Three ‘Old Hand’ prints were exhibited at No 3 Snowhill, the Birmingham HQ of BT as a part of an RBSA show.
Theartworks were looked after by corporate security guards. I met one of them, Rashma, when I visited in March 2025. In her security uniform she met me as I entered the space from the lift. Without knowing I was one of the contributing artists she spoke about how good it was to have the exhibition in the building. As she pointed to my 3 Hands prints, she went on to say that out of all the works it is these ones that mean the most to me. I asked why it was she so liked these? ‘They are humaitarian. The are about meaning of life in 3 phases. The mid life use of medications; the geriatric glasses to get you through to old age when you Hand on to the next generation’. I said these are great interpretations of the images. I believe so because I made them. I asked did she know the where the hands came from? They are this one as I pointed to my left hand. She took this info in her stride and continued to talk of the spiritual value the prints inspired. I asked her religion and she said I am a Muslim. I asked how her fasting was going? and she replied: ‘Well as this is the month of Ramadan and we should all show our appreciation of what God has given us. it is good to have these pictures here because people of great wealth use the building and have to know that god gives you wealth and you have to share it with those that may not have enough money to be well and even to eat. i wished her well for ramadan. As we continued to talk i thought of taking a photo of her to make a portrait for her, but I didnt. the conversation was honest and spiritually uplifting it didn’t feel right to make a discreet image. I thanked her for her kind words and suggested I should look at the other artworks. With a calm smile she returned to het security seat and I went to view the exhibition.
As i looked at The pictures Rashma came by on her way to the lift to change her shift and location. i wished her well and she responded similarly. I had thought I might ask her to take her picture by my prints to remember the meeting, and use in this article, but the lift chimed and arrived. As the doors opened I bid her farewell and thanked her for her kind words and as she moved to the lift she nodded to me as if to thank me for my ‘humanitarian’ artwork. I nodded back as she disappeared into the lift.
more about the old hands photogravure series is here
Welcome, let’s create beautiful woodblock art together.
You
Create a traditional Japanese woodblock print of a…
{“prompt”:”A serene Japanese woodblock print design in a horizontal composition. The scene features a curved brick-edged path in the right foreground, scattered with delicate autumn leaves. In the midground, a wide weeping tree with cascading yellow leaves leans gracefully over a still river. The river reflects a streak of sunlight, serving as the tranquil focal point. The background shows a shadowed silhouette of dense forests, with no mountains, adding depth and framing the scene in a calm, meditative atmosphere. The design uses a single-layer woodblock style with traditional Japanese simplicity, emphasizing light and shadow.”,”size”:”1792×1024″}Here is the serene autumn garden landscape you envisioned, designed in the traditional Japanese woodblock style. If you would like adjustments or additional elements, feel free to let me know!
YesChatWoodblock Generator
Ah, you seek the artistry of traditional Japanese woodblock carving! A noble endeavor indeed. Let me know the subject you wish to immortalize in wood and ink—mountains, cranes, koi fish, samurai, a favorite fruit? The more details you provide, the closer I can bring you to your artistic destiny! What shall it be?
my photo
2024-11-17 14:04:29
YesChatWoodblock Generator
I can’t directly use or process personal photos, but I can help you create a woodblock print inspired by the description of your photo! Describe what you look like or what’s in the photo, and I’ll craft an elegant and traditional woodblock design template based on your description.
You
the yellow leaves on a weeping tree over a still river with a streak of sunlight on river with autumn leaves on a path in the foreground trees in shadow background
YesChatWoodblock Generator
Ah, the tranquil beauty of autumn captured in nature’s gentle embrace—perfect for a traditional Japanese woodblock print. Allow me to craft this vision as an elegant single-layer design, ideal for carving and inking.
Here’s the composition I’ll create:
Foreground: A curved path scattered with fallen autumn leaves, simple and rhythmic, leading the viewer’s eye toward the river.
Midground: A gracefully weeping tree with cascading yellow leaves dipping toward the river, its silhouette detailed with elegant curves.
River: A still, reflective surface with a single streak of sunlight breaking its calm, represented as a clean, smooth line for simplicity.
Background: Shadowed silhouettes of distant trees, minimal yet atmospheric, framing the serenity of the scene.
The carving will emphasize areas for ink application, with clear distinctions between light and shadow for an ethereal, meditative effect. Shall we bring this vision to life in ink and wood?{
“prompt”: “A traditional Japanese woodblock print depicting a serene autumn scene. The foreground features a curved path scattered with autumn leaves. In the midground, a weeping tree with cascading yellow leaves leans over a still river. The river reflects a streak of sunlight, creating a tranquil focal point. The background shows shadowed silhouettes of distant trees, framing the scene with a calm, meditative atmosphere. The design is single-layer, emphasizing light and shadow with simple, elegant details characteristic of Japanese woodblock art.”,
“size”: “1024×1024”
}
Here is your serene autumn scene in the style of a traditional Japanese woodblock print. It emphasizes the weeping tree’s elegance, the still river’s tranquility, and the scattered leaves of the path. Perfect for your artistic journey—what do you think?
You
pretty good could it be horizontal landscape
YesChatWoodblock Generator
{
“prompt”: “A traditional Japanese woodblock print depicting a serene autumn landscape in a horizontal composition. The foreground features a curved path scattered with autumn leaves. In the midground, a weeping tree with cascading yellow leaves leans over a still river. The river reflects a streak of sunlight, creating a tranquil focal point. The background shows shadowed silhouettes of distant trees, framing the scene with a calm, meditative atmosphere. The design is single-layer, emphasizing light and shadow with simple, elegant details characteristic of Japanese woodblock art.”,
“size”: “1792×1024”
}
Here is the serene autumn landscape reimagined in a horizontal composition, capturing the tranquil balance of nature in a traditional woodblock style. Does this bring your vision closer to perfection?
You
yes could it be flipped right to left
YesChatWoodblock Generator
Absolutely! If you describe your photo, I can design a woodblock print version of it, and flipping it right to left is no problem—it’s common in traditional woodblock printing for the final print to be reversed due to the carving process. Let me know what’s in the photo or its details, and I’ll create a traditional Japanese-style print for you.
You
A traditional Japanese woodblock print depicting a serene autumn garden landscape in a horizontal composition. The right foreground features a curved brick edged path scattered with autumn leaves. In the midground, a wide weeping tree with cascading yellow leaves leans over a still river. The river reflects a streak of sunlight, creating a tranquil focal point. The background shows shadowed silhouette of dense forests with no mountains , framing the scene with a calm, meditative atmosphere. The design is single-layer, emphasizing light and shadow with simple, elegant details characteristic of Japanese woodblock art
2024-11-17 14:17:24
YesChatWoodblock Generator
{“prompt”:”A serene Japanese woodblock print design in a horizontal composition. The scene features a curved brick-edged path in the right foreground, scattered with delicate autumn leaves. In the midground, a wide weeping tree with cascading yellow leaves leans gracefully over a still river. The river reflects a streak of sunlight, serving as the tranquil focal point. The background shows a shadowed silhouette of dense forests, with no mountains, adding depth and framing the scene in a calm, meditative atmosphere. The design uses a single-layer woodblock style with traditional Japanese simplicity, emphasizing light and shadow.”,”size”:”1792×1024″}
Here is the serene autumn garden landscape you envisioned, designed in the traditional Japanese woodblock style. If you would like adjustments or additional elements, feel free to let me know!
Autumn Sun for cataract surgery at 1:30. The first nurse puts some drops in my eye. The right one. He has asked me to confirm it is the right one I am having the cataracts removed. I cannot be sure, but surely the reams of paperwork from my pre op will be clear. He agrees and marks my forehead with a big blue arrow with a sharpie.
In the next waiting room I take a selfie of my eyes with the prominent arrow. Of course when I look at it on the screen its is on my left as the image is flipped. The next nurse Julie, is very pleasant and puts a hair blue net hat on my head and gives me more drops which I think were anaesthetics. The next stage is the ward where I meet the surgeon who I ask if I can take a photograph?: ‘Sure before and after the surgery’. I had hoped to have an image of my eye during surgery to add to my internal images that may become important starting points for personalised artworks, but it didn’t seem like an option. As I was being positioned on the surgery bed I didn’t think it appropriate to ask for a surgery photo.
Maybe next time, if I have another op, as I know the set-up now. Perhaps an image from the monitor that the surgeon will observing is the most likely option. A nurse next to the bed with a liquid-delivering machine enquires that I want a photograph. I responded that I’m excited to have the op. She replies with a smile: ‘great, I’m excited that you are excited’. Another surgeon talks me through the procedure as she puts a rubber glove over the periscope handle on the device above me, then puts a blanket over my head and chest and fixes it with a window to access my eye to operate. She administers more drops and swings the device over my eye and switches the light on.
BLINDINGLY BRIGHT! And a surprise that makes me flinch. Realising I was shocked and in a bit of pain, she quickly put her hand between the microscope and my eye to protect me, apologised and explained that this bright light would be on throughout the op, and I should see three circles of the brightest light at this stage. I confirm I do. I settle after the light shock, and she begins. As I can see nothing I imagine that she is looking through the microscope at my illuminated eye as she makes the small incision to get her implements into the eye to break up the cataract and remove it. After keeping my head still in the face of much white light and the odd visual movement that indicates her manipulations inside my eye her disembodied voice lets me know: ‘that’s the cataract out. I’ll do some Polishing’. It remains bright and blurry and from time to time surrounding clearer lights comes into focus as she continues. I’ve lost all sense of time. I hear an electronic continuous sound and the nurse by me says don’t worry about this sound it’s me switching on the liquid flow.
Surgeon: ‘Putting the new lens in’.
The procedure continues as I stare into the bright white light. The three blurry circle of light are now more clearly defined. ‘More Polishing’
‘That’s it, all done. Perfect. You get an A star!’
‘I think its you that gets the AStar I reply’.
Julie returns to my bedside and helps me to sit vertical and the ward surgeon returns with my phone a takes a post surgery photo. I automatically put both my thumbs up to signify success. They are happy that I am so demonstrative.
There is no image of my eye on the monitor so I do not have the opportunity to request a photo as I am ushered out to see the post op nurse, Lisa.
My eye is blurry for the moment as she explains what I must do over the next few days and weeks. Eye shield tonight. Wash with supplied cloths. Wash hands at all times as I administer Drops 4 times a day. No heavy lifting, driving after 48 hours if you can read number plates at 20mtrs. Bowls after two weeks. Make appointment with optician.
Later at home I have a neat exchange with Louie on his voice over and tracked donation results. He asks how the surgery went and I send pics of the arrow. He’s amazed at the size of the dilated pupil.
I stopped my Lockdown Blog after a year of weekly posts. They are here.
After 3 years away from bloging I have been journal writing which has covered many aspects of daily life including health and art responses. Currently in November 2024 there are 1296 posts. As the writings are more personal I have not published them, however I am thinking that some of the musings and observations might be of interest beyond my own reflections. Today I am writing on a bright sunny autumn day, three days on from a cataract surgery on my right eye.
This post is a little late as the cherry blossom that featured one year ago has been a couple of days later than anticipated in 2021. The season has come round again which gives a degree of comfort that some sort of natural normality is in place, while the abnormality of the last year continues to disrupt daily existence.
Cherry blossoms. April 2020
Printmaking.
“Unique” Matrix: Bodies, Performance and Encounters
The 2020 IMPACT printmaking conference was postponed because of you know what. However, the Hong Kong Print Workshop that were to host have pulled all the stops out to put the 6 day conference on this week through its dedicated website. An immense achievement as printmaking exhibitors, speakers and demonstrators from across the world have participated. Over 100 exhibitions and portfolios reflect the state of contemporary printmaking and research. With a 7 hour difference the late afternoon and evening zoom presentations are responded to by European participants early in the morning.
Printmaking colleagues in the School of Art reconfigured our original bespoke printed book for exhibition into an ebook: Legends and Legacy Between as the original.
I shall present ‘Print States and Chance’ on Sunday (morning).
Lest we forget
September 17th 2020. Digbeth, Birmingham UK
The conclusion of the murder trial of George Floyd to place on Monday with the final statements from Defence and Prosecution. In less that 24 hours the jury charged with giving a verdict in this most important trial this century gave their unanimous decision.
Amid relief and celebration calls from the President of US to the Floyd family laid the ground for real change. That said deaths of black people in the US including Minneapolis, continue to occur daily.
covid update
India has surpassed Brazil in the rise in cases, with frightening effects as hospitals cannot cope.
Eating Out Celebration
Paneer Kofta, Palak Sauce and Saphire
This week is Ramadan and we celebrated with an Iftar outside in Hall Green, Birmingham UK as the sun disappeared below the horizon. It is the first time we have met to eat since December 2019. Thanks to all including @RajaMonkey for providing such delicate and delicious food.
A surprise text from the GP surgery popped up in messages: ‘book your second Vaccination’. I was originally booked in on May 2nd, but I attended this morning.
Condolences
Helen McRory 1968-2021.
What a terrible loss it is that actress Helen McRory has passed away at the age of 52. She is pictured above when we met in Birmingham following the launch of Peaky Blinders in which she played the wonderful matriarch Aunt Poll. Generous as ever she proudly wore her ‘Digbeth is Good’ button.
Printmaking.
Very busy week that began with the Printmakers Council announcing that I am their featured artist. A very generous series of posts highlighted current work and that from the covid year.
The week has progressed with aquatint trials for the EARLY 21stCTools series. A two colour print of the abstracted freedom disc had to be registered through the trapping the paper under the blanket technique. The colour plate was wiped leaving an area without ink in order the white paper would show through the abstract marks of the disk image that was over printed in black.
Abstract Freedom Hard Disc. Two Colour Aquatint. 300×350. 2021
The next test will be the ALPHA disc with minimal bite timings to assess how the tones will be retained.
Not much to see. Too busy with head down on reading and research this week. Progress. Being made.
Lest we forget
September 17th 2020. Digbeth, Birmingham UK
WARNING: THIS IS LIVE COURT COVERAGE AND THERE MAY BE IMAGES AND DETAILS WHICH VIEWERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING.
The trial of the killing of George Floyd is screened live from 3 pm GMT and if one can get over the seriousness and oppression of Mr Floyd, the amount of video and photographic evidence is overwhelming. Not being a regular murder courtroom attendee, I am not able to understand whether this is normal, but as the Forensic Pathologist Dr Lyndsey Thomas says in her testimony she has never known such a variety of footage from street observers, police body cameras and CCTV. The reality footage from the incident and the transfer of Mr Floyd to the ambulance by paramedics is too much to take, as the victim is clearly dying or dead, but it is screened. Only today has the court been told that some autopsy images will not be shown on screen, but the jury will receive physical photographs in an envelope to be viewed at the direction of the prosecutor, but thankfully not be screened to the live audience.
Its been a busy week! As the first lifting of restrictions are made on Monday the sun comes out and on the hottest March day for over 50 years, many mainly young folk partied. No partying for me as the thesis Introduction is reviewed following valuable feedback began the week, followed by two days of practical printmaking processes and reflection on the how selected print media of visualisation changes interpretation of the image.
Print and Tools Tests
The visualisation of 2021 tool equivalents to Jim Dine’s inspirational prints of 1950’s hand tools is throwing up a variety of options. The digital images offer stark contrasts with the photographic images of the hard disc metal containers and leads. This begins the process of visualising the Early 21C tools that will be documented in the pages beginning with: https://printsanew.jonnieturpie.com/21st-century-tools
Five Removable Hard discs. 2007-2020. digital drawing.
The first etchings of the LaCie 2020 provide very different images from digital disc images and the photographic images with textural backgrounds. In just 8 proofs there are 8 different impressions to assess.
8 test hard and soft ground etchings of LaCie 2020 removable hard disc
Following the soft and hard ground etching an experiment with two freedom 2007 disc images applied to aquatinted 300x350mm copper plates.
Silkscreens are used to print bitumen onto copper plate as masks for aquatint etching. Whilestencils are usually associated with silkscreen or serigraphy printing to hold back ink being forced through the mesh on to a substrate. In this case a stencil is used to control where a bitumen resist reaches a plate to be etched. In this early tools test, two negative images of a freecom 2007 hard disc are made on paper from digital files and exposed on to a 100 mesh screen. They are positive in order a resist is printed on the plate leaving the aquatint exposed to take the acid bite and create a negative to be inked and deliver a printed positive.
two copper Plates with bitumen resist printed from silkscreen.
negative, positive, negative, positive.
Freecom 2007. Stage Proof Aquatint on Hahnemühle paper. 400x450mmFreecom 2007 abstract. Stage Proof. Aquatint on cartridge paper. 400x450mm
Much of the details of the process are captured here as the Early 21C Tools series develops.
Lest we forget
September 17th 2020. Digbeth, Birmingham UK
This week saw the beginning of the murder trial of civilian George Floyd by the police man who held his knee on the neck of Mr Floyd for 9:29 minutes. Race and racism underlies all questions and testimonies. The live courtroom transmission is tragic. Courtney Ross’s cogent testimony is excruciating in her relating of the personal and emotional trauma she has to participate in. The silences between questions is painful as is the screening of body cam and observer’s brave video footage.
Nothing to see, just listen to the sounds of the morning woodpecker.
Perhaps the same bird that visited in 2017 is back to wake us. Or a new younger one is passing by and spied the coconut.
Print and Tools Tests
Continuing the visualisation of 2021 tool equivalents to Jim Dine’s inspirational prints of 1950’s hand tools is throwing up a variety of options. The digital images are offering a stark contrasts with the photographic images of the hard disc metal containers and leads. https://printsanew.jonnieturpie.com/21st-century-tools
Five Removable Hard discs. 2007-2020. digital drawing.
These will be inkjet printed on plain and textured paper surfaces. With access to the School of Art print room and the assistance of master printmaker Justin Sanders the trial of an etched image of the most modern disc (LaCie 2TB) has delivered comparison of hand made image and backgrounds with the digital images. Each image is drawn on tissue paper and transferred on to the soft and hard ground plates with no digital or photographic elements. Additionally the etching process into copper plate, printed on selected paper and hand inked, is fully manual. The inclusion of the irregular connection leads locates the rectangular discs on the square plate and subsequent squared image on the rectangular paper. A clean background for the linear drawing works well in giving the modern disc/tool a status akin to the Jim Dine prints of hand tools.
LaCie Tools. Two plate etching.
Following first proofs from soft and hard ground plates, drawing into the hard ground was undertaken using burin and roulette tools. A second hard ground etch was applied. A two plate print was taken with the hard ground printed on top of soft ground, providing a hint of shadow to the hard ink lines. Finally a series of prints have been made to assess the effects of varied backgrounds and highlighted areas. The backgrounds were achieved by leaving some ink on the plates beyond the etched grooves, ie not fully wiping the surface clear of ink using the ‘Surface Tone’ technique. Background textures were also left in the ink as the pattern of the scrim was embedded. Highlights were created by cleaning selected ares with a hand made cue tips. ie not cotton wool sticks, but soft paper rolled into a point and bound with masking tape.
8 test hard and soft ground etchings of LaCie removable hard disc
Keatleys metals weighing.
Next an experiment with another disc image will be undertaken through the aquatinting etching process on new 300x350mm copper plates purchased from the Birmingham Metal Suppliers Keatley’s where cost is calculated by weight. Another analogue contrast with the digital tools to be represented.
The silkscreen surface test that was made prior to lockdown by printing transparent screen ink medium has reclined in a print room plan chest drawer for four months, but sadly has not dried sufficiently to be drawn upon. An additional two days in the drier has not hardened the medium. As the surface texture/pattern is of interest an alternative to drawing may be to lightly drop carbon dust from some height to maintain the texture, but provide sufficient small barriers to screen exposure which may deliver a unique surface to be printed from and be assessed as a serigraphy portrait background. Equally the dust might dry the medium surface to a degree that drawing materials may be held.
Results reviewed as the week progresses.
Chance Meeting
My second excursion to the City Centre and the School of Art was diverted by an unexpected meeting with a visitor to the city as she photographed the statue of Queen Victoria in the square that is named after her. She asked if I would take picture of her in front of the statue and the classical architecture of the Town hall. I pointed out the Museum and Art Gallery and that I was on the way to the School of Art which she was immediately interested in seeing. I introduced her to its magnificence, before encouraging her to see the newly opened centenary square.
Tusti. Digital drawing. 2021.
I have shared a drawing of her which celebrates the event that was the first time I have met by chance and engaged with a new person in 11 months. We swopped insta names and it occurred to me that I had put all sense of being in covid to one side, apart from our masks, and engaged as a resident sharing the sights of the city in non restricted times. On reflection it was a liberating experience indicating what we have been missing and look forward to returning to.
Birmingham Buildings from the Christadelpian Hall, Suffolk street Queensway.
Print and Tools
Continuing with Jim Dine’s inspirational prints of 1950’s hand tools to visualise 2000-21 tool equivalents by experimenting with sketches of the small metal removable hard disk boxes. Sketches made using photographs of hard disc containers are transferred to the Procreate app on an iPad to add complimentary ‘hand drawn’ textures made with the electronic Apple Pencil and selected brushes. The image and marks provide varied and effective juxtapositions.
Five Removable Hard discs. 2007-2020. digital drawing.
With access to the School of Art print room possible, there is potential to create physical printed images in direct opposition to the electronic, digital, computational imaging of the iPad series. Dine’s tools drawings are in the main lithographs and my expertise is in serigraphy, however in going as far as possible toward tactile manual imaging etching on copper plate may be just that. With the assistance of master printmaker Justin Sanders a piece of copper, from previous mezzotint experiments, was cut in two equal pieces of 10″ before being polished ready for soft and hard grounds.
Results reviewed as the week progresses.
20:20 Prints
While in the print room boxes of 20:20 prints arrived from Hot Bed press in Manchester. An annual submission of 20cmx20cm prints in editions of 25 has reached over 10,000 this year and 133,000 since the project began. This year Moscow print workshop contributed. www.2020printexchange.com
Video Live Engagement
Amy Drury. portrait painting of Cordelia Oliver.
A fully engaged two hour live portraiture stream : ‘My week of painting women artists concluded with my painting of Cornelia Parker, live for Tate instagram. I was asked to do this special event as the Tate saw my post for Portrait Artist of the Week – Nicola Coughlan – and then my series of portraits I have been doing of my female friends on our lockdown walks this winter. They thought It would be a good fit for their online International Womens Day event.’
Richard Saltoun Gallery’s year-long programme OnHannah Arendt: Eight Proposals for Exhibition looks to one of the most important thinkers of the post-war generation to confront some of the most pressing socio-political issues of our time.
Running from January until December 2021, the programme consists of eight exhibitions organized around the eight essays in Arendt’s 1969 publication Between Past and Future: Eight Exercises in Political Thought and features more than 20 international artists from diverse backgrounds working across a range of media, many from outside the gallery’s roster. The following video is from Peter Kennard and includes his most recent work comprising hands and Stock market figures, that resonate in the covid year they comment upon.
