an album of prints; collagraphs

the images below catalogue some of my work over the last few years, although they don't show all the series i have worked on. when making collagraphs, i like to work with plenty of texture. i have experimented with cloth, palm bark and various papers, embossed paint and threads embedded in modelling paste, and filler used for dents in cars, among other things. 
although a press is required to get the full benefit of texture from a collagraph plate, i have made some collagraphs using the hand rubbed method by rubbing the paper with the back of a spoon (which i prefer to a baren), or by using a burnisher or even a stylus: i have enjoyed using the latter, and made several prints using this method. for hand rubbed collagraphs i usually use mountboard covered with cotton or silk. i then cut into the board and also add details with embossed paint; usually pearl paint.

this is a collagraph made for a juried show
 in tucson in 2007. two of the prints, including this
one, were selected and sold at the exhibition.
 unlike many collagraphs, which are pulled on the
press, this one is hand rubbed. i added colour
with water colour pencils, and printed the flower
 on japanese paper before attaching it to the cactus
arm. the name is desert rose and the plant is the
saguaro, the national flower of arizona.

this is the first of a series of prints
 inspired by arizona rocks. it's called
 rock: memory of sand, wind, sun.
this is a set of very small collagraphs
which were later used in a book project
 called arizona sunset, photographs
of which you will find under the
 book making label. these collagraphs
were pulled on the press.

arizona suite again. this print later
became the cover print for the arizona sunset book.

this print looks out of place among the 
others here, but i put it in because it
 combines  photopolymer etching,
 copper leaf and collagraph.
it was for a group show 'recession,' 
at unicorn gallery  in karachi in 2009.  

from the memory series, exhibited  at artchowk in 
2012.  this  was a two person show with amena 
bandukwalla, who uses text and drawing
 techniques in her work.  this print combines
 collagraph with graphite, smoke painting 
and hand made papers and a fragment of a moth's 
wing.

from the memory series exhibited at
artchowk in karachi. for this print
 i layered papers of various textures, 
some with burnt edges, stuck to 
mountboard. the central motif is thread.

arizona sunset; i haven't exhibited this print yet as i am  still experimenting with inking it. i made one in shades of pink-red as it's on the arizona theme  again, a sunset i saw on the tohono o'dham reservation. this is the bottom-most part, the print is divided into 
three as my press pulls a maximum size of 11 x 14 inches,
 which is the size of this particular sheet.

detail from arizona sunset. i put it in to
show the kind of detail you can get with
 modelling paste, various bark, cloth
(particularly silk) and silk thread, and
 pearl paints which give a raised outline.