Summer Variations IV was, as the title suggests, one of a series of seasonally themed prints<\/a>. The sets of prints vary in tone and colour, and I happen to think that we were lucky enough to obtain a particularly beautiful and delicately toned print. The sky and cloud detail is quite wonderful, and the print now has pride of place in our hall, so that we can look at it every time we\u00a0use the stairs.<\/p>\n Last year, I was given a birthday present of a ‘taster day’ printing at The Ropewalk<\/a>. There, I was introduced to perhaps the most approachable form of printmaking, the collagraph.\u00a0I soon became addicted, and aimed to find out more about the various techniques involved in creating plates and printing. When I began to research the subject,\u00a0Brenda Hartill’s name was right up there in my internet\u00a0search results, which made me think once again about the\u00a0print on our wall. The search led to her website and to her set of DVDs on creating collagraphs<\/a>. The videos showed the tools, techniques and materials she used in her printmaking.<\/p>\n Above all though, it was her encouragement to everyone, through her videos, to experiment and play with the medium that influenced my approach to printmaking. It’s a refreshing attitude. There is also a warm inclination to share her techniques with others, something I try\u00a0to emulate. It’s also about not thinking too hard and\u00a0not being so afraid of failure that I avoid\u00a0trying something. Perhaps that influence can be seen most readily in my ‘Lincolnshire Coast’<\/a> series of prints, an ongoing area of interest.![\"Brenda](\"http:\/\/sinclairashman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/IMG_7623.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSummer Variations IV<\/address>\n\u00a0<\/address>\n![\"Brenda](\"http:\/\/sinclairashman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/IMG_76391.png\")
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