Goodbye 2021!
In a few days, we will say goodbye to 2021, and welcome 2022 with trepidation and (maybe) hope. What a year 2021 has been. It feels like it has lasted a century and gone in a flash at the same time.
I remember seeing a cartoon at the end of last year showing a group of people gingerly opening the door to 2021, looking visibly scared (and maybe scarred) after the havoc that 2020 wreaked on everyone. Of course, they were right to be scared, as from both a Covid and state-of-the-world point of view, 2021 has been a total bin fire! I am lucky to have escaped relatively unscathed, but I know a lot of people haven’t had the same fortune so I am very grateful and thank my lucky stars.
From an art point of view, I also have a lot to thank my lucky stars for so wanted to share a few of my 2021 highlights and hopes for 2022.
Firstly, reflecting on my own practice, 2021 was the year of new media. At the back end of 2020 I completed my first risograph, but 2021 was the year I really got to grips with them: I released a total of 6 new riso editions this year, as well as launching 3 card designs. I still love them, and the bright colours and quirky/ fun designs clearly resonate with many of you which is great! So far my riso explorations have gone through a lot of different styles and directions, and for 2022 I hope to continue trying new things with them, but I would also like to create a cohesive collection of risos.
I also discovered cyanotypes and they have quickly become a regular part of my practice. The first half of the year was spent exploring the technique, figuring out things like the best papers to use and exposure units, and have successfully developed collections that I am really pleased with. Interestingly, my cyanotype practice seems to develop around photo of places, as seen with my larger topographies series or the small stills (with a foray in medical imaging with the blueprint to my brain). Cyanotypes have proved to be a great medium to catalogue and map out images and I expect to continue explorations in this direction next year, adding to the current series and no doubt starting new ones.
Finally, my screenprinting practice has also developed through the year. Having added to the neon series, the fairground series feels like a continuation of that work (albeit more family friendly) but I also started branching out from that style: I created some standalone pieces that don’t quite fit that mould in terms of style or content, like cold burn, or riverside. I am particularly intrigued by some prints I have been working on recently, like the 3 Sensation print on my website, and the upcoming Departure and Arrival pieces (you will have to wait a bit more to see these), which seem to follow a common new direction. I am starting to gather my thoughts about this exploration, and will share more in the new year.
Beyond my own practice, my other highlight of the year has been forging new connections.
After spending so much of 2020 at home and working alone, new connections have come thick and fast in 2021 and I love it. This year, I have been able to interact with audiences face to face, both at exhibitions and at markets or fairs. Nothing is more satisfying and humbling than seeing someone connecting with a print I have created, and to see something I have put a lot of myself into resonate with other people. I really hope to be able to do a lot more face to face events next year!
Through the events, social media and joining organisations like ArtCan, I have also met many wonderful artists this year. I have loved discovering new works by amazing artists I didn’t previously know, and exchanging with peers and friends in the art world, and I think this has fed into my work too, and I hope it continues!
So to all of you out there, the art lovers and creators, the friends, customers and the casual observers,, I wish you happy holidays and see you in 2022!
My Art vs Artist Instagram Challenge for2021