I did some messy texture printing with my son, who is 3, and at work with a group learning family crafts.
I put a tablecloth down (on a coffee table in my house) and chose some textured items like bubble wrap, a toothbrush, sandpaper, cling film and foil crumpled up, lego blocks and sticklebrick piece, a toy car with tread marks on the wheels, wool, string, a cotton reel, corrugated cardboard and a brush, sponge dabber and roller.
I put out some acrylic paints and let my son play about by dabbing the textured things in the paint and stamping them on the paper. He enjoyed it.
Here's when the adult community group learning family crafts had a go at the same activity:
They also enjoyed it!
This activity is more for "process" than product. It's a nice way for children to experiment with making marks and finding out about different textures. However if you want to make it into something, we chopped up my son's one and made part of it into a birthday card...
Last weekend I visited Hello Print Studio in Margate.
It's run by Nick Morley and Emrys Plant. Nick, who is also sometimes known as linocutboy, showed me around the space... (He doesn't usually have a lamp attached to his head).
Hello Print Studio is part of Resort Studios, a space for creative people to work and share their work with the public through workshops, talks and exhibitions. Resort Studios was founded in 2013 with a vision of encouraging "experimentation and collaboration in an inspiring and professional environment" (http://www.resortstudios.co.uk/about/who-we-are/).
The print studio is a light, high-ceiling'd space with equipment for screenprinting, etching and relief printing.
When I visited they were getting ready to run a Gocco printing workshop.
I liked the small individual studios within the print studio, made of a collage of wood, glass and pieces of stained-glass windows and doors. Wouldn't it be inspiring to work in one of these?
It was impressive to see the hard work and vision that has gone into starting such a venture. The people and the space bring an exciting creative energy to Margate.
I am taking part in an exhibition in Brockley, South-East London, from tomorrow, the 13th February. The exhibition is Open cueB 2015, and I will be exhibiting this picture, "Drift I", which I made last year:
The exhibition will be open from 13th February to 15th March 2015, at: cueB Gallery, 325 Brockley Road, London SE4 2QZ, www.cuebgallery.com
