Making the plate is half way. Then comes the printing. I can imagine the plate coming out in a certain way, but during the process the most important is to be open. Focusing on what is ahead, trusting the eye. That is where it is possible to make art based on a plate.
chine collé papers are being prepared in beforehand
Very often I combine the plate with chine collé, a collage of papers in layers glued to the image in the printing process. The use of plastic plates makes this process easy to plan, to a certain point. But how it really works I do not know before the print is done, and there is no way back. Keeps me focused!
I love making plates. The physical work when the tool is scratching the surface, or I paint freely with glues before adding carborundum. At that moment the plate is all that matters. The feeling of the rhythm, making the movements free and courageous, exploring a new landscape. I loose myself in the process, and very often a new plate starts by simply feeling it in my body. I need to be ready before the thoughts take over. If that happens I will simply have to leave the plate for a while, till I forget the plans and the demands, and when I rediscover it my curiosity is fresh.
This is one of my latest prints “Playground”, but not my latest plate. I printed it earlier this fall, but I was not present enough. I did not take the time to question the plate, and the result was discouraging. Just flat and boring. I had it on my table, looking at it every now and then from the corner of my eye. And one day it clicked. The plate called upon me, and we started exploring the possibilities.
Working with monoprints this is the starting point. Instead of proofing and coming out with one result superior to the others, I embark on a journey. Will the plate uncover it´s secrets to me, and will I make justice to it´s possibilities?
Yessss, I have a lot of plates resting peacefully, waiting for their time to come…..