Gina Medcalf

Collaboration is in itself an art

The prints Meldreth and Shepreth were made in collaboration with the master printmaker Kip Gresham at The Print Studio Cambridge in 2017.

Many choices were made with Kip in their production from the medium chosen to the size, scale and quality of the drawn marks; the colours, the paper: all vital to the finished print.

‘The things that bring us together are our diverse understanding of surface and of colour, and a love of process and repetition, with chance in it.’ From Kip Gresham The Art of Collaboration, The Heong Gallery at Downing College catalogue.

I decided I wanted etching. Largely for the imprint of the plate on the paper. Back at my studio armed with six sheets of Trugrain film, I taped the edges within the limits of Kip’s press and went to work with black pvc making (broom) drawings.

Back to Cambridge and the choice of two Trugrain drawings, one curved, one straight lined to make into plates. Colours were chosen (I fell in love with Nasturtium Orange). First trials were made and put through the press. Discussion followed and long looking. One final print was chosen. From this the edition of thirty was made.

Gina Medcalf, 2019