Print North

any of you know that last year I made a series of work based on Japanese wood block printing. The great thing about being near Newcastle and being interested in print is having Northern Print on your doorstep. It's a wonderful place where curiosity can be rewarded and print appreciated. I missed one set of classes but now am the proud atendee of this course;

Relief Woodblock Printing with Jo Bourne
This course will introduce you to the variety and subtleties of woodblock. Developing images from reclaimed wood, you will use transparent layers of ink alongside stronger colours to create images that compliment and utilise the grain of the wood. Jo has been making prints for over 20 years. She has shown her work all over the world and her work can be found in many private collections.
Saturday 2 July
10am-5pm | £55 | £49.50 concession

It'll be a great chance to do something creative over the summer rather than just stagnate, which is what I did last year. Hopefully I'll come up with some images that can make good transfers. I'm working on some images with illustration budy o' mine Jenny Cox, check out her work, she's lovely. With some hard work and plenty of cups of tea I'm sure we can come up with some images that will make lovely things to sell to get up to next years fundraising aims.

Northern Clay

Yesterday whilst heavily leafleting the hamlet of Newcastle I found out that Northern Clay would be opening that night so, being a some what adventurous so and so I went along. I tried to find a budy, a wing man if you will, but other students do things on a Friday night. What. Losers.

I had thought I'd be all chatty and intelligent (whilst stealing ideas for the Dry Run opening) but instead I was a little bundle of terrified nerves. I had a quick chat to Jess Cohen who lectures at Newcastle and is a lovely lady, she's made some mothy-rocky-organic planters with really lush (lush as in vegetative growth rather than 'geet mint like') glazes.

I oggled Simon Griffiths owls.

What's not to oggle? I perused Lisa de Larny's Egon Schiele-like sculptures.

I also ate some mini-brownies and angel cakes and talked to NO ONE. I shuffled round, smiling, occasionally looking around as if I was expecting to be joined by a hip and groovy friend, looking at my phone and rolling my eyes etc. I said 'Hi' a couple of times, but only loud enough for me to hear.

Let the self-loathing commence.