LAUREL HOLMES
CURRENT PRINTS
My current prints are all original, hand-pulled prints, using a variety of printmaking techniques. These include drypoint, monotype, monoprint and linocut, with additions like embossing and chiné collé (where an image is transferred to a thin sheet of paper that is bonded to the heavier paper as it passes through the press).
I am interested in the concepts of positive and negative space, in how shape and form are interpreted by the eye. I deliberately use a limited palette quite often so as not to distract from the form and pattern of the subject matter.
RITUAL SERIES
These etchings (some with chiné collé) recall my routine of walking the old mountain stairways in Kalk Bay and St James, when the weather was inclement in Kommetjie. I have a longstanding fascination with plant shadow. Instead of counting stairs, I used the ritual as an opportunity for close observation of plant shadow, where mosses and lichens grow in the cracks.
The shadows over the mosses and lichens are incredibly beautiful. They make me wonder why these particular textures have developed on these old stairs over the years and to consider their shape and form.
