Profile: Claudia Husband
My work is based predominantly around self-exploration. Employing the graphic mediums of lithography and intaglio, the imagery within my work comprises of delicate, abstract forms and expressive line-work and tonal washes in an attempt to study notions of existence within a space. I utilise the manipulation of printmaking mediums through a detailed exploration of material, and the immediacy of automatic mark-making in order to examine the subconscious mind and states of being. I hope to create fields of space – be it physical or virtual – to reflect the dichotomistic order and chaos of the subconscious mind.
My medium of choice is lithography, as it offers me the immediacy and direct drawing possibilities that allow me to best express notions of the “automatic mark”. While the image itself is usually quick, and direct, I am also very process-based in the way that I work, and I love the methodical element of lithography. This is usually the defining factor that deters people from the medium, but for me, I love the idea of taking an image through a journey – nurturing it, and in a way, sculpting it towards the final product, which is ink on paper. There is something very satisfying about pulling a lithograph off the press after taking it through such a complex process. Lithographers are often asked “why not just do a drawing on paper…? “ and I’ve thought long and hard over the years to come up with a good answer that really sums it up for me. In the end, it always comes down to ink. The quality of ink on paper gives a lithograph (or indeed, any type of print) that defining richness - the ink becomes a part of the paper’s surface, just like the initial drawing becomes a part of the stone or aluminium plate’s surface.
Lately I have been working in intaglio printmaking, experimenting with various etching techniques to try and achieve the combination of bold and delicate imagery that I’m drawn to in my lithographs. While the image-making process is not as ‘direct’ as in lithography, I enjoy the feeling of directly sculpting the image into the surface of the metal, being able to feel each line and mark in the copper before it becomes a print on paper. For me, it’s all about the process that an image is taken through, and the journey it makes before it reaches its final destination.
I’ll always make and print my own work, but I love being able to assist others in allowing them to produce prints, too. Whether it’s teaching or tutoring fellow printmakers through the process, or editioning their work for them; it’s lovely to see in others the same satisfaction and joy that I feel when a print is pulled off the press. All those hours and hard work become worth it when they see what beautiful results can be achieved.
One day I would love to open my own studio that would allow me to collaborate and work with other artists and printmakers, but this is a long way off…! I still have much more learning to do before then.
Contact Info:
Email: claudia.husband@gmail.com
Website: claudiahusband.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ClaudiaHusbandArt
My medium of choice is lithography, as it offers me the immediacy and direct drawing possibilities that allow me to best express notions of the “automatic mark”. While the image itself is usually quick, and direct, I am also very process-based in the way that I work, and I love the methodical element of lithography. This is usually the defining factor that deters people from the medium, but for me, I love the idea of taking an image through a journey – nurturing it, and in a way, sculpting it towards the final product, which is ink on paper. There is something very satisfying about pulling a lithograph off the press after taking it through such a complex process. Lithographers are often asked “why not just do a drawing on paper…? “ and I’ve thought long and hard over the years to come up with a good answer that really sums it up for me. In the end, it always comes down to ink. The quality of ink on paper gives a lithograph (or indeed, any type of print) that defining richness - the ink becomes a part of the paper’s surface, just like the initial drawing becomes a part of the stone or aluminium plate’s surface.
Lately I have been working in intaglio printmaking, experimenting with various etching techniques to try and achieve the combination of bold and delicate imagery that I’m drawn to in my lithographs. While the image-making process is not as ‘direct’ as in lithography, I enjoy the feeling of directly sculpting the image into the surface of the metal, being able to feel each line and mark in the copper before it becomes a print on paper. For me, it’s all about the process that an image is taken through, and the journey it makes before it reaches its final destination.
I’ll always make and print my own work, but I love being able to assist others in allowing them to produce prints, too. Whether it’s teaching or tutoring fellow printmakers through the process, or editioning their work for them; it’s lovely to see in others the same satisfaction and joy that I feel when a print is pulled off the press. All those hours and hard work become worth it when they see what beautiful results can be achieved.
One day I would love to open my own studio that would allow me to collaborate and work with other artists and printmakers, but this is a long way off…! I still have much more learning to do before then.
Contact Info:
Email: claudia.husband@gmail.com
Website: claudiahusband.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ClaudiaHusbandArt