Findoutwhatintriguesyouinapotential
subject,saysourcolumnistLAURABOSWELL,
andyourpersonalstylewillsoonemergeI
amoftenaskedhowartistsfind
anindividualvoiceandconsistent
style.Forme,mostofthisprocess
liesinhowI developeachideafrom
thefirstobservationalsketchtothe
finishedprint.I mustfindsomething
tointriguemeineverypotential
landscapesubject,thenworkouthow
I cansharethatfascinationwiththe
viewer.I dothisbybuildingonskills
I alreadyhaveandpushingmy
techniquestocoaxthebestfrom
eachnewprint.Theinevitableresultis a print
createdonthebasisofmyparticular
enthusiasmandinterests.I maintain
consistencybyrelyingonskills
learnedinmakingpreviouswork,
whilegraduallydevelopingthrough
exploringsomethingnewineach
newprintthatI make.
I havejustreturnedfroma drawing
triptotwocompletelydifferent
landscapes:one,theNorthYorkshire
Moors,is a vastandminimalspace;
theother,StAbb’sHeadinWhile on
location, I am
always actively
hunting for
what makes
each landscape
come alive
ABOVE Laura
Boswell, Skye
Sea Mist, linocut,
44x59cm
Berwickshire, Scotland, is a sensory
overload of cliffs and sea. I sketched
and photographed both in the same
way, but the two landscapes will need
very different treatments to coax the
best prints from each. I feel that
Yorkshire needs a strong theme to
make the most of its sparse beauty,
while St Abb’s Head requires a lot of
thoughtful editing for the complex
landscape to have impact and style.
In Yorkshire the colours, especially
at dusk, were key. Catching the
particular feel of the light, along with
the rough textures of the moorland
grasses will make the subject of my
prints. I know that of my two print
processes, the subtle painterly quality
of Japanese woodblock will work best
for the tricky light and the moorland is
a new challenge for me with its rough,
undefined textures.
In contrast, the graphic coastal
landscape at St Abb’s Head is perfect
for linocut, but I’ll need to find a way
of catching all the energy of the sea
and the twisted rock formations
without the work becoming
over-complicated and fussy.
While on location, I am always
actively hunting for what makes each
landscape come alive for me. It can
take a lot of looking and thinking to
discover the key that will excite me
to create good work, but without that
spark, I’ll never have the stamina to
develop a worthwhile print. The fact
I can’t wait to start on this next batch
of work, however, suggests I’m on
the right track.
Laura’s new book, Making Japanese
Woodblock Prints, is published by
Crowood Press. http://www.lauraboswell.co.uk