My creativity has been given a big boost this summer as I have a new workshop in my garden; a small but beautiful, airy and light space where I can immerse myself in my work, surrounded by the sights, smells and sounds of my city garden. As I write this, I can hear pigeons, seagulls, leaves rustling and the rather soporific swoosh of traffic in the distance.
Having a dedicated workspace with a permanent flat surface has given me the opportunity to start print making again, which it is a real joy. It is giving me the chance to experiment more, and make more – and new – mistakes. It is only by making mistakes that you learn.
While it is glorious being here in the summer sunshine, I am already looking forward to the changing seasons, where I am sure that my new workshop will give me new inspiration and experiences.
I will be showing off my new workshop during Norfolk Open Studios next month so please do come and say hello!
As part of the promotion for the Open Studios at the Forum in Norwich I recently gave a demonstration of wax-resist technique, which is so simple and satisfying. It is a very easy technique to try at home, suitable for all ages, and you don’t need professional art materials. You can use any type of wax; candles or children’s crayons and basic watercolours or ink.
Essentially you draw something with the wax, then paint over it. The wax stops or ‘resists’ the paint from being absorbed into the paper, so that your original wax image becomes more defined. I recommend if you are new to this that you draw your original image lightly with pencil first; you can also go over your base image with ink to start building up more layers.
I strongly recommend you have a go at wax-resist; it is great fun!
Diana Lamb 