The Working Artist

Artist

Accustomed to altering reality in her sketches, could our columnist LAURA BOSWELL still make a satisfying print with only a photo for reference?

I’ve been working on two prints recently. They’re both Yorkshire landscapes; one of the famous

Ribblehead Viaduct, the other of a limestone sinkhole at Buttertubs

Pass. Both involved using photos for reference and both triggered an unexpected creative challenge.

A quick word about copyright when working from photographic references: the copyright of a photo rests with the photographer, just as the copyright of your artwork rests with you. It’s fine to look at photos for inspiration and ideas but be very careful not to work directly from a specific picture, unless you took it or have permission to reference it.

On location I always take photos as well as making sketches and use both in developing my work. I use photography as a form of note taking and as an adjunct to the sketching. My sketches reveal the parts of the landscape that catch my imagination, while my photography serves to record the general view. Back in my studio I cook up the final image from these ingredients; a large dose of imagination alongside sketches for composition and focus, photos for fact checking. My Yorkshire sinkhole is a good example: it obeys the laws of geology and physics so helpfully recorded in my photos, but it is no direct representation of reality. I am entirely focused on the drop into the depths and, as with my initial sketches, I’ve virtually eliminated the surrounding landscape, isolating the sinkhole in white space, adapting its shape to suit the composition.

My print of Ribblehead Viaduct shows the structure through the mist and true to life. With a landmark so iconic and the weather closing in fast, I took the time to compose a photo rather than sketching. I then worked directly from this to make an accurate drawing of the viaduct’s structure and to compose the print. This single photo gave me the accuracy I needed, but this direct referencing was a novel approach for me, and it was a surprisingly tricky challenge to make the landscape my own without my usual freedom to alter reality.

Changing the way that I worked from my photos shook me up and pushed me into a new creative place. I am used to setting myself ever more inventive ways of working with my inks and presses, but this simple challenge was very effective. Try changing your information gathering process, I guarantee it’ll be interesting. www.lauraboswell.co.uk

Changing the way that I worked from my photos pushed me into a new creative place

ABOVE Laura Boswell, Ribblehead, linocut, 55x30cm