A follow on from my previous post, and a new work without new plates.

‘Four Part Breath’ is composed from the four steel plates of my ‘What breath remains‘ series. I use selective inking and tissue stencils, trapping and printing each layer from a different plate so the marks overlap.

I have had a meditation practice for most of my adult life. It is a way to find space in small places, a way to release yourself from anger or anxiety, or an overwhelming sense of happiness – that might seem strange, but I have found that joy can be as strong and awesome as grief. It is a way to come back to yourself, to focus on the present, your own body, your own breath.

It is also an essential part of my faith, but that is a topic for another day.

You make decisions to inhale, hold, exhale, hold. Over time, I have noticed that the way I print is also a breath practice. I hold my breath when place the paper down onto the plate, stone or block. I hold my breath each time I lift the paper away, and only exhale when I have released it. A sigh of relief when a print has gone well, a sharp intake of air when you notice an irreparable error.

In my quest to transform my practice into something I can sustain that is also sustainable, there have been quite a few highs and lows as well as a continuous hum of doubt. I have had to lean quite heavily on meditation to find quiet, especially in the beginning. More recently, however, I have begun to accept that the quest will not have a particular end, and that the practice is really a practice.

Edition of 10. Printed on offcuts of Hahnemuhle Etching from my Dockyard Diary series, with plates etched from the used mordant of the same work. Available now online.