, which is an amazing opportunity to work in their studio and laboratories. They have an incredible array of hi-tech 2d and 3d printmaking equipment, and as far as I can tell, they're broadly happy to let me use it all. I should have some more news and images from the project in the New Year. To date, I've been making test pieces from 3d printed plastic filament and then using these models as the basis for kiln fired glass objects, all from my 3d drawings, which has been a real treat to experiment with.
Additionally, I've been really enjoying brushing up on my etching techniques, under the brilliant tutelage of Martyn Grimmer at Spike Island print studios. I've attached an image of a copper plate for etching I've been making there, really just as a warm up exercise for a new set of Photopolymer etchings I'm planning to make in the New Year.
Happily there have been a good number of pieces moving through the studio ahead of Christmas too, which is going to keep me busy with deliveries well into next week, and finally for now, I've made my first ever CNC routed Chromaluxe piece. Chromaluxe is a kind of pigment transfer print onto alloy, using a heat process, which gives an enamelled feel to the final work. I've made it in response to a collector's desire to hang the work above a wood burning stove on a chimney breast, so the artwork needed to be properly heat resistant, which the Chromaluxe is. The end result is now installed and looks great.
Back to this next Print Club edition. I've artworked a pair of quite disparate drawings for the Winter edition. As previously mentioned I've been experimenting with foil for these two, which hasn't been quite as straightforward as I was expecting! Maybe that shouldn't come as any surprise. The method I'm now using is like a chine collé, a process wherein a piece of paper or foil is laid between the support paper and the inks, introducing a foil base under the translucent colours. I'm awaiting the initial proofs from Ripe Digital as I write this, so I'll be in touch again soon to let you know how it goes. To be followed by the finished prints of course!
With best regards,
Chuck Elliott
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.
