Fenfolio

Kayak expedition Greenland

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:35:00 +0000

In the midst of winter here (-14C in Braemar last night), I have finally found the time to report on our kayak expedition to Greenland last year. We booked our 12-day trip with Martin Rickard who has been kayaking and leading trips in South-East Greenland for almost 20 years. He was recommended to us by our neighbours who did a similar trip two years ago.

Map of South-East Greenland (source: Wee Cheng)

On the 23rd of July we took the plane to Reykjavik, Iceland. We stayed there for one night, giving us the opportunity to chat with our kayak friends from NESKy who just returned from their trip and were able to share their wonderful experience there. Because their group was too large we joined a different one. We met eachother the next day at the Domestic airport of Reykjavik. A couple from Northern Ireland, a couple and 2 friends from New Zealand (!), a woman from England and us.

Once arrived at Kulusuk airport we got a boat ferry to Kuummiut, a small settlement inland. Normally the kayak trips would start at Tasiilaq (also called Ammassalik or Angmagssalik) and go through Sermilik fjord. However, a hungry polar bear had been spotted there, "stealing" seals from the locals. As they already hit the quota, they couldn't do anything else other than making a lot of noise. Although our guide carries a gun, he didn't want to take any risks. This meant that we were going to explore Sermiligaq fjord with its glaciers and an abandoned US airbase from after WWII.

Our route

With about a maximum of 20 k per day it was not challenging. The cold however was! Not so much the first week when it was wonderful and sometimes surpringly hot, but in the second week we had some fog and the nights were very damp and chilly. Even our guide said it was unusually cold for a Greenland summer. There was also much more snow in the mountains than what he had experienced in two decades. One day we stayed put at one of the hunters huts due the bad weather forecast. The kayaks had to be tied down and the hut was shaking when the storm came that night!

Here is a selection of photos. Enjoy!

Some things I won't ever forget:

- The mosquitoes; they even sting through thick woolen socks! And then the weeping blisters because of the rubbing of the socks against my skin. Ouch.
- The stunning geology.
- The sound of calving glaciers.
- The warmth of our campfire (a necessity).
- The beautiful tree logs brought here by rivers and sea currents all the way from Russia (there are no trees in Greenland).
- The amazing wildlife such as seals (synchronised swimming), the cute and cheeky arctic fox in our camp and the humback and fin whales
- The exploding iceberg right in front of me while I was doing my polar bear watch at night. My heart skipped a beat!
- The tsunami that was caused by the breaking up of a giant iceberg a few kilometers away. We had to tie up the kayaks and it only took a few minutes to reach our beach!
- Drinking lovely fresh water which can be found almost everywhere.
- The joy of washing myself in a few pools of melted snow warmed up by the sun.
- The amount of layers I was wearing in my down sleeping bag during some very cold nights.
- The fresh Danish pastries when we returned in Kuummiut; a delight!
- The coated dates we bought in the small shop in Kuumiut (licorice, cocoa and coconut); the perfect snack!

It was a journey of a lifetime and I would love to go back again some day to explore a different area of this immense country.

Printmaking residency USA (2)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 20:40:00 +0000

Earlier this year I announced that I received the Visual Artist and Craft Maker Award to do a printmaking residency at Zea Mays Printmaking (ZMP) in the USA. You can read more about that in my previous article. From 30 October until 12 November I was there and below you can read about my awesome experience there.

Zea Mays Printmaking

Zea Mays printmaking studio is based in a former cutlery building in Florence near Northampton, Massachusetts. It's a huge building!

Zea Mays Printmaking on ground and second floor

The ground floor is where the printmaking courses are run, research into non-toxic printmaking is done, the Sanford gallery is for members' exhibitions and where the Annex (my studio) is. The first floor contains the members' studio, the office and the appartment (where I stayed).

The Members' studio

Rolled up ink in the members' studio

Participants during a printmaking course

Participant during a printmaking course

Participants during a printmaking course

Relief rollers

Instructions for non-toxic etching

Inky scrim

Letterpress alphabet

The Loo Gallery with a monthly rotating member exhibition

Members' exhibition at the Sanford Gallery

The huge Takach press in the Annex which was exclusively mine for this period!

My plan during the two weeks I was here was to create large collagraph prints and then make artists' books from these prints. I had ordered some materials in the USA and had it sent over to ZMP. That was easier than to add to the already full suitcase with other materials I brought from home. As I hadn't chosen my subject yet, I decided to let the environment inspire me. I was there in the most beautiful season with some decent weather and just in time to see the vibrant colours of the leaves before they fell off. ZMP lent me a bike so first I spent time to get familiar with the area. They have many bike-friendly roads, traffic is not heavy and they are very cautious drivers. There was also a dedicated bike track, the Norwottock Bike Trail which I really enjoyed!

Cycling the Norwottock Bike Trail

The Norwottock trail is part of the Mass Central rail trail

The rail bridge at Northampton

The Connecticut river

The railway bridge gave splendid views over the Connecticut river and that's when I decided to choose the flow of water as my subject.

Using the map as my guide I carved/cut out from the chipboard I had purchased in the USA. It was the first time I was using this kind of board so I was a bit nervous and hoped it would work. I was luckily not disappointed; I could easily peel off the top layer from the parts I had cut, making a nice indentation for the ink to set. I also scraped into the surface to add some more texture. Instead of sealing the plate with Shellac which I normally do, I used a non-toxic method in the form of acrylic varnish. That worked really well too and no bad smells!

Carving chipboard with a scalpel to create a collagraph plate

Me in action in the beautiful studio

As the plate was quite big it took a lot of physical effort and time to apply and wipe off the ink (intaglio method). For the first few prints I had to find the right balance in amount of ink, especially in the smaller grooves. Initially I only used one colour (Prussian Blue) but after I received some very valuable feedback from one of the tutors, I experimented with combining two techniques in applying ink: intaglio (which I ususally do) by using a squeegee + toothbrushes and once wiped off and the relief method where the ink was applied only to the raised area of the plate by using a relief roller (I only used this for some linocuts in the past). For this layer I used a terracotta colour. Normally you would leave that second layer of ink as it is, but I wanted to manipulate it and create various tones on the plate (while the blue was still underneath) so I had another intense session of wiping off the ink. All the effort was definitely worth it, I was very pleased with the result!

One of the final prints inspired by the Connecticut river

Inspired by the flow of water, I made another collagraph plate (with same kind of chipboard) by creating textures in a abstract way. I used molding paste, scrumbled up tissue paper, pieces of paperbags (every supermarket has them here!) and netting. This video shows (speeded up) how I wipe off the ink with scrim.

Wiping off ink from my collagraph plate

Certain areas were more wiped off than others to create tonal effects. As a print on its own, I don't think it works as there is too much going on. There is no point of focus and the netting is not the right texture. My plan is to use the print in artists' books so I was not too bothered. It was all about experimenting and having fun with different materials!

Water texture print

Before I left for the USA, I heard I was selected for an international print exchange (via Instagram). 20 printmakers would take part and each person would receive 19 different prints at the end. The theme was reflection. I had brought some Toyobo photopolymer plates and my design on film so that I could work on that too at ZMP. A positive and a negative image based on one of my photographs was printed on Pictorico Ultra Premium OHP Transparency film. I then exposed both images onto two different plates with the lightbox in the darkroom with the settings for a relief plate. Then I washed off the photopolymer that had been masked by the film.

The lightbox in action in the darkroom

Here's a video while printing off the two plates onto one piece of paper.

Pulling off my photopolymer print

This is just a small batch of the prints. In the end I had to make about 30 so that I could select the best ones.

Reflection print from two photopolymer plates (Toyobo)

According to Wikipedia "Northampton is known as an academic, artistic, musical, and a countercultural hub. It features a large politically liberal community along with numerous alternative health and intellectual organizations. [...] Northampton is the most politically liberal medium-size city (population 25,000–99,000) in the United States. The city has a high proportion of residents who identify as gay and lesbian, a high number of same-sex households, and is a popular destination for the LGTB community".

I only found this text after I had come back, but this is exactly how I experienced the culture there. I felt at home from the day I arrived!

To give myself some rest from all that printing and learn more about Northampton's culture, I visited it's Historic Museum and saw the exhibition "Chaotic Freedom and the scars of slavery: from Baton Rouge to Northampton". Distressing but important to not forget this horrible past!

I also visited an exhibition at A.P.E. gallery where selected members of ZMP showed their work.

A.P.E gallery in Northampton

I was instantly drawn to one of the ceiling hangings and artists' books by Edda Valborg Sigurdardottir.

Detail of Edda Valborg's mixed media work

Another artist whos work inspired me was Nancy Diessner. She had incorporated intaglio prints in a kayak sculpture!

Print sculpture by Nancy Diessner

On another day Liz Chalfin, the director of ZMP, invited me to come along to a talk by German book artist Veronika Schaepers, organised by Special Collections at Smith College. She brought a few books that were not in the library's collection. The amount of detail and dedication to create books like that is just mindblowing! Here are two videos where Veronika shows one of her "woven" artists' books.

Veronika showing her artists' book

At the end of my residency, I went down to Special Collections again to see 10 other artists' books with unusual structures such as Daniel E. Kelm, Liz Chalfin, Julie Chen and Ken Botnick.
Back at ZMP I had the opportunity to see their own artist' book "Traces", a collaboration between poet Annie G. Rogers and selected ZMP members.

Artists' book "Traces" with prints from ZMP members

I also viewed artists' book "Of Thin Ice" by ZMP member Tekla McInerey which had just been purchased by the New York Library Special Collections. It was inspired by Shackleton and Scott's expeditions to Antarctica. The photos here don't do it justice, you really have to feel the different (handmade) papers and see the subtleties in the prints upclose to fully appreciate the making of this book!

Artists' book "On Thin Ice" by Tekla McInerey

Detail of one of the pages "On Thin Ice" by Tekla McInerey

While I was there ZMP heard they received a grant to fund improvements to their studio. A fantastic achievement! During the preview of one of the members' exhibitions a local tv crew from 22 News came round to cover the story. Unfortunately the directors Liz and Sheldon had other commitments that night, but members were able to inform the journalists. And then they interviewed me! I was a bit overwhelmed (and not prepared at all!) but I think it went ok. You can watch the broadcast here.


Having fun AFTER the interview

My plan was to create artists' books from my new prints, but as it took much longer to make them and then to dry them, there was not much time left. I also realised I had to print the back side of the prints too before I could start making books. So while they were drying I made some mock-ups, inspired by Paul Jackson's books about cut and folding techniques.
This one is made by embossing paper first with one of my collagraph plates and then rubbing graphite on top.

Experiment pop-up card

I also brought Hedi Kyle's Art of the Fold book with me which gave me many wonderful ideas what to do with my prints. This one is a mock-up of the crown book made with newsprint. My head was spinning with the amount of possibilities!

Mock-up crown book

At the end of my residency I had an informal open studio event for ZMP members and tutors. I showed them my work and spoke about the various printmaking processes I had used. It was really lovely to hear their positive feedback and questions. I was actually quite sad that I had to say goodbye to this wonderful community!

Back home I made this card to thank ZMP. It's the crown greeting card structure from the Art of the Fold book. The designs come from my collagraph prints I made during my residency and are reproduced on Canson Aquarelle rag fine art paper.

Card for ZMP (front)

Last but not least, I would like to thank Aberdeenshire Council and Creative Scotland. They have given me the chance to develop my non-toxic printmaking in a totally new environment and be part of a renowned, privately-owned printmaking studio. I have learnt new printmaking techniques, have experienced working on my art full-time and worked with a different press. I have been inspired by its members and other artists in the local community and their exceptional quality of artwork. The feedback I have received from members and tutors has given me more confidence to continue the creative path I'm following now. I'm ready to take my art practice further and look for opportunities to exhibit my artists' books nationally and internationally.

VACMA award sponsors

North East Open Studios 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 16:27:00 +0000

I can't believe how fast summer went! It has already been more than two months since I last posted an article here. Earlier this year I started to use Instagram where I regularly post photos and videos. It's a more convenient way for me to record my artistic journey and connect with other artists and people who are interested in my work. You can see the latest feed on the right-hand side of my blog (if you receive blog updates by email you first have to click the title).

It has been a very busy time with a kayak expedition to Greenland (which I hope to write about later this year) and preparations for the yearly North East Open Studios. From 8-16 September I exhibited at the beautiful Phoenix Hall at Newton Dee in Bieldside, Aberdeen, with 10 other artists.

Artists at the Phoenix group

In the run up to NEOS I was asked by the Committee, among a few other artists, to take part in a promotional video which was going to be shared on social media. It was exciting to do but it's so weird to hear yourself talking!

Video of me in my studio

Video of all interviewed artists

I had a wonderful, light space and was able to display my works in the way I wanted. I brought two side tables to display my print sculpture "Betula"and my limited edition artists' book "Woodland" (the original was sold at RSA Open!).

Settling in in my exhibition space

As most visitors like to buy smaller items, I designed and made various notebooks. These proofed to be very popular so soon I will have these available in my Etsy shop!


A selection of my handmade notebooks

I used wooden boxes to display my notebooks and cards

For the event I also made a new artists' book where I used birch bark and some leftover prints.

This print sculpture was another new piece I added to my collection. It is made from two prints (from a laser engraved plate), machine-stitched together and assembled onto a piece of birch branch with three twigs.

"Betula" print sculpture (front)

"Betula" print sculpture (close-up back)

It was an amazing week, where I met so many lovely people. Hearing their feedback about my work was just priceless. I also really enjoyed working together with the other artists and being part of a group. Newton Dee has been a fabulous host for our event and I can't thank them enough for letting us use their space. Even though I was exhausted after 9 days of listening and talking, it's something I definitely want to do again, again....and again!

Kayak & Walk Shetland

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 11:15:00 +0000

Last month we went to Shetland to visit our neighbours/friends who have a holiday house on mainland (Walls). It was about 8 years ago since we last visited the islands. You can read a summary about that here. Obviously I was quite anxious about the ferry crossing after my previous experience so I had been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast and sea state. We were due to leave on the 14th of June but there was a huge storm forecasted that evening so we decided to postpone it to two days later. I'm glad I did because we had a smooth journey.

The Shetland Isles lie 168 km North East from Scottish mainland

On Sunday the 17th of June we arrived in the early hours and met up with Dave and Lucy in their beautiful house in Scarvister.

North Scarvister house

As it was stunning weather Dave, Jaap and me went out for a kayak trip along the coastline from Westerwick to Reawick. Lucy was injured so she took photos of us from land.

Kayak trip Westerwick-Reawick

More detailed map

Jaap and Arctic tern

Stunning linked cave at Westerwick

There was a cave around every corner!

Good conditions to explore every bit of the coastline

Practicing our paddle strokes in narrower bits

The geology there is mindblowing!

Jaap in his element

This rock structure at Clett looks like a bull

Jaap is keeping a safe distance from crashing waves

The cliffs at Reawick are made of sandstone

Dave paddling at Reawick

Lucy had a fantastic bird's eye view of us from land © Lucy Gilbert 2018

Exploring one of the many caves at Westerwick © Lucy Gilbert 2018

Approaching sea stacks at Sil Wick © Lucy Gilbert 2018

Another sea stack we could get through! © Lucy Gilbert 2018

Shags on rock

Happy paddlers at Reawick

The next day the weather changed and it got really windy so we went for an exciting coastal walk from Dale of Walls to Sandness.

Route coastal walk Dale of Walls to Sandness

Happy couple

Lucy watching the waves

Beautifully coloured waves

Exhilirating to watch the waves crashing against the cliffs!

Huge surf at Sandness

The third day the wind came from the South West, F4-5, so we decided to paddle on the East side, at Bressay. Lucy had to do work on Noss. It's a very short ferry crossing from Lerwick but you feel like you're miles away from mainland. We left the car at Setter and hoped to circumnavigate the island clockwise. At Bard Head the sea state was such that we decided to return the same way.

Route map of our trip along the East coast of Bressay

Coffee break on the beach of Noss overlooking Bressay

Seal basking in the sun

Add caption

Stunning cloud formation above Noss

Then it got too windy for kayaking so we visited Lerwick, its wonderful Shetland museum and Bonhoga Gallery.

The Viking influences can still be seen in Lerwick
(image manipulated on Iphone)

After a few wonderful days we left our friends and went up to Hamnavoe to stay at Johnnie Notions böd. In Shetland, a Böd was a building used to house fishermen and their gear during the fishing season. Now they offer basic accommodation: http://camping-bods.com/. We booked this place exclusively (it has 4 bunk beds). There is a simple kitchen (cold water), no shower but two toilets and it has a woodburning stove. Just perfect for a few nights, instead of camping in some windy and sometimes wet weather!

Johnnie Notions Böd in Hamnavoe

Information about Johnnie Notions

Inside "our " böd

We walked from Hamnavoe to Eshaness to Dore Holm back to Hamnavoe via Tangwick.

Map Eshaness

A wee gang of cute puffins!

Field of cotton grass

Wild orchid

Dore Holm (manipulated on Iphone)

Wave in collapsed cave (manipulated on Iphone)

On our last day we met up with Lucy and Dave again (who stayed over in our böd for 1 night) and did the Fethaland circular walk.

Route circular walk Fethaland

A large rock of quartz had to be investigated upclose

Close-up quartz

Looking towards Isle of Fethaland

Remains of old fishing houses

Skillfully built fishing house

House with a view

After a superb week with some mixed weather it was time to go back home again. It was unfortunate that the moment we got on the ferry the weather looked very stable for the following week and it would have been just perfect for kayaking. Next time we go to Shetland we'll definitely stay longer! We already know a lovely place to stay at...

Goodbye inspiring Shetland, till next time!

RSA Open Exhibition of Art

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 15:32:00 +0000

Not long after I delivered my artists' books to the Royal Scottish Academy for the
RSA Open exhibition of Art 2018, I heard both had been selected. As you can imagine I was over the moon with this news! Last week I was able to pop down and see the exhibition for myself.

The Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh

My artists' books were displayed amongst a few others behind glass in a display cabinet. I was quite disappointed that only two pages of my book "Woodland" were shown so you couldn't see any of the other prints, the handstitching and the lasercut and laser engraved covers. I can understand why they had to do it like this as so many visitors come and would like to touch it if it wasn't behind glass. I've learnt from this experience and next time I'll probably provide my own display box!

Artists' books are shown here behind glass

Close-up of a few artists' books ("Woodland" on the left)

I was pleased with the way they displayed my other book, "Trees in a box".

Close-up of a few artists' books ("Trees in a box" on the right)

Artists' books, prints, sculptures and paintings in the Finlay room

There was so much artwork to see so I really took the time to take it all in. So many different styles, mediums, subjects....Some grabbed me, inspired me, some didn't do it for me but what I really liked was the way they grouped various artworks together. My goodness, it's a mammoth job to curate such a huge exhibition!

The members' lobby

The artworks that really stood out for me are below:

"January's Pairing" by Gillian McFarland

"Mearns Triptych" by Robin Palmer

"The Fall No 6" by Simon Ward

"imcaqlaq#183.8" by Joseph Calleja

"The girl in black" by Anne Power

"Bathtub Existentialism" by Joao Villas

The exhibition runs until the 25th of July and takes place at the Lower Galleries of the Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture. The address is The Mound, Edinburgh, but entry is via Princess Street. Opening times; Mon-Sat 10am- 5pm, Sun 12-5pm. Do pop in if you're in the area!

Art exhibitions Edinburgh

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 16:20:00 +0000

Last week I travelled down to Edinburgh to deliver two of my artists' books for the RSA Open Exhibition which were pre-selected. Tomorrow I'll hear whether they have made the final selection so fingers crossed! As I had a few hours spare before I was being picked up by Jaap for our bike/hike/camp weekend at Rannoch, I was able to visit two fantastic exhibitions.

The first was at City Art Centre: Plastic Beach by Robert Callender.

Born in 1932 and died in 2011, he was a much-loved teacher and a cherished member of the Scottish art community. He was driven by his interest in the craft of making and the environment, particularly the coast, the sea and those who worked on it. Painting, 3D works and printmaking is complimented by his writings; prose and poetry on maritime and environmental themes.

"Plastic Beach"

Info about Plastic Beach

He joined a tradition of papermaking more aligned to Japanese and Chinese constructive techniques where paper, card and mixed media could be engineered into powerful utilitarian structures. The process of recycling and contemporary thinking reveal the artist's commitment to environmental concerns (info from LateralLab).

"Grey Deck" (1989) made from paper, card and paint

Detail of "Grey Deck"

Two small boats on wall

Framework of boat made out of paper, card and paint

Detail of framework

Callender's artworks are huge!

"Cross Section of Artwork" (1980s)
card, wooden frame and paint

Detail of "Cross Section of Artwork"

Artists' book "Coastal View"

I was blown away by Callender's work. Not only because I'm always inspired by art with a coastal theme but also because of the process. To create such large pieces out of paper and make it so realistic is mindblowing!!

My next visit was at Edinburgh Printmakers where I actually did a course earlier this year. With much interest I had heard and read about Translating Travels by Imi Maufe and I was delighted I had the opportunity to actually see it.

Imi Maufe is a British Artist based in Bergen, Norway. She has been turning journeys into books since 2002. Some long, some short. Others short, made long by getting lost. Modes of travel vary – ten days skiing from hut to hut, five weeks on board a Tall Ship, four months cycling with a small tent, or a short swim downstream. Her artist books are concise, conceptual documentations of the events that happened along the way. Text combined with signs and symbols is used in a minimal manner. Sometimes the text speaks for itself conjuring up a visual story in short sentences

Her books and other works attempt to show just a glimpse of her experiences through printed matter that rarely uses the photographic image. In this exhibition, she is showing work from the past fifteen years – a collection of such travels that have been developing into contained boxed pieces that can also involve collaboration with other artists (info from: Edinburgh Printmakers website).

Translating Travels by Imi Maufe

As part of the Shetland Arts Residency on board the Swan, Imi spent 5 weeks as part of the crew and documented the voyage with this Bunk Box.

"LK243 Bunk Box", Mixed Media

Detail "LK243 Bunk Box"

"Voyage Map", screenprint

Two screenprints

Binocular screenprint

Fifteen books are housed in a specially designed case. These books from 2002-2018 document getting lost, significant train rides, long and short bicycle rides, mountain ski tours and other wanderings.

"Translating Travels Suitcase" with various screenprinted artists' books

Artists' book "Cycle Ride"

Screenorint "Greetings from Norway"

Artists' book "Discovering Shetland"

Poster "Translating Travels"

This bookshelf box was produced for the Visual Arts in Rural Communities residency. It was designed to travel on a Northumberland mobile library and to be taken out on loan by library users.

Part of "Living North of the North Tyne"

Another screenprinted artists' book

SwimWalk performances started during a Hospitalfield residency in Arbroath in 2016 after a mis-order of swimming hats and a love of cold water swimming.

Installation "SwimWalk"

Detail of installation "SwimWalk"

The combination of outdoor activities, travel, environment (coastal theme again!), printmaking and artists' books really resonated with me. No doubt I will refer back to this experience when making new pieces for my own exhibition later this year!

Artistic Explorations: 3D Design (4)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Thu, 03 May 2018 19:44:00 +0000

Recently I started to experiment with creating printing plates with 3D print technology which I wrote about in one of my previous articles here. As I was not entirely happy with the result I wanted to explore this further. When I had posted about my process on Facebook, I was contacted by jewellery designer Elizabeth Armour who also works with this technology and is a freelance teacher in 3D design at Print Studio Dundee Contemporary Arts.

Print Studio at Dundee Contemporary Arts

We met up one day and spoke about our mutual interest in combining 3D print technology with traditional printmaking (intaglio and relief). I showed her my small printing plate and prints and she showed me what she had created so far. I was instantly inspired by her prints which had so much more detailed textures! So I decided to come back another day for a one-to-one session with her.

I first started with getting familiar with software program Cubify Sculpt and just play. It's like modelling on clay but then digitally! Using various features I was able to create different textures. Then the file was sent to the UP! 3D printer.

The UP! 3D printer at Print Studio DCA

Video of my design being 3D printed

By using this software I realised you're not able to achieve full control of the design. What you do and see (magnified) on screen is tiny on the actual 3D printing plate! It's very experimental and liberating though to just play and see what comes out of that.

Once the plate was finished it was time to get the inks and scrim out and use the etching press. First I created intaglio prints in brown/black etching ink on damp paper, then I made some relief prints on dry paper in a beautiful brown lino/block printing ink I found there.

Using the etching press for printing off my plate

Intaglio print (left) with 3D printed plate

Intaglio print

Relief print

My production line! © Elizabeth Armour 2018

Thank you Lizzie for a wonderful session and sharing your expertise. I look forward experimenting a bit more here in Aberdeen at Peacock Visual Arts.

Printmaking residency USA (1)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 13:55:00 +0000

I'm delighted to tell you that I have received the VACMA award to do a two-week printmaking residency in the USA later this year!

Printmaking residency at Zea Mays, USA

Zea Mays Printmaking is based in Northampton, Massachusetts, and one of the premier green studios in the USA. Their studio comprises 6000 sq. feet of printmaking bliss. When I stumbled upon their advert in Printmaking Today end of last year and did some more research about them, I was instantly drawn to their ethos so I applied for the residency instantly (with just a few days left before the deadline!). Even though I have my own studio at home with a small table top press, I really felt I needed to spread my wings, be among other printmakers and artists and emerse myself in a different artistic community.

Zea Mays (Sweet Corn) is a plant known for its ability to extract heavy metal toxins from the soil through its leaves and roots. Just as this plant is being used as a natural way of restoring contaminated earth back to health, their mission is to restore the art of printmaking to a healthy art form. At Zea Mays Printmaking they honour the rich tradition of printmaking by exploring alternatives that are safe for artists and the environment. This approach truely resonates with me as I have been working with water-soluble oil based inks since a few years now as the conventional and toxic inks gave me headaches.

During this residency I will have exclusive access of the private studio with a 40” x 72” Takach etching press and all their platemaking facilities and accommodation in the on-site guest suite. Wow!

Private studio with Takach press © Elly Prestegård

This residency will not only give me the chance to use my printmaking skills in a different way but also learn the latest developments in safer and non-toxic printmaking techniques and further explore the medium of artists' books. I'm excited about the prospect of developing ideas how I can publish my handprinted artwork into unique and limited edition books for people to look at, to browse through and to inspire. I have secured a place from 30 October until 11 November 2018 and I've just booked my flight.

The residency would push me further as an artist as I will be learning how to apply a 2D design into a 3D format through experimentation with the opportunity to get individualised feedback and instruction during that period from founder, director and printmaker Liz Chalfin and other tutors.

"A melancholy look at the end of the 20th century" © Liz Chalfin

I will be learning more about myself as an artist by working in a totally new environment among other artists from different backgrounds. It will also be the first time I will be working full-time for two weeks on a creative project.

All of this wouldn't be possible though without the financial support of Aberdeenshire Council and Creative Scotland. I would like to thank them for giving me this amazing opportunity to develop my art practice!

After this residency I will of course share my experience here on my blog and on Facebook. I will also use it for my collaborative project “Wildness” with writer Elaine Reid and share my knowledge with the general public in the form of an exhibition, a talk and art workshops, hopefully at the Woodend Barn and other venues during 2019. Watch this space!!

Artistic Explorations: 3D Design (3)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 16:48:00 +0000

Last month I wrote about my experimentation with the 3D printer at MAKE Aberdeen to create printing plates. I have now finished my project with the lasercutter and although there is still lots to learn and to find out which images would work best, I'm much happier with the result!

Video of lasercutter in action

For the front cover I used the same image of tree branches and after many, many, many trials on the lasercutter and perfecting my design in Illustrator, I finally made this in birch plywood.

The front cover is laser cut

For the back cover, the same image was used but it was laser engraved instead of laser cut. I added text such as a title and my website.

The back cover is laser engraved (apart from the holes)

For the pages of my artists' book, I laser engraved four different photos (which were converted into bitmap) onto acrylic plates, 2 and 3 mm thick.

The first image of birch tree trunks had the best result. It did show the horizontal digital lines across from the lasercutter but not so much as the others. According to the studio manager this had to do with the fact that acrylic sheets are actually not completely flat and the lasercutter will read every tiny unevenness! For the images I have been using for this project it's not a disaster as it adds to the markmaking of the trees and leaves in the final print, but I will be very cautious with choosing a photo next time. I would like to spend more time experimenting and see what happens with different kind of images.

Acrylic printing plate with photo engraving

Acrylic printing plate with a different photo engraving

Acrylic printing plate with another different photo engraving

Each plate was inked up with Caligo Safewash ink in various natural colours and printed off (intaglio) on various printmaking papers like Somerset and Fabriano with my Xcut Xpress. I added more or less extender to the ink to vary tones in colour. I also printed off some ghost prints (printing off left over ink).

The 2 mm thickness is definitely not something I would use again as it's too flexible and it's more liable to breaking in the press (which happened to one of my plates!).

Printing the laser engraved plates with the Xcut Xpress

One of the prints of leaves

One of the prints of the birch tree trunks

One of the prints of the bark texture

Different tonal print of the leaves

Close-up of birch tree trunks print

Green print of birch tree trunks

Print of forest with tree trunks

Close-up of leaves print

Ghost print of moss/lychen texture

After a lot of physical work I had 24 handpulled prints which were then collated and glued to make 12 signatures. These were then handbound with a coptic stitch together with the front and back cover.

This is how it looks finished. The size is 20 x 20 cm.

Artists' book "Woodland", front

Artists' book "Woodland", front and back

Artists' book "Woodland", handbound with coptic stitch

Artists' book "Woodland", pages

I decided to mix up colours and designs. There was one page slightly smaller than all the the others and incorporated this one together with the same design but in a dark green colour into one signature.

One of the pages in Artists' book "Woodland"

After I had posted it onto my Facebook page, I received overwhelming positive feedback....from across the world!! Thanks everyone.

My plan now is to make a limited edition of this artists' book "Woodland", with reproductions of my original prints. I had hoped I could do that at MAKE Aberdeen but unfortunately they are going to close down this week. Fingers crossed the digi lab at Peacock Visual Arts can help me with that so I can submit my work to a few upcoming exhibitions.

Artistic Explorations: 3D Design (2)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 12:38:00 +0000

For the 3D Design course I'm currently doing (see first article here) at Make Aberdeen, we have to decide what our final project would be. I'm passionate about printmaking and intrigued about how new technologies can be combined with traditional methods. After reading an article in Printmaking Today by The Postdigital Printmaker, I decided to explore ways to create printmaking plates through 3D printing and lasercutting.

Make Digital Fabrication Studio, Aberdeen

Examples of 3D printed designs at Make

Examples of lasercut designs at Make

Rolls of thermoplastic filament for our 3D printer at Make

Make Aberdeen

Instructions for the lasercutter at Make

Big scary laser sign at Make

3D printing technologies shown in a diagram

Last week I had my first attempt in using one of my images for a 3D printed relief pate with software program Ultimaker Cura. Together with my tutor/studio manager we set some of the parameters such as layer height, wall thickness, infill density and whether white or black should be bottom or top relief. I chose this image (manipulated with apps on IPhone) because of the high contrast.

Iphone photo inverted as the basis for my plate

Ultimaker Cura and parameters

Once sent to the printer, I had to wait patiently for about 1.5 hrs and let the printer do its work.

The self-built Ultimaker 3D printer

3D printing of the plate in action

The final plate is 50 x 50 x 3 mm.

The 3D printed relief plate (top view)

The 3D printed relief plate (side view)

As the plate was too rough, I used sandpaper to make it smoother. Then I inked it up intaglio, pressing the ink in the lower parts of the plate and wiping off with scrim. I took off the last remains from the higher parts of the plate with some tissue paper.

The 3D printed relief plate inked up (intaglio)

I then used my tabletop Xcut Xpress printing press to pull off some test prints.

Printing my plate with the Xcut Xpress

Unfortunately the results look like a relief print (higher part is printed) instead of an intaglio print (lower part is printed) that I was aiming for. I realised this was due to the fact that the plate was built up too high so that the soaked paper couldn't pick up any ink.

Various prints of the plate from dark to light (ghost prints)

After this first test I changed the parameters to make it much less deep, but that didn't work at all as all detail was lost. I might have to spend more time to make this technique work for me but I'm not convinced it can achieve the amount of detail I want in my prints. I'm now in the process of making printing plates on the lasercutter instead and I will share my findings and some print results with you here hopefully soon.

Artistic Explorations: Intaglio Printmaking (6)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 10:46:00 +0000

Last weekend I went to Edinburgh Printmakers to learn all about Toyobo Plate Printmaking from artist Leena Nammari. Until now I had only worked at Peacock Visual Arts and Grays School of Art in Aberdeen to make my prints, so it was great to visit a different and beautiful printmaking studio and get familiar with their printing presses and other facilities.

Edinburgh Printmakers seen from the gallery

Etching area at Edinburgh Printmakers

Relief press at Edinburgh Printmakers

Etching press "Bart" at Edinburgh Printmakers

Inking up area at Edinburgh Printmakers

The two other etching presses at EP

Pantone like prints from etched plates at EP

The studio is based in a former laundrette from the 1920's, a very old (and cold!) but beautiful building with many authentic features still there. However, they are outgrowing their premise so they plan to move to the former North British Rubber Company HQ – Castle Mill Works, and will transform it into a vibrant new creative hub opening to the public in 2019.

Info about new premise for EP at Castle Mill Works

For a long time I have wanted to create printing plates from my photographs by using photoplymer and produce some intaglio prints with them. This course used water-wash photo-sensitive printing plate Printight® from the company Toyobo.

After a short introduction Leena showed us examples of some Toyobo plates and prints. There are two ways to do it;
Tonal (or intaglio), where the image is not too dark and too light. It's incised in the surface and the lower areas of the plate hold the ink.
Relief, with high contrast in the image. Only the higher areas of the plate hold the ink.

Samples of Toyobo plates and prints (tonal)


Tonal print from Toyobo plate (artist unknown)

Samples of relief prints and plates

Samples of relief prints from Toyobo plate

For this kind of printmaking you need the following:

Image on inkjet acetate
Toyobo printight plates
Randon dot screen (our plates were already dotted)
Some card
Darkroom
Tray
Heat source
Thermometer
Timer
Sponge
UV exposure unit
The usual printing materials such as ink, scrim, squeegee

The procdure to prepare the plate is as follows:
After the plate has been pre-exposed with the dot screen, the overall black tone of the image has been set. Then the acetate sheet with the printed image is put on top of the plate and put in the UV unit. The black part of the design blocks out the UV light and the clear parts let it through. Where the light hits the plate, the polymer hardens and where the black parts mask it, it stays water soluble. You can then wash out the black parts using warm water (between 20-25 C). Once the plate is completely dry it's put in the UV unit again to bake it/cure it. It will then be ready for printing.

Due to time restriction we would only create a tonal plate. Another dotted plate was given to us to try out the relief method in our own time.

We first decided which image we wanted to expose onto the plate. By using Photoshop we checked that we had the right tones. I chose this photograph I took while on holiday on Isle of Harris years ago and after some tweaks I converted it to greyscale. Then it was printed on acetate with an inkjet printer.

A ruined Highland cottage was the start of it all

We then created a test plate to see which exposures would be best for the image, ranging from 30 to 60 light units. After each exposure we put cardboard underneath the previous section to mask it, building up strips of exposures.

Acetate sheet with my image and plate with markings on back
to test various exposures

The test plates are ready to be exposed in the UV light unit

In the dark room we filled trays of water, put our plate in and rocked it for 1 minute, sponged the surface for 1 minute and rinsed it with clean water of the same temperature for 1 minute. These times are for a plate sized A5. The larger the plate, the longer the sponging time.

Sponging in the dark room

Rinsing the plates in the dark room

We gently blotted the plate with a few kitchen towels until the surface became sticky. It was then put on a heater for about 5 to 10 minutes. Finally it was baked in the UV light unit again for about 200 light units; 100 (dot screen) + 60 (test strips) + extra for good measure.

We soaked a few printmaking papers in water such as Hahnemuhle (15 min), Fabriano Rosaspina (15-20 min) and Somerset Satin/Velvet (30-60 min) to make some test prints.

Pulling off the print from the etching press

It was exciting to see how all the test prints turned out!

After a few test prints we assessed which exposure would be the correct one, looking carefully at under- and over exposure areas in the image.

Test acetate sheet with two test prints

Test print with strips of short exposure (30, left) to high expsoure (60, right)

With the help from Leena, I chose exposure 55 to create a new plate for my final image, following the same procedure as above.

The final tonal plate

I used Soft Black, various amounts of Carmine Red and various amounts of extender to further experiment with tones in the print.

The first print had too much red in it. Printed on Hahnemuhle White paper.

This one was printed on Somerset Velvet paper

After printing several prints on different papers I got a feel for what would work best. I then applied two subtle colour differences of ink for sky and land. I carefully scrimmed away the ink, trying not to blend the colours on the plate so I was able to create a two-tone image.

This two-tone print was printed on Fabriano Rosaspina paper,
a gorgeous warm tinted paper

Once home I tried to print the plate on my new Xcut Xpress press experimenting more with how much extender I had to add to the ink to find the right balance in contrast. It worked beautifully!

Printing on the Xcut Xpress press at home

Very light print due to the amount of extender

Slightly darker print by decreasing the amount of extender

Thank you Leena for your enthusiasm, patience and sharing your wealth of knowledge! I'm really excited to experiment more with this technique now and make a relief plate too which involves a slightly different procedure. I'll keep you updated of my progress!

Merry Christmas & a blissful New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 14:05:00 +0000

At this time of the year I always like to reflect on the things I've done and experienced during the year. While looking back I realise how quickly this year has flown by and how amazing it was. It was filled with beautiful trips and inspirational and creative events! You can read more about that in my latest newsletter.

I would like to thank you for supporting me by following this blog, giving me commissions, participating in my workshops, collaborating with me, teaching me new skills and encouraging me in my artistic journey.

Merry Christmas and a blissful New Year!

Artistic Explorations: Visual Poetry (1)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 15:38:00 +0000

My collaboration with writer and artist Elaine Reid recently resulted in co-facilitating a Visual Poetry workshop, as part of the Barn's community year-long project Flourish that she is leading. In the run up to the workshop we got together in my studio to go through the steps ourselves and create a few visual poems. Elaine already had experience with found poetry and making zentangle drawings around it but I hadn't. We would offer the participants a wide array of art materials to play with and before we could do that, we actually had to find out what would work best.

We copied a few pages of an old book onto heavy-weight mixed media paper, skim read the text without actually reading the content and circling the words that popped out.

Example of text for visual poem

We then worked with gesso (to push back the text that we didn't want to keep) and added acrylics, coloured pens, stencilling, stamping and collage material for the visual element of our found poem. I thoroughly enjoyed the experimental and subconscious process of it all!

Here are the visual poems I made in preparation for the workshop.

Visual poem with stencilling

Visual poem with collage

Visual poem with stamping and drawing

During the first half of the day, which was led by Elaine, they focussed on found poetry; skim reading, circling and trying to connect words and phrases in pencil.

Participants at work in the gallery of the Barn

Participants at work in the gallery of the Barn ©Elaine Reid 2017

Found poetry in action

Everyone would get three different pages and in just half an hour's time, the group created so many different poems from sometimes the exact same text!

The second half was led by me. We first showed them samples of our work so that they could get an idea what can be achieved.

Examples of our visual poems ©Elaine Reid 2017

Once I explained and showed them what you can do with the various art material I had brought along, it was time to play!

I brought a selection of art materials they could use

Using gesso and collage ©Elaine Reid 2017

Using a stencil to draw a shapes ©Elaine Reid 2017

Using various papers as collage ©Elaine Reid 2017

The page is now totally transformed into a visual poem ©Elaine Reid

One of the participants using pen and collage to erase text ©Elaine Reid 2017

This workshop was part of the community project Flourish ©Elaine Reid 2017

One of the visual poems a participant created ©Elaine Reid 2017

Another example of a visual poem created by a participant

Reading and hearing the feedback from all the participants afterwards I can say it was a huge success! Hopefully we can do it again next year. From 5-18 March 2018, these poems and many more will be displayed during a two-week Flourish exhibition.

Artistic Explorations: Artists' Books and Book Objects (2)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 16:14:00 +0000

In March I wrote about my first attempt to create an artists' book (see article). This inspired me to make many more but due to various other art projects, commissions and applications, it only stayed as concepts in my mind. Until now!

While browsing through my materials, I noticed one of my large prints would be suitable to create a flutter book from.

Ecotone (copper); drypoint with embossing and rubbing
with Artist Paintstik (copper) and conté crayon

After studying this book format and deciding where the cuts should be, I first made a sample out of cartridge paper, just to make sure it was all correct!

Then I selected the section I wanted, pencilled my measurements onto the print and cut it out with a scalpel knife. The paper was folded and some folds were partly slit to create an accordion. The back side was blank so I added pages by cutting out double spread sections. These were then handstitched with a pamphlet stitch to the flutter book by using copper metallic thread.

"Trees in a box", artists' book and box

"Trees in a box", close-up of a few pages from artists' book

"Trees in a box", close-up of page from artists' book

"Trees in a box", front of artists' book

"Trees in a box", spine of artists' book (with handstitching)

I also made a box for this book out of cardboard and other parts of my original print. The box measures 11.5 x 8 x 3 cm.

Handmade box for artists' book "Trees in a box",
11.5 x 8.5 x 3 cm

Next year I hope to do an art residency to create more artists' books and book objects. I'll keep you informed if there is any news about that. In the meantime, I will be experimenting with this medium in my studio and see what else I can come up with.

Artistic Explorations: 3D Design (1)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 20:52:00 +0000

When I was a young teenager my father introduced me to photography. He had a dark room and I remember watching him processing his images with different chemicals in various baths. It was magical to see him developing his artistic photographs! At that time I had my own small analogue camera but I never tried to develop my images myself because the smell of these chemicals really put me off. When I got my first digital camera around 2004, just before we moved to Scotland, it all changed. I enjoyed learning how to develop them on my computer and quickly I was hooked. My love for photography was reignited.

When my father gave me a selection of vintage cameras, previously owned by him, my grandfather and even my great grandfather, I was delighted! Although I have never used them myself, I feel honoured I'm the keeper of this precious collection.

My vintage camera collection

Among this collection is a glassplate camera and a rolleiflex

A few retro cameras

I even have a camera made out of of a can from Cuba, given by my parents!

Recently I started my 3D design course at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen. During this course we learn about lasercutting and 3D printing. After familiarising with Adobe Illustrator again for the first two lessons (it had been a long time ago since I used it but it's like driving a car), we had to choose an object we wanted to create and/or blend into. I chose to recreate one of the vintage cameras: the Balda Super Baldina from around 1950's!

Balda Super Baldina camera (1950's)

Sketchbook with my design for the camera

After measuring, drawing, re-measuring, tweaking and adding a few more drawings I was finally able to have all my pieces cut out from cardboard with the lasercutter. Then I glued all the different pieces together. There were a few things I had left out in my initial design, but once I had assembled the camera I thought it would be better to add them so I cut the viewfinder front and back, side strips, tiny cord holes on the side and flashlight holder by hand.

My cardboard replica of the Balda Super Baldina next to the real one

The reconstructed Balda Super Baldina in cardboard

Balda Super Baldina, back view

Balda Super Baldina, top view

I really enjoyed the whole process from design to contruction and I'm pleased with how it turned out. Now it has a spot in my small vintage camera museum!

Vancouver Island from land and sea

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 12:49:00 +0000

The planning for our holiday on Vancouver Island started about a year ago. We and 6 other friends from our kayak club booked a week's expedition with Mike from Mountain & Sea Guides. As it's such a big island and Jaap and I only visited Victoria during our honeymoon, we deciced to add two more weeks. Finally on the 19th of August our big holiday started and we flew out to Vancouver and then Port Hardy in the North East.

After Port Hardy (just North of Telegraph Cove) we stayed in Strathcona Park (Buttle Lake) where we met our Dutch friends by coincidence, Tofino where we walked through dense rainforest and over massive roots to reach Cone Hill, Ucluelet where we walked part of the Wild Pacific Trail, Courtenay where we cooled off in the local river and Quadra Island where we met Driftwood Tom. Then we went to Telegraph Cove where our week's kayak expedition to the Broughton Archipelago started from.

Map of Vancouver Island with visited places (blue triangles)

Below is a selection of photos and videos to get an impression of what we saw and did. A picture tells a thousand words so the writing will be very limited. Not all photos have been taken by myself and where relevant have been credited accordingly. I would like to thank Dave, Jill, Nicky and Mo for their permission to use them here. Enjoy!

Juvenile bald eagle

Colourful damselfly

Bear warning sign along one of the many trails

Swimming in Buttle Lake, Strathcona Park

The cool lad and the silly lassie underwater

Stunning scenery at Buttle Lake

Our first night camping at Buttle Lake

Map of Tofino and Ucluelet area

Boat journey to Meares Island near Tofino

Sunset from Meares Island

After a long, steep and sweaty ascent we finally made it
to the top of Cone Hill on Meares Island

Derelict van as sculptural feature in Tofino Botanical Gardens

Brilliant sign in Tofino Botanical Gardens

Vintage typewriter in nature

Man and woman sculpture

Lily pond at botanical gardens

More sculptures in the garden

I was treated a delicious lunch for my birthday at Tofino Botanical Gardens

Our camping spot at Ucluelet just after we had been notified
a bear wasforaging on this very spot an hour earlier!

Wild Pacific Trail sign

We actually thought this was put up mainly to keep dogs on a leash.
Wolves tend to avoid places where there are many tourists!

The trail had magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean around every corner

We had just been warned by the warden that a bear had been spotted
on the trail about an hour earlier and then we saw bear poo.
It's full of blackcurrants and smells like it too!

This large Douglas Fir tree is a very popular tourist attraction and
is located at Cathedral Cove between Ucluelet and Port Alberni

It's hard to see the size of the Big Tree in such a dense rainforest

Branches are covered in lichen

Beautiful root system of a fallen tree

A giant chair made from driftwood by Driftwood Tom on Quadra Island

Driftwood Tom and Jaap in front of his self-built house.
It was so inspiring to meet him and to see his work!

True craftmanship

Nature taking over

Driftwood Tom builds these small huts for the many hippies
who live in the forests of Vancouver Island

At Nuyumbalees Cultural Center on Quadra Island we learnt about
Canada's First Nations populations, their woodcarvings
and their potlatch collections such as masks

Time for reflection and shade under this artistic construction

First Nations woodcarving

Postcard The Pod by Trevor Angus:
"Whales teach us about living together with family and community"

Postcard Eagle Transforming by Corey W. Moraes:
"The spirit in all beings offers guidance as we transform"

Postcard Whale by Paul Windsor:
"Whales provide us a message of family, unity and collective strength"

Boardwalk at Telegraph Cove

Telegraph Cove Harbour

WWII Telegraph Line at Telegraph Cove

Navigating through rainforest near Telegraph Cove to
reach a viewpoint overlooking Johnstone Strait
© Jill Franks

On two occassions I almost stepped on the Common Garter snake!
© Dave Johnson

Our kayaks ready for a week's paddling in the Broughton Archipelago
©Dave Johnson

Day 1: Telegraph Cove to Kaikash Creek Forest Recreation Site, 14 km
Day 2: Kaikash to Mound Island, 21 km

Killer whales in Johnstone Strait

Killer whales in Blackney Passage

Our campsite at Mound Island (2nd night)

Every night we had a delicious meal cooked by Mike.
Afterwards there was a strict regime to put all washed up dishes,
cutlery, mugs and even toothpaste in our kayaks to avoid attracting
bears and cougars. Even deodorant was not permitted!

Mo drawing skillfully in her sketchbook

Day 3: Mound Island to Echo Bay, about 30 km

Jaap observing a flock of small waders © Mo Jones

A flock of waders along the coastline

A fresh bear footprint on the beach where we just had lunch!
© Nicky Penford

As soon as we had finished our lunch here and got back
on the water this bear appeared!

Although being aware of us on the water, this bear just continued
foraging for seafood along the coastline © Dave Johnson

https://youtu.be/YJg5KxscxYc

While safely on the water, I was able to capture the movement of this bear
foraging for food and even having a poo!

After that amazing experience, we might have slept a bit differently!

Arriving in Echo Bay after a long paddle day

Echo Bay from our campsite (3rd night)

Mooring at Echo Bay shop and filling station to get fresh water
and check the weather forecast for the coming days © Jill Franks

Mike briefing us about where we're going to paddle to next

Day 4: Echo Bay to Crib Island, about 25 km

Thick fog and drizzle on day 4 created a mystical atmosphere

Sea lions on Screen Island © Dave Johnson

The sound of the Steller sea lion bulls was very impressive, especially because you

could hardly see them!

The mesmerising sound of the Common Loons

Common Loon with chick © Eagle Wing Tours

Day 5: Crib Island to White Cliff, 14 km

On day 5 the fog was luckily lifting. We had lunch and waited for slack water
at Dusky Cove © Jill Franks

Me enjoying the scenery and beautiful weather after a day of fog and rain
© Jill Franks

Jaap and me paddling approaching one of the islets in the Broughton Archipelago
© Dave Johnson

Jaap paddling towards one of the islets in Broughton Archipelago

Taking in this amazing scenery at Broughton Archipelago

Once we arrived at White Cliff in the early afternoon, Jaap went for a swim.
It was hot and humid all week and we hadn't had a shower since we left.
He was very brave as the water temperature was just around 8 degrees!!!
© Dave Johnson

Me searching for humpback whales from White Cliff where we stayed the night.
They were in abundance here! © Dave Johnson

Our camp at White Cliff

We were extremely lucky to have been able to watch this humpback whale

bubble netting from 'our' islet White Cliff!

This whale was surely putting up a show just for us....about 7 times in a row!!

Our kayaks parked for the night on driftwood

Sunset with moon at White Cliff © Dave Johnson

Pure bliss; enjoying yummy food with friends in stunning scenery while watching
humpback whales catching their meal. It can't get any better than this!

Humpback whale at sunset © Dave Johnson

Day 6: From White Cliff to Hanson Island, 11 km
Day 7: From Hanson Island back to Telegraph Cove, 16 km

Me doing kayak yoga in Johnstone Strait © Nicky Penford

Drying out our stuff after a week's paddling during our lunchbreak
© Nicky Penford

Our expedition team. Thank you all for a great time and in particular
our guide Mike (in blue) for being a superb leader and cook!

National Open Print Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Sun, 24 Sep 2017 18:42:00 +0000

In spring this year I saw an advert to submit artwork for the National Open Print Exhibition at Bankside Gallery in London and thought: "Why not?". So I decided to send them 6 images of my handmade prints, including my very first artists' book which I wrote about in one of my previous posts. You can understand how excited I was when I heard my book was accepted to be exhibited!

Organic Book by Fenfolio

Last Tuesday I met my mum in London who came over from The Netherlands just to be at the preview. It was such an amazing experience and lovely to have shared this with her!

Entrance of Bankside Gallery

Catalogue cover

Catalogue page with artists' works

Me and my mum with my artists' book at the preview

Display table

My artists' book on the display table

The preview was very well attended. We met a few other artists and the prize winners were announced (unfortunately I wasn't one of them).

The preview night

As it was so busy it was quite difficult to take a good look at all this beautiful artwork so the next day we came back.

Quieter times the day after!

I especially admired the following pieces:

Gull Wing Aeroplane by Stephen Hoskins

Close-up of Gull Wing Aeroplane

Stitched by Eman AlHashemi

Close-up of Stitched

Woman in White III by Naomi Slonims

Tat Kuang Sing VIII by Marianne Ferm

Close-up of aquatint Tat Kuang Sing VIII

Fires of London by Anne Desmet

The exhibition runs until the 1st of October.

CODA Paper Art Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 21:07:00 +0000

Earlier this month, when I was visiting my parents in The Netherlands, I had the opportunity to see the paper art exhibition at CODA Museum in Apeldoorn. It's a biennial exhibition (runs until 29 October 2017) that puts visual art made on and of paper centre stage.

CODA Paper Art 2017 brings together the work of 31 artists from The Netherlands and abroad. Some artists reflect on paper as a material, while others use it to tell their story. Sometimes current issues inspire the artist but just as often the work of art is the result of material research (source: CODA Paper Art 2017 Catalogue).

My latest art pieces have been made from paper and this winter I'll learn more about laser cutting so this exhibition came at the perfect time. Below are the works of artists that stood out for me:

Veronica Hodges
Nature is an important source of inspiration for her work. Installation Seaweed in the sky reminds us of the beauty of nature which is always subject to change.

Seaweed in the Sky by Veronica Hodges

Angela Glajcar
She explores the possibilities of creating a 3-dimensional image with 2-dimensional parts. With sheets of ripped and colourless paper, she creates a massive sculpture that communicates with the space, light and shadow. The title of the work uses two terms; terra and perforation. Terra as in terra incognita (new territory and process) and perforation is shown in the way she treats the material.

Terforation by Angela Glajcar

Terforation (close-up) by Angela Glajcar

Ina Fekken
Huizinge 3,6 is a burnt paper installation. The spectator can discern gas rigs drilling their way up in the cut-out sheets of paper. Together they form a gas pipe with the same diameter as the pipes used to transport the gas that is extracted from the soil of Groningen (Northern region of The Netherlands).

Huizinge 3,6 by Ina Fekken

Huizinge 3,6 (close-up) by Ina Fekken

Frank Straatman
He mainly makes spatial work in which human figures appear regularly. Distortion and instability play a big role in his work. Soul sister is made with cardboard, tape, wax, wood and polyutheraan.

Soul sister by Frank Straatman

Miriam Londoño
She focusses on the regugee crisis with depictions of streams of refugees and the routes they travel with works she made using strands of paper pulp. Miriam is an immigrant herself.

Refugees by Miriam Londoño

Refugees (close-up) by Miriam Londoño

Uncertain Routes by Miriam Londoño

Uncertain Routes (close-up) by Miriam Londoño

Naomi Mcintosh
She calls her pieces portable drawings as she is always looking for the transition of two dimensions into three dimensions. The necklaces are made from paper and wood.

Parallel Jewellery Collection by Naomi Mcintosh

Cara Johnson
The Jewellery of this artist tells a unique story about a specific place. Nature and human intervention are important subjects in her work. For example, she buried one necklace made from wood and paper in a mining area for a month. The red earth stained the work.

Jewellery by Cara Johnson

Pao Hui Kao
In her installation Paper and Water she examines the strength of paper. She embarks from the idea that water always represents a threat to paper. Kao's research however shows that water changes the fibrous structure of paper in such a way that it actually makes it stronger.

Paper sculpure by Pao Hui Kao

Paper sculpure (close-up) by Pao Hui Kao

Paper sculpure by Pao Hui Kao

Mia Wen-Hsuan Liu
Her paper creations are at the borders of painting, relief and sculpture. From a distance the abstract forms appear to be slowly moving away from the wall and occupy the space. Up close you become mesmerised by the endless working of the paper and the many details she applied with great precision.

Paper sculpures by Mia Wen-Hsuan Liu

Paper sculpure (close-up) by Mia Wen-Hsuan Liu

Jiangmei Wu
Light Harvest is a magnified version of the protein complex that plays an important role in photosynthesis. She combines paper with video projection.

Light Harvest by Jiangmei Wu

Vienna Romanée
With her piece Datanaaiproject she focusses on the concept of time. It consists of cut out strips of newsprint bearing the days of the week and data that she sews together with human hair.

Datanaaiproject by Vienna Romanée

Datanaaiproject (close-up) by Vienna Romanée

Elke Lutgerink
She pushes the boundary between fantasy and reality. Plant and animal life are her sources of inspiration which she translates into more abstract versions. She creates fairylike figures from catalogues, magazines and wrapping paper. Log was made out of paper from a TEFAF catalogue.

Log by Elke Lutgerink

Log (close-up) by Elke Lutgerink

Kumi Yamashita
Her wall installation Origami consists solely of sheets of origami paper and a light source that guarantees the face-shaped shadows on the wall. A simple sheet of paper symbolises the essence of who we are. This sheet can be folded into an infinite number of shapes, just like people appear in many guises and forms.

Origami by Kumi Yamashita

Origami (close-up) by Kumi Yamashita

Lilian Vlaun
Her spatial work 12°32'19.7"N 70°3'47.5"W consists of papier mâché boulders imitating the rocks found on the beaches of Aruba where she is from. Her work poses questions about culture versus nature and real versus imitation.

12°32'19.7"N 70°3'47.5"W by Lilian Vlaun

12°32'19.7"N 70°3'47.5"W (close-up) by Lilian Vlaun

And after seeing so many beautiful artworks it was time to share our experiences and relax in CODA's funky café!

Grays School of Art Degree Show

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 19:24:00 +0000

One of the artistic highlights for me every year is the Grays Art Degree Show where graduates show their artwork in their chosen speciality; Communication Design, Contemporary Art Practice, Fashion & Textile Design, Painting, 3D Design and Commercial Photography. Every artist also has to write an artist statement about what inspired them to make their artwork and how they did that. Some statements were very well written and highly academic. The national newspaper "The Scotsman" published a review which you can read here.

Compared to previous years I thought the standard of work was exceptional! I was especially blown away by Aigita's work. Her dedication to research and experimentation and her passion for the process of creating her own material and then making beautiful sculptures with it was truely impressive.

Here is a selection of artworks that really stood out for me.

Artist statement by Yvette Bathgate

Installation by Yvette Bathgate

Artist statement by Chloe Ockrim

Digitally manipulated image by Chloe Ockrim

Artist statement by Bea Meldrum

Contemporary art & poetry by Bea Meldum

Artist statement by Hannah Hawkes

Print by Hannah Hawkes

Installation by Hannah Hawkes

Prints by Hannah Hawkes

Artist statement by Eleanor Cheetham

Charcoal sculpure by Eleanor Cheetham

Artist statement by Rebecca Bisset

Shop Sign by Rebecca Bisset

Merchandise by Rebecca Bisset

Artist statement by Aigita Kalnina

Various strips of material by Aigita Kalnina

Close-up of material by Aigita Kalnina

Artwork by Aigita Kalnina

Sculpure and prints by Aigita Kalnina

Sculpure by Aigita Kalnina

Close-up of material by Aigita Kalnina

Sculpture by Aigita Kalnina

Material pieces in a lightbox by Aigita Kalnina

Sketchbook pages by Aigita Kalnina

Artist statement by Forest Napier

Fashion and fabric design by Forest Napier

Skeleton leaves by Forest Napier

Artist statement by Lucy Aitchison

Artwork by Lucy Aitchison

Close-up of bubble wrap with samples by Lucy Aitchison

Artist statement by Rowan Crawford

Digital prints on acrylic by Rowan Crawford

Artist statement by Brooke-Hayley Andrews

Mixed media painting by Brooke-Hayley Andrews

Mixed media painting with artifical grass by Brooke-Hayley Andrews

Close-up mixed media painting with artifical grass by Brooke-Hayley Andrews

Artist statement by Aimeena Dar

Mixed media painting by Aimeena Dar

Artist statement by Annie Mulvey

Mixed media painting by Annie Mulvey

Close-up mixed media painting by Annie Mulvey

Congratulations to all students for organising such an inspirational show and good luck with the next step in your creative career!

Art trail through Edinburgh & Fife

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 19:18:00 +0000

Every year I look forward to prepare for and take part in North East Open Studios. As I don't put my work out into galleries, it's the main event for me to engage with the general public and hear their feedback about my work. This year however I won't be able to take part unfortunately because I will be away on a kayak expedition in Canada in the weeks leading up to the event. I will really miss it, but it gives me a chance to be a visitor instead!

I already had a wonderful experience recently when we were in Edinburgh and Fife. We went there to arrange a new passport and combined this with a few art exhibitions and open studio events.

We stayed in an Airbnb appartment in Leith, the port of Edinburgh which we hadn't explored yet. Great pubs, restaurants and a very interesting historic display about the harbour. While walking we stumbled upon an exhibition organised by students of Edinburgh College of Art in DOK Artist Space.

How innovative to house young artists in a tin shed which was built in the Second World War! I loved the interior with the steel walls, bolts, some rust peaking through and it worked very well as a background for their beautiful artwork.

In Leith we also had the opportunity to see the distinctive heritage building Custom House. And best of all, it was Open Studios!

Trina Bohan showed a selection of her expressive life drawings and landscape paintings in her spacious studio.

SilverHub Studios is a contemporary jewellery studio and workshop also based in this Georgian building.

A drawing school (name unknown), teaching draftsmanship like the old masters, is also based here.

And a few more such as a muralist!

From Leith we went to the city centre to see the RSA Annual Exhibition. Always a highlight to see so many different and extraordinary artworks by RSA's members.

I was in particular intrigued by environmental artist Chris Drury's Land and Language I-Looking South from Eaval, North Uist. How he was able to build up a picture of a landscape by arranging all the names of the hills and lochs visible from this point is mindblowing!

Our last visit for that day was Summerhall where there was an exhibition as part of the Science Festival. It's a very interesting building and has lots on offer artistically and culturely. The art pieces that stood out for me were Beneath and Beyond: Seismic Sounds by Stephen Hurrel. It's a live feed audio-video installation which is produced by constant movements and tectonic shifts beneath the Earth's surface. Data/vibrations from hundred seismic stations around the world are translated into unique sound arrangements that are experienced in real time along with their corresponding visual representations (lines and waveforms).

The other one was Black Hole Horizon by Lily Hibberd & Extreme Light Group. It's a 3D sound installation based on Extreme Light's artifical rotating black hole experiment. The black hole horizon is created where the water flow's velocity is faster than light's constant speed. Light doesn't have the force to resist the flow.

The next day, when it was stunning weather, we visited the Royal Botanic Gardens. At the entrance we were treated by a wonderful exhibition "After the Storm". Members of the Scottish Furniture Makers Association produced contemporary furniture from salvaged timber from storm-damaged trees.

On our way back home again we stopped at various little villages in the Kingdom of Fife where artists had their Open Studios that weekend.

We met the makers at Falkland Furniture and visited the newly built building across where Woodworks is based. This is a innovative programme for enterprising and creative young people who wish to learn about woodland culture and make more of Scottish woodlands. We met Islay Gray, a furniture making student of Fife College and her work is wonderful!

It was a delight to see that two printmakers were showing their work too. Claire McVinnie, who is printmaker at Dundee Contemporary Arts Print Studio, explained how she created her stunning botanical monoprints. Our last visit was at Jean Duncan's house and studio. I was truely inspired by her organic themed prints and handmade paper.

Driving back north my head was buzzing of all the wonderful things I had seen and the friendly encounters we experienced. I can't wait to experience our own NEOS as a visitor this year!

Artistic Explorations: Papercutting (2)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Thu, 11 May 2017 16:40:00 +0000

Spring is in full swing here and weeks are flying past before you know it! It's been a while since I posted here but all for a good reason. Since the end of last year I have been working (on and off) on a papercut commission for a friend. Last week I delivered the two pieces.

Before I started my work we discussed what kind of design and colours she wanted it to have. For the dining room she wanted to have a botanical design (http://fenfolio.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/artistic-explorations-papercutting-1.html) in the colours deep red/orange/yellow to fit with a sofa there. For the living room she wanted to have something that would suit the current colour scheme cerulean blue/turquoise/sepia and coastal theme.

Here I have started cutting out my design for the large piece "Botanical Patterns Red/Orange/Yellow", 92 x 67 cm.

Once finished I laid it on coloured paper to see all was fine.

Then I painted the papercut with Golden High Flow Acrylics in the colours red, orange and yellow.

The second piece was smaller and a new design all together. After I made a few sketches and played with some patterns I decided on this design for "Coastal Patterns", 50 x 37 cm.

Once finished I painted the papercut with Golden High Flow Acrylics again in the colours blue, turquoise and sepia.

Both are hung in an acrylic frame. Hopefully soon I can take some photos while the sun is shining as shadows will be displayed on the wall behind the papercut creating a 3D effect. I will update here then. My friend is delighted with the pieces and that makes me happy too!

Artistic Explorations: Artists' Books and Book Objects (1)

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 18:14:00 +0000

Artists' books are books made or conceived by artists. There are fine artists who make books and book artists who produce work exclusively in that medium, as well as illustrators, typographers, writers, poets, book binders, printers and many others who work collaboratively or alone to produce artists' books. Many artists' books are self-published, or are produced by small presses or by artists' groups or collectives, usually in limited editions. Artists' books that maintain the traditional structure of a book are often known as book art or bookworks, while those that reference the shape of a book are known as book object (source: http://www.vam.ac.uk).

End of last year a friend of mine, who is a writer and artist (https://elainereidwriting.co.uk/) , started talking about collaborating together. We are both inspired by artists' books and book objects and we had the change to take part in a workshop "Book Object" organised by artist and educator Brigid Collins. Once I had seen her website and her beautiful creations I didn't have to think long before I said yes!

Book object by Brigid Collins

"Yield" by Brigid Collins

The workshop was focussed on creating a 3D object with the general book form as reference. She showed us how to make a structure with wire and use tissue paper and markmaking to add certain effects.

I already had a clear idea of what I wanted to make with the materials I brought with me so I actually did something completely different than the rest of the class. Brigid could give me some great advice on how to construct with my mainly natural materials such as (very tough) birch bark and a branch from our garden. Other materials I used are: scrim, bookbinding thread, dried grass and skeleton leaf, printed papers, family envelope and a film strip. After the workshop I spent some more time finetuning things. I'm delighted with how my experiment turned out!

Birch Book (front) by Fenfolio

Birch Book (front, close-up) by Fenfolio

Birch Book (back) by Fenfolio

Birch Book (side, back)) by Fenfolio

Birch Book (side, close-up) by Fenfolio

Birch Book (back, close-up) by Fenfolio

Birch Book (front, close-up) by Fenfolio

After this very successful session I really wanted to learn more about how to make artists' books and objects. I had noticed there was a workshop organised by another book artist Susie Wilson at Leith School of Art, but unfortunately I couldn't make these dates. So I arranged a one-to-one session instead. Here are some examples of her books:

Artist book by Susie Wilson

Map book by Susie Wilson

Artist book by Susie Wilson

First she showed me some samples of artists' books made by her students and herself.

Flutter book by Sarah Morpeth

Flutter book (unfolded) by Sarah Morpeth

Artist unknown

Street Scene artist' book by Liza Green

A Book of Tears by Julie Johnstone

Dark Matter artist book by Victoria Browne

Artist book by Margaret Anderson

We then focussed on the concertina format and I learnt how to make a pamphlet stitch, a flag book, a flutter book and a map book. Again, I brought quite a few materials with me such as a selection of my handmade proof prints. After a wonderful day in Susie's studio at home I was really pleased with what I had learnt and created such as this flag book:

Organic book (cover) by Fenfolio

Organic book (spine) by Fenfolio

Organic book (inside) by Fenfolio

Organic book (first page) by Fenfolio

Organic book (fully laid out) by Fenfolio

Organic book (inside) by Fenfolio

Organic book (top view) by Fenfolio

My friend is now also going to do an intense workshop, with Brigid. With our combined skills and interest we aim to create a few artists' books that we can exhibit in due course.

Mind and Memory Art Show Aberdeen

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 10:37:00 +0000

Recently I submitted two experimental pieces for the Mind and Memory Art Show, organised by Aberdeen Artists Society and hosted by Aberdeen Dementia Resources Centre. I'm delighted that both have been accepted!

A very broad interpretation of mind and memory could be taken, for example considering brain activity and structure in terms of figurative or abstract landscapes to dreams, hallicunation, fantasy and realism from development to degeneration.

This brief and browsing on Pinterest gave me lots of ideas and I decided to create two sculptural works. It was risky because I have just started exploring the 3D approach, but I thought "nothing ventured, nothing gained".

Mind Map is created with Dutch maps which I painted with Golden High Flow and then cut with a scalpel and punching tools. It consists of 4 different layers (incl. background) which have been pinned down on cardboard.

I submitted the following statement:
This piece is my interpretation of how our brain is structured. It's a cross section of the three brain layers. Each layer shows a different cell pattern and colour. The tracks, roads and waterways on the maps correspond with interconnections between the cells. The size is A4.

For Reminiscence I printed old handwritten letters from my family, old photos from Aberdeen and and old map onto tracing paper. These were then framed into metallic curtain grommets and pinned down on a handmade and embossed print (which didn't have enough ink), subtly rubbed with some graphite to reveal the textures.

I submitted the following statement:
Snippets of memories in the form of old (family) photos and letters are popping up from a fading grey and textured background which represents the brain activity and structure of a patient. Although some patents might have lost their long term memory, going back to the past could help their loved ones and caretakers in dealing with the disease.

The exhibition will take place at Aberdeen Dementia Resources Centre in Kings Street and opens on the 8th of March, 6-9 pm. It will run until the 7th of April, Monday-Friday 10am-3pm. In this press release in one of the local papers you can read more about it.

Serene Loch Duich

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:18:00 +0000

Last weekend our kayak club had a trip planned to Loch Duich near Kintail, West of Scotland, a 4-hour drive from our house. It's a long way for just two days but it was worth it as we couldn't have had any better weather. High pressure, freezing, wall to wall sunshine and no wind on the Saturday. Kintail Outdoor Centre was our base for the weekend.

We launched our kayaks at the bridge of Dornie, just around the corner from iconic Eilean Donan castle. From the moment we arrived, most of us were more involved in taking photos of the stunning scenery in golden light than preparing all our equipment!

It was actually more of a photography trip on the water than a kayak trip. Well, at least for me! I had to pinch myself regularly because it was as if we were paddling in a fantasy world.

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Fenneke Wolters-Sinke) — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 14:47:00 +0000

Another year has flown past again. You can read a summary of what I have been up to in my latest newsletter. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continuous support. I look forward to keeping you informed about my artistic explorations and outdoor activities in 2017.