Drawing in Drypoint

About

This exhibition shows examples of recent work made in a print studio. Based on my drawings of portraits, architecture and landscapes I have produced a series of drypoint prints.

Drypoint printing is a natural extension of my drawing practice, because the process is to ‘draw’ or incise into a surface, and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink.

My ‘Species of Trees’ series has, in particular, benefited considerably from this form of printmaking. ‘Species of Trees’ is an ongoing series of drawings and prints which are influenced in part by the graphic art of contemporary China and 19th Century Japan, where the marks I use in my work are reminiscent of those found in screenprints, woodblock prints and etchings. The drawings are rendered in a manner which endeavours to bring together the analytical with a sense of the lyrical.

This series of drawings and prints are portraits of particular trees, including the grounds of Hatfield House, the Jacobean House and Tudor Hall in Hertfordshire.

Each drawing makes the space around the tree visible as well as a sense of the volume and mass of the tree itself. This work contrasts with the work of the Painter, Alexander Cozens, who in 1771 produced a portfolio of prints entitled The Shape, Skeleton and Foliage of 32 Species of Trees for the use of Painting and Drawing. In this work the images represent the visible character of various species of trees where each is illustrated as a generalized example and Cozens work is one of classification.

I came across this publication whilst working on my drawings and prints of trees and found it to be an interesting counterpoint to my own project. The descriptions and presentation of tree species in my own work acknowledges Cozens work of classification.

The trees series is an ongoing project and will continue to develop through drawing and printmaking.

The exhibition also shows drypoint prints of Architecture, Portraits and Still Life to show how this process of printmaking can extend drawing techniques.

Drypoint printing has the directness of drawing. This technique has provided another layer to my work and has developed my drawing skills. The printmaking process combines a sense of control in preparing the plate, incising the lines and applying and selectively removing ink, as well as unexpected effects which result from the use of the press in the print process.

 Charlotte Harker

February 2017

Biography

Charlotte Harker is an artist based in London. Her recent work has been made in a print studio. Based on my drawings of portraits, architecture, landscapes and more recently animals, I have produced a series of drypoint prints. Prior to this she produced a series of drawings which were included in a book titled ‘Nowheres’, a collaborative project with Poet, Tamar Yoseloff. These drawings were exhibited at the Poetry Society and also the Barbican Centre in 2015. In 2014, for her project and solo exhibition, ‘Species of Trees and Other Landscapes’ she was awarded a grant from Arts Council England. In 2012 she was awarded a residency at the Cill Rialaig Project in Ballinskelligs, County Kerry, Ireland. In 2009 Arts Council England awarded a grant to support her research into the work of 19th Century Landscape painter, Peter De Wint, at The Collection and Usher Gallery, Lincoln. Prior to that she  was awarded a Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant in 2007. She has been shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize and from 2001-2002 was a resident artist at the Florence Trust Studios in London. As well as exhibiting across the U.K., she has been in group shows in Europe, U.S.A. and Australia.

See also  www.axisweb.org/artist/charlottedavidharker