Openings and closings and in-betweens

For the past few weeks I’ve been quite pre-occupied with preparing to set up the exhibition at Artsdepot, but now that it’s up and the private view has happened I’m slowly getting my life in order again and starting to process all of the other stuff that’s been happening and is happening soon. The opening turned out to be a lot of fun, and despite not knowing that many people in London it was really great to have the support of a few good friends.

Exhibtion at Artsdepot: Images © Sharon Whyte 2010

I was fortunate enough to be in London at the same time as the Roundhouse CircusFest was on, so I was able to make it along to a couple of the events that were being presented by Professor Vanessa Toulmin of the National Fairground Archive at the University of Sheffield. One was a talk on ‘peculiar entertainments’ featuring many of my favourite types of acts from the history of performance (plus some very rare film footage) and the other event I was able to attend was a symposium on the tradition of the ‘showwoman’ which Professor Toulmin had organised along with Marisa Carnesky (currently Performing Arts Fellow at the NFA). The day featured presentations on the personal experiences of showwomen including Sandra Wright, Anna Carter, Carol Gandey, Rose English, Petra Massey, Lucifire and Miss Behave, as well as a performance by Empress Stah which I sadly had to miss so I could go to my own private view. It was a really valuable and rewarding event and provided some interesting insights for my research.

The rest of my time down there, when I wasn’t with friends, was spent wandering around the V&A – amazingly I had never before managed to get as far as the Theatre & Performance section so spent a good portion of my visit there.

Images from the Theatre & Performance section of the Victoria & Albert Museum

So now I’m back home and back at work on the new screenprints. I’ve been making a piece featuring the great Adelaide Herrmann using one of the images that I’ve kindly been given access to by The Magic Circle in order to produce this series on female magicians. It’s one of the most complicated prints I’ve done to date, as it consists of ten layers (I usually only work with between 4 and 6) which are quite intricately intertwined, meaning that technically it’s more of a challenge than previous pieces. I’m loving it so far, and will complete the final layer this week. I’ll also begin work on the third piece in the series this week too – so time to start thinking about getting those proposals in for exhibiting next year.

Some bits of news to finish with…

My current exhibition at Artsdepot finishes on May 30th, after which I’ll be exhibiting A Sage of the Stage for (I think) the final time at Edinburgh Printmakers from July 1st – 20th. I’ll also be showing four pieces in the upcoming Out of the Blue Studio Artists exhibition at the Drill Hall from May 28th – June 10th.

I’ve also started an Edinburgh non-fiction writers group with my friend Gillian of Harlots, Harpies and Harridans which will have its inaugural meeting on May 19th at The Meadow Bar – you can find out all about it at Stranger than Fiction.

Float mounting and arts market!

Almost ready for the Xmas Arts Market now and since I’m going to be selling a range of new small prints that I’ve been working on I thought it would be a good idea to share my thoughts on how to frame them. Personally I think they look great float mounted. I meant to take a photo of one that I framed this way but erm, I forgot, and now it’s hanging in the Winter Exhibition at Edinburgh Printmakers. Oops.

So anyway, here’s a (relatively) simple way to float mount one of my small prints (this example is for the 20cmx20cm prints, so adjust sizes for the 20cmx18cm ones!).

I usually recommend that my prints are framed by a professional framer, however, when they’re this small I don’t think it’s a bad idea at all to use an inexpensive frame, and the one I’ve used for these in the past is just over £6 from Ikea.

You will need:

Ikea box frame (Ribba 23cmx23cm http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/80078269)

Piece of 5mm thick foamboard cut slightly (about 1cm all round) smaller than the print to be mounted.

Lightweight archival mounting tape (such as Filmoplast)

Two 2.2cm x 23cm strips of 5mm thick foamboard
Two 2.2cm x 22cm strips of 5mm thick foamboard

Strong masking tape

Strong framing tape

(All of the above – apart from the frame which is of course from Ikea! – should be available from good art supply shops)

A pair of plyers

1. Remove the back of the frame by bending back the metal pins that keep the backing board in place and removing the board and the mount that come with the frame.

2. Set aside the paper that’s included.

3. Attach archival tape to the back of the print in a T-hinge method as below (note – the image only shows tape at the top edge but you’ll need to do the same at the bottom edge too) :

4. Place the foamboard (the piece cut to just smaller than the print) squarely (you can make small pencil marks on the back of the print before attaching the tape if you like to make sure it’s straight) on the back of the print and press firmly but carefully to make sure the tape is secured.

5. Measure the aperture in the window mount that’s included with the frame. Now replicate the size of the aperture in pencil on the back of the foamboard, measuring from the sides to make sure it’s centered.

6. Using the same method as before, attach archival tape to the back of the foamboard, making sure the adhesive bits that are facing outwards are OUTSIDE the lines of the aperture that you drew.

7. Place the window mount on the BACK of the foamboard (ie: the print is still face down on the table) so that the aperture lines up with the one you drew in pencil.

8. Press the window mount down onto the foamboard so it sticks and then secure with strong masking tape, using the aperture as access to the foamboard below (ie: the tape should overlap the window mount aperture, onto the foamboard so you end up with a square of masking tape in the middle).

9. Flip over to make sure the print is aligned in the centre of the mount board (if it’s not, you can always adjust it by removing the masking tape and carefully slitting the archival tape with a craft knife and re-doing it).

10. Take the frame and, using the plyers, carefully remove the metal pins.

11. With the frame still face down and the glass in place, insert the long strips of foamboard on edge directly against the internal sides of the frame and push down so that they fit snuggly into the frame and there are no gaps (you will be using the two longer ones opposite each other).

12. Place your mounted print face down into the frame. The strips of foamboard should now act as a ledge so that the print sits to the back of the frame. Hold it up with your fingers keeping it in place and check it looks ok.

13. Place the frame back down on the table again face down and lay the backing board into the frame against the mount. The backing board should lie almost flush with the frame now.

14. (If you want to you can try to re-insert the metal pins at this point but be warned it is not easy!) Using the strong framers tape, secure the backing board to the edge of the frame. The edge of the tape should not overlap the sides of the frame, but should be in line with it, so that the majority of the tape sits on the backing board. Do this around each edge so they are all covered and no dust can get in. You can use your fingers to press the tape into any corners so that it’s well stuck down.

15. Your float mounted print is ready to hang! You can use the hanging kit included with the frame or attach mirror plates to the back of the frame.

Disclaimer: This is just my method for float mounting using this specific frame. There are other resources on the internet that you may want to consult if you’re using a different kind of frame or if you want to be more professional about it (ie: you may want to use the Japanese rice paper method of hinge mounting). If you’re unsure then please do use a professional framer.