Tuesday 18 June 2013

New woodcut

Working at a smaller scale, a new woodcut is underway.




After the second phase, with two colours, plus white - mixing precise triangular patterns and letters with more gestural cuts.



Carefully mixing the relief inks to achieve a gradient of tone from one layer to the next, the third colour is over-printed, and the image begins to take shape.



















With three further colours to go, getting progressively darker, the block is marked-out for the next layer. All the areas to remain deep maroon will be cut out, leaving only the areas for the last three colours. 


Printing is interrupted by the long summer break - until next semester, when the workshop will re-open and the final colours can be printed.

Sunday 2 June 2013

The song remains the same - but a bit different

We celebrated Jonathan's 50th birthday last night. I was at art school with Jonathan in 1981-82 and we lost touch soon after but have renewed contact in recent years. Jonathan is a book designer and composer of music and sound installations, who has released over 30 CDs, albums and 7" vinyl tracks. See his stuff HERE

The party was a mini-festival of music from Jonathan's friends, including me. I dusted-off my old guitar to sing a song I wrote with Jonathan, back in 1982. 

Other performances were from Felicity Ford, Christina Hogg, Nick Arran, Andrew J Lewis, Simon Whetham, Patrick McGinley, and the Sonic Catering Band with a sound-performance based on making a Bloody Mary cocktail. 
The Sonic Catering Band


















Dolly and the Clothespegs

The 'headliners' of the evening were Dolly and the Clothespegs, who delivered a wonderful set of country/folk and skiffle. Rounded-off by a sensational menu of South Indian food, the evening was a fitting celebration of Jonathan's first 50 years on the planet. 








And here's the legendary song:
THE LEMONADE SONG (Driver/Coleclough, 1982)
(sing to the tune of The Velvet Underground's 'Waiting for the Man')

I'm waiting for my lemonade
Friday's comin', that's when I get paid:
Down to the Co-op, a fistful of cash,
blow it all away purchasin' my stash of lemonade. 
(I love it)

I don't like whisky; 
I can't drink gin. I don't like tonic, not even Indian.
I don't like beer and I can't drink coke,
Lemonade's the only drink dat don't make me choke
Lemonade (I need it)

(Take it away) [middle 8]
(bring it back)

Lemonade it's er, kinda gaseous
If you drink it in a room
...it better be quite spacious
I don't know how they get that 'gazoom' in it
but I just can not help consuming lemonade
(hmmm hmm hmmm)

Lemonade - really helps you think.
At twenty-nine-and-a half p for 2 litres, 
It's an economical drink
In the years to come, wherever we go
Lemonade's gonna help our creativity flow 
Lemonade ... (I love lemonade)

And who would have thought
When we were fifty
We'd still be drinking this stuff
We're so...thrifty
Lemonade (hmmm hmm hmmm)