A Merry Christmas to you and your kina

My kina Christmas tree that inspired my prints

One of my most precious treasures is my kina Christmas tree that I made many years ago using a selection of kina shells and a tiny dried starfish found while beach combing. It sits atop a piece of driftwood and is accompanied by some dried pohutukawa flowers and a piece of paua.

As Christmas approaches, and with my new press ready and willing, I was inspired to create a simple little drypoint that I could give as gifts and to add to my stock of prints for sale.

I used plexi-plate, cut to the arched shape, and printed it using oil-based Flint inks onto 300g hahnemuhler paper. Initially I just printed them with one colour and a cleanly wiped plate. 

I then experimented with a simple colour roll-up over the inked up plate, wiping highlights clean with a cotton bud.

 Each and every print is different due to slightly different inking and wiping. I didn't want to produce an edition of identical prints, I wanted them all to be special in their own way. This allowed me to experiment and "play" with inking and wiping techniques.

Some of the prints were left as is, straight from the press and some were handcoloured with watercolours and metallic inks.

I can't decide which version of the print I prefer the most. It's always hard to part with work when you have fallen in love with it. 

I hope it means that the recipients will love them too.

Merry Christmas 

and best wishes

for 2014!