Francesca Hopkins
Wenona School
THE TIMELESSNESS OF MEMORIES
Printmaking
Texture paste, collagraph, drypoint etching
Memories give our lives meaning, depth and significance, which in turn elicit emotions and ground us in reality. Growing up in a world of turmoil and an overdependence on technology means real unedited and unfiltered memories provide constancy in our lives, a reality check of where we’ve come from, who we are now, and where we’re going. My body of work is a contemporary exploration of an unchanging landscape using various printmaking techniques to give rise to multiple textural interpretations and perspectives. It represents the timelessness of memories and the importance they have in shaping our lives.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Susan Hotchkis, Rachel Honnery.
Marker's Commentary
The viewer is immediately struck by the intense power and ethereal beauty presented and carefully curated across the series, The Timelessness of Memories. The familiarity of landscape appears otherworldly as one negotiates its raw scale. The immeasurable weight of each denuded monolithic landform and deeply crevassed volcanic mountain, appears to levitate in an untainted landscape accentuated by the deep velvety blacks which secure each form in the awe and immensity of a glistening night sky. The enduring notion of memory is exact and precise, forms replicate with photographic accuracy, topographic and textural detail. The Timelessness of Memories is a sustained and multifaceted investigation of practice in printmaking, demonstrating confident and informed decisions to control and heighten an experience of place. The work confirms technical mastery by way of a seamless merge of multi-plate processes to create an enduring sense of power and majesty through a highly evocative landscape series.