V A R I A T I O N S
multiple states of four different plates

Through my prints I strive to convey my fascination with the natural world; its strength and beauty in every crucial stage from blossom to seed, drawing attention to the imperfections and impermanence inherent in all living things. My recent work has been an examination of pieces of the whole; inclusion, exclusion and difference. This fascination with the facets and relationships that make up the entirety is embodied in both my artistic process and in the content of my art. The work borrows themes from the natural environment, displaying groups of objects, each divisible yet related, where the overall image coalesces as an embodiment of its constituent parts. Each print relates to the others yet has subtle variations and so, is unique.

The body of work that I am presenting here at Open Studio’s Print Sales Gallery began while on a print residency last Summer at Frans Masereel Centre in Belgium. While there, I etched and printed four individual plates depicting botanical motifs that held personal significance for me. The plates returned home with me where I re-etched and printed them, this time using a technique called, chine colle. Over the course of this past year I have printed these four plates in a variety of ways; re-etching the copper, using different inks and techniques in printing to complete a total of 16 different editions and 20 monoprints. For this show I have selecting four of my favourite prints created from each plate in the hope that they will help illustrate the multiple ways of working from a single seemingly fixed metal plate as well as the many ways of looking at nature and the world around us.

Tammy Ratcliff
at
Open Studio Print Sales Gallery
September 7-30th 2006