JIM PAVLIDIS
ADVENTURES IN LITHOGRAPHY
31 August – 9 September 2023
As Jim Pavlidis explains: - Lithography is a print process whereby an image is made using special greasy crayons and washes on limestone. The stone is then processed, or ‘etched’, so that the areas not covered with the grease-based drawing, will retain water. During the printing process the oil-based lithographic ink is repelled by the water and will stick only to the drawn areas.
The loosely applied water-based wash, or tusche, used in these works behaves unpredictably and is tricky to print, so the skill of the printer is crucial to the outcome. Given the enormous influence of chance in this method, I consider each encounter with lithography to be an adventure.
On this adventure, for some twenty-eight years now, Jim has been accompanied by Master Print-Maker, Peter Lancaster who has nurtured the lithographic love and then been excited by Jim’s bravura with the medium.
Lithography is a complex and mysterious printmaking medium, invented just over 220 years ago, an artform which has at times been referred to as having almost alchemical like qualities – and as with the legends of the ancient alchemists, when lithography gets a playful and experimental artist such as Jim Pavlidis in its grip, then the voyage is without end, as each new work opens the possibilities for further creative exploration.
