Gregor Smith - New Works Online: Online Exhibition

Glasgow Print Studio presents new works by printmaker and painter Gregor Smith, exhibiting online during October 2021 .

"The works in this exhibition were made during the pandemic restrictions, in periods where access to the workshop facilities at Glasgow Print Studio was possible. In addition to making new plates, I decided to rework and reprint from some older plates, freshening up so to speak without losing the drawing and composition, for example the two compositions from Norway. Ballantrae Bay in Ayrshire generated a good day of drawing on my walk from Glasgow to Stranraer in March 2020, with the etching printed in 2021.

I find my source material in the natural environment, coastal or inland, but not exclusively Scottish. I draw and sketch on site, developing subjects later for printmaking and painting.

I apply a suitable technique for the subject at hand. Some subjects can be approached broadly, for example carborundum and drypoint on perspex permitting a free reaction to the subject of "Morning, Berneray". Or in the case of "Off Arran", I used acid etching with washes of stop-out to create a dramatic effect of unpredictable weather and rugged mountain landscape.

Mezzotint is a medium which is comparatively recent to me. I find it suitable for the effect of light and dark and also for work at a smaller scale although the subject itself may be very large as in "Near Wick" or "Off Hoy". Although it demands precision and discipline, I find mezzotint can also permit a degree of freedom."

Gregor Smith 2021.