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This is Eric Gaskell's third exhibition at the Alex. He is very well regarded amongst other linocut printers and some of his work is simply astounding. He always seems to be pushing the techniques envelope and defying conventional ideas of what linocuts should look like. Here is Eric explaining how he starts at a drawing and takes risks. Delighted to have water as his theme as he does it so well - whether sea, canals or simple rain.
'Sometimes you cut the block with a gouge, sometimes a drill, maybe it’s etched or scratched, finally you ink it with a roller, or maybe a brush or possible wipe ink on with a rag. Then comes the printing, easy through a press, although maybe you just use the slightest touch of your hand or a wooden spoon or a mixture of them all. This is how I make my linocuts.
There is always a drawing which shows where I am headed or where I’d like to go, that drawing is used across any number of blocks needed. But once the cutting, inking and proofing of those blocks start then everything is up for grabs. Things change as the print progresses, my initial ideas change; now I might need yet another block that will put in place new colours, shapes, textures that I have decided are needed. The one thing that doesn’t alter from the start to the end is the composition, that is set out right at the beginning and is pretty much immovable. How do I know it’s finished? Most of the time I don’t know, often the paper is saturated and can take no more ink but mostly the blocks are depleted, simply nothing left. That is my process, how I make a linocut.'
Open in Cafe Gallery from 2-30 May
6pm-9pm Thursday 2nd May (also live music from The B Road and Robert Miles Barnett)
10am - 4pm (every Fri & Sat, also Sun 5th, and Wed 8th - Sun 12th)
Find out more about Eric's extensive body of work at https://www.egdesign.co.uk/