Pamela TaiT
INTO THE WOODS
Being monotype | 43cm x 32cm
A submerged memory awakens when I look at Pamela Tait’s monotypes, from a time when I stood with small hands and short legs alone in nature… or not quite alone, because in nature you are never alone, especially when you are near trees. They are monotypes, with characters drawn-in, often set in an arbor of leaves Tait has gathered from walks around her studio on the Black Isle near Inverness. Monotypes have a directness and an intent that a drawing often lacks. In a monotype, there is no going back when a mark is made and printed, and this makes Tait’s work exude confidence and authenticity, and each image is unique because a clean plate is used for each work.
On a technical point, monoprints use the same plate multiple times, and monotypes use it only once. The difference is important here.
Being in nature, especially as a child and, hopefully, as an adult too, can excite your imagination and encourage play. Kapka Kassabova opens ‘Street Without A Name’ with the sentence
“As children growing up in communist Bulgaria, we played a pantomime game called ‘I went into the woods.’ It goes like this: I went into
Mine monotype | 40cm x 39cm
Hiding Place monotype | 40cm x 36cm
Holding on monotype | 40cm x 36cm
Giddy up monotype | 43cm x 31cm
The Passengers montype | 20cm x 23cm