Both pieces spring from the need to create something as organic and immediate as possible through printmaking. By using carborundum my process was relatively spontaneous and immediate and I embraced every mistake as a new mark. They are both heavily inspired by the surrealist ideas of automatic drawing and randomness and have both come from a place of simply feeling out emotions combined with physically responding to other subject matter such as music. Another similarity is the quality of the unpressed paper, both are still heavily embossed and textured and the paper is Hana Muller, German etch.

‘Furioso’

(played in a furious and wild manner)

Carborundum and Dry point Triptych

This piece was made whilst listening to Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony, specifically the 4th Movement (Allegro Non Troppo) and Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony’s 4th movement (Andante maestoso)

Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony has been long debated on its sincerity of rejoicing, as it was composed under the treat of punishment of the Stalin’s communist regime to compose a piece that described Communisms triumph and ending in a big celebration. Musically this is shown throw the repeated A’s at the end of the finale from the strings and woodwind. Visually I used a large brush for the dark sweeping marks. They are heavy and yet shrill at the same time brining a heavy feeling to the triptych. The colour selection in this triptych is important too as it is a rarity in my work but I felt that to best show the feeling within this piece I needed a striking and powerful mix of colours hence the burnt orange and red hues.

“deep, meaningful, gripping music, classical in the integrity of its conception, perfect in form and the mastery of orchestral writing—music striking for its novelty and originality, but at the same time somehow hauntingly familiar, so truly and sincerely does it recount human feelings” - Henrich Neuhaus on Shostakovich No.5

Although both pieces of music stated about may not be angry or wild, I feel this is the

musical term that best describes how I felt whilst listening and creating this piece. I find

that by putting your own feelings into a piece of work it acts as a spring board for the

audience to take what they feel and think from it.

‘Lacrimoso’

(played in a sad or mournful manner)

Carborundum and Drypoint Triptych

Music that inspired this piece was Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony’s 2nd movement, specifically the French horn solo near the beginning. I play the French horn so always identify and listen out for this instrument. Although this is a very romantic passage I feel it has a lot of weight too it and a sorrowful undertone. Also Prokofiev’s suite from Romeo and Juliet: Death of Tybalt which is an incredibly mournful piece of music heavily inspired this triptych. This piece was created by combining all three plates together and painting to the music. The lines are significantly smaller and lighter compared the to the other triptych however the monochromatic pallet combined with the slower and more thought out lines to me symbolise grief and sadness.