Sinclair Ashman
Treasure I
Collagraph print on fine cotton rag paper
13 cm x 46cm
Artists Proof (AP)
2020
£345 (framed)
Sinclair Ashman is a fine art printmaker, with a wide interest in the visual arts. He has shown his work in many solo and group exhibitions, in locations including London and Dublin.
A taster day of printmaking at The Ropewalk gallery and arts centre in Barton-upon-Humber led to his obsession with the collagraph process, and experimentations in how texture, form and paper combinations could be combined to create exciting visual imagery.
The collagraph process and the magic of printmaking made an immediate impression on Sinclair. He realised that this was the medium he needed for a new creative direction, and something that would give him much more creative freedom. Some of the materials he uses to make plates, such as stuck and torn fabrics, often become dislodged from the plate surface. However, far from being a problem, these ‘happy accidents’ or anomalies result in an element or plate erosion from one print to the next, resulting in each print being, effectively, an original.
Since 2013, with support from artist and printmaker Tim Needham, Sinclair has been pushing the limits of the collagraph technique and the physical press size and experimented with a wide range of platemaking materials and plate/print sizes. Materials for platemaking have included DIY washers, leaves and twigs, household filler, PVA glue, artists’ gels, crackle pastes and various varnish techniques.
How his work relates to 'Colour'
Sinclair has always been fascinated by the way that ink colours change, depending on the light by which they are viewed, the materials they react to and the absorbency of the paper they are printed on. His ‘Treasure’ series of prints is a current example of this work. It was printed using seven segmented plates, each of which were inked separately to allow both the blending of colours and contrasting tones; fiery reds with cool greys, gold paper chine collé over deep oranges.
All of the colours are directly applied and mixed on the individual plates. They are then assembled on a tracing paper guide and printed in one pass. Further transformations and mixing of colours occur as they react to the printing paper through the press – colours bleed, run and mix in unpredictable yet fascinating ways.
Instagram:
sinclairashmanprintmaker
https://www.instagram.com/sinclairashmanprintmaker/
Adobe Portfolio:
https://sinclairashman.myportfolio.com
Website:
https://sinclairashman.com