Carysse Evans
St Andrew's Cathedral School
THE LIFE OF THE FOREST
Printmaking
Stonehenge paper, ink, lino print
My body of work explores how the forest is used as a motif in ancient and contemporary literature. The forest often becomes a character in itself, intended to evoke a range of experiences and emotions such as comfort and peace, as well as fear and anxiety. I used lino print and woodblocks, alluding to the small scale and techniques of traditional storybook imagery. I have reworked existing images to represent those evocative experiences for my audience.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: John Vernon Lord, Franklin Booth, Jill Kerr, Kentaro Miura, Katarzyna Cyganik, Erik Linton, Paul Roden, Valerie Lueth, Duncan Pass, Calin Hanga.
Marker's Commentary
The printmaking series The Life of the Forest reveals a deliberate and sophisticated interplay that goes beyond the surface depiction and explores the practice of woodblock printmaking as well as the life cycle of the actual material used. This emphasises the interplay between the subject and the material employed as seen in the print featuring a woodblock depiction of a forest cleverly acknowledging its representational connection to the subject matter, reinforced by the inclusion of tree rings in one of the compositions in the series. This innovative use of materials and their contextual relationship demonstrates a thoughtful consideration of how the artwork will be received cognitively and aesthetically. The diverse pictorial styles employed in these prints, ranging from realism to abstraction, challenge traditional notions of representation.
The technical skills showcased in the realistic depiction of the forest starkly contrast with the abstraction of the tree trunk and the use of pen illustration. These varied approaches to rendering the subject matter offer distinct stylistic idioms that deconstruct the pictorial references and invite multiple interpretations. Through these different treatments, the artist strategically presents a range of approaches that artists employ in their practice, prompting contemplation on artistic diversity. Encapsulated within the body of work is the interpretation of the tension between the practices and approaches within the artistic practice through the medium of three distinct representations. Conceptually, the body of work delves into the complex issue of representation, employing a playful deconstruction of the material practice of printmaking, with an effective fusion of technical proficiency and innovative approaches.