No Nonsense Screen Printing
By Richard Wardle R.E.
I began printmaking 20 years
ago at Harrow Art School where I was firstly taught to use paper stencils then photo
stencil film. After a few weeks most students had given up, frustrated by problems of
registration and the barrier of cumbersome photographic stencil making. It was with the
arrival of a new tutor, Michael Carlo, that I became hooked on his no-nonsense approach. I
started to work on one hinged screen, painting stencils directly onto it, using blue
filler and printing overlays of transparent colours using extender base. I still use much
the same process now and am still using oil-based inks though I have completely eliminated
general cleaner and other heavy solvents from my printing practice. Instead, I use white
spirit with a little genuine turpentine mixed in to clean my screen.
I still work on one screen only, altering or eradicating each stencil to
make the next one in its place and sometimes use at least 30 stencils to complete an
edition. Therefore, my prints are not photo-mechanical semi-reproductions (which seems to
be the present trend), but developments of paintings which may be either rough colour
studies or more complete paintings. Due to the nature of the medium, the prints are always
different from the paintings.
I have seen many prints in recent years that are scanned, printed by
technicians and end up being facsimiles of paintings, hardly meriting the term Original
Prints, though they are sold as such.
I have been making paintings and prints of landscape since 1978 and give
demonstrations wherever I exhibit. Generally, viewers are surprised and fascinated by such
an apparently basic method. Most people expect my prints to be photographically separated.
Most of my works depict rural England and I try to suggest in these images the specific
moment when I find a good or interesting subject, i.e. when the elements of that subject
come together because of the time of day. I rely heavily on lengthening shadows which are
both cast by features of the landscape and lie across and over other features. It is often
the shadows that create the illusion of 3-dimensional space on the flat surface of the
paper. The feeling of specific time may come from going out to look for material in
evenings and early mornings. I often find shadows appearing, cast by features which aren't
even visible in the composition and I also enjoy tonal play of light against dark and dark
against light.
These two prints started as
small paintings. 'Angel Bank' (Top) was only about 5"x 7" and was a very direct,
busy painting. I re-drew a larger version, lightened the shadows which were too harsh and
moved some things around, rather like moving furniture, leaving some things out and
working from the lightest colours to the darkest using overlaid inks. The finished print
used 28 colours, so I hand-painted 28 stencils. 'Field Side' (middle) is smaller than the
painting and lighter in tone and feel, as I decided I had again over-cooked the colour and
tone in the painting. 
Distant stacks of bales stand out in front
of darker tones (right) . The transparency of the ink is perfect for suggesting the
overlays of watercolour marks.
Screen-printing seems for most people to be out of reach, too technical,
using specialised photographic equipment and relying on chemicals. The way I was taught
and now teach myself, gives students access to this very direct medium.
A well-known artist-'printmaker' once said to me having watched me
demonstrating how I work, "that’s amazing. All my prints are photographically
separated and printed by some-one else". Unfortunately, nowadays the term Original
Print can mean just about anything.
You can see Richard demonstrate his techniques at Art in Action in July.
You can contact Richard at:
3 Seifton Lane
Culmington
Ludow
Shropshire SY8 2DG
England
Tel: 01584 861634
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