Acrylic Work with Monoprint Collage

I wanted to combine something different to my acrylic work so, in a move away from Collagraph (which requires etching inks that can be dark and intense in colour), I have experimented making one-off monoprints in acrylic, printed using a gelatin plate.

The brighter colours found in acrylics have been a joy for me to use after working with oil based etching inks.

The soft surface of the gelatin plate allows for textures, interesting found shapes and patterns to be embossed, or areas to be wiped away to allow previous layers to show through.

Overlays of delicate colours in acrylic have been carefully built up using a roller to create the overall impression of faded wallpapers. I have then collaged the end results in layers (sometimes as many as 40 individual prints) onto canvas board to create a rich tapestry effect of combined pattern and colour. To this new work I have also added linocut collage and hand drawn elements.