andrewwelsby

Back when I first left school, I got a job as an apprentice screen printer in the town where I grew up. After months cleaning screens with a very toxic cleansing solution, I eventually graduated to doing some actual printing. Screen printing isn’t complicated, but does require a lengthy setup, so I was excited to eventually start printing.

The business printed triangular panels for umbrellas. You know the type: golf brollies that were emblazoned with some corporate logo, a bank or a cigarette brand – yes, that long ago! The boxes of blank panels arrived, not yet stitched with no umbrella mechanism. These would be sewn together and assembled later by another company far away. The boxes often contained tens of thousands of panels, each one needed printing. I got quite good and could complete a print every 35 seconds or so! It was so boring! Needless to say, when I eventually got to art school, printing wasn’t something I rushed towards.

Recently however, I’ve been experimenting with printing again, and enjoying it. I’ve been screen printing compositions derived from my sculptural work, Self in the City and my Random Grid Generator. Dry point printing, I’ve discovered is fun too, as is gel plate which I did some experiments with for the Hazard Warning project, and lino cut printing. There’s so many techniques to discover, and if you haven’t entered the printing world yet, I’d urge you to have a go!