The Story That the Travel Writer Told Me

The Story that the Travel Writer Told Me is the first picture in the exhibition and was produced at Advanced Graphics in London. The artist comments : 'On the eve of my trip to Namibia, the travel writer told me this beautiful legend: "Every night when the moon is in the dark sky, the lions come out from the desert to fish. With the shadows of ghost boats as companions, the lions play with the fish until dawn." The lion image stayed with me throughout my trip, so I decided to use it as the source for my screenprint.' 10% of proceeds from the sale of the print will benefit the Mines Advisory Group (MAG).

MAG is an international not-for-profit Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Manchester, UK with a sister organisation, MAG America, based in Washington, USA. The charity assists people affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO - bombs, mortars, grenades), clearing and destroying the left-over weapons that make areas unsafe after war. Lou McGrath, Executive Director of MAG comments: 'We are very grateful to Cristina Rodriguez for her support. MAG has had over 12 years' experience in more than 20 countries. We operate within communities to make land safe so that people can grow food, collect water and their children can go to school safely and without fear. Our aim is to help rebuild peaceful and secure environments. Funds raised from this exhibition will assist our field programmes in the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia.'

Advanced Graphics is the UK's foremost screenprint studio, widely known and respected for the development of screenprinting and woodblocking techniques. It has worked on projects for artists, galleries and publishers worldwide since 1967. Artists work in close collaboration with specialist technicians to produce original screenprints. These are not based on paintings, but are works of art in their own right, and are produced entirely by hand. The screenprinting process involves an artist building a series of backgrounds and marks to be made into stencils. These vary from large washed areas to tiny highlights. Technicians print the stencils, one at a time, by pulling ink through the screens on to the paper beneath using a squeegee. Once the proofing stage is complete and the artist is satisfied with the image, the technicians repeat the process, building up layer upon layer of colour until the final image emerges. Whilst editioning, they refer to notes made during the proofing stage, consulting the artist when necessary. The prints are then signed and numbered by the artist and embossed with the company stamp.
 

Imogen Lock
Art adviser
2004