WELCOME TO ISSUE SIX

Greetings from a wintry London, from a city of glittering grey evenings and windswept trees. This season always prompts me to look back at the year, and reflect on the constancy of change. This is also a time to ponder on how the Autumn leaves speaks of what it means to come to the Autumn of our lives. These are some of the deep themes which have been addressed by the five authors of this issue of the journal.  

First of all, reflecting upon the drama and chaos of the pandemic, we have a portfolio of prints from Ellen Shattuck Pierce. Her linocuts blend emotion with political metaphor; the sweeping compositions point to a collapse of physical space and time. This work contains a wry commentary on death, inequality, protest and contemporary life. Linocut is an apt medium to communicate these social themes, not least for the clarity of her incisive graphic mark. Pierce talks of how she printed and posted parts of her works to her digital audience, in order for them to be able to hold and touch real paper and ink, and by extension, touch an aspect of her lived experience. 

Carles Urgelles’ piece also talks of the pandemic, but couched in practical terms of how various printmakers, places of learning and studio workshops, in places such as Spain, Poland and Ireland, responded to Covid in their own ways. His set of questions covers the closure, enforced isolation, loss of connection and pivot to new ways of working. Many of the quotes encapsulate with pathos the mood of those days. A core conclusion is how important art and print can be, when society is faced with desperate times.  

Brian D. Cohen has devoted much of his life to print and print education. Cohen writes of the dilemma on how to deal with beloved objects such as etching plates and prints when dealing with failing health. It strikes me that etchings, in particular, are truly a repository of touch. The artist’s hand interrupts the plate surface, and manipulates the ink, and gently handles paper, and smooths over creased tissue. We then graze the surface of the image with our eyes. They are such intimate objects and retain so much personal physicality. Born from touch (and carefully bourne through the years), is it enough to hope that his lifetime’s work will receive adequate attention once he has left the room? 

On a more enduring note, the article by Susanne Klein and Ben Goodman explores the illuminating subject of the moon. For example, how the moon appears visually cold when in fact the light reflected is indeed warm, and how to create the illusion of light using ink on dark paper. Klein takes us through a science lesson on light and perception, and Goodman’s trials with layering traditional and reflective inks has surprisingly lustrous results. 

It strikes me that each issue, I’ve commented on the weather, partly because it is such a British thing to do. And yet perhaps it gives you a sense from where these words have travelled from, and acknowledges the influence of my specific surroundings. This is my last issue with the journal. It has been wonderful getting to know so many great authors and reviewers and readers, so a very warm thank you to you all. 

Wuon-Gean Ho  

London, 8th Dec 2022 

REVIEWERS // ISSUE SIX

Victoria Browne

Paul Coldwell

Deborah Cornell

Justin Diggle

Niamh Fahy

Bess Frimodig

Irena Keckes

Ruth Pelzer-Montada

Paul Uhlmann