Reading

Description:	drypoint with hand painted chine-collé. Edition size variable. I decided that the most powerful way for me to approach the subject matter of the Absence and Presence project was to concentrate on images that were personal and related to my own experience. I wanted to depict a positive message about the magic and importance of reading. The image shows three girls reading and is reflective of my childhood experiences of reading with my sisters. We were lucky to have a lot of books in our house when we were growing up and reading was an important part of our playtime; developing our imaginations and creating worlds to inhabit. I use an intaglio printing technique called drypoint; this involves scratching directly onto a Perspex plate with a sharp tool. The scratches hold the ink, which transfers onto the paper when passed through the press. For this series I used a technique called chine colle to add some blocks of colour to the linear image. I hand painted white tissue paper, glue was applied to one side and when arranged on top of the plate it became imbedded into the dampened paper under the weight of the press. I used tissue that had variations in brush marks and different shades of green. I became involved in Absence and Presence after a conversation with Catherine Cartwright; she described the background of the Al Mutanabi Street project and the events that had already taken place. I was impressed and felt honoured to be asked to take part. Books have always been an important part of my life and I worked in a bookshop for many years. They are a way of gaining an understanding of the world and myself; a way of hearing other voices and meeting other people. Reading is a direct form of communication; it breaks down prejudices and opens doors (Retrieved from IUCAT November 8, 2019).
Created By:	Sainsbury, Janet
Contributor(s):	Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition
Publisher:	(Exeter, UK)
Source:	http://iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/AMSSH/id/1522
Collection:	Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Copyright:	In Copyright
Subjects:	artists book art bookworks prints

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