The image for Cold Snap Surprise came from a very unexpected source. It still makes me smile when I think about it…

My series of abstract winter art was inspired by tyre tracks in newly fallen snow and I knew that this inspiration was most suited to a print process with an element of chance or randomness and so I chose to use the breakdown printing method.

If you don’t know what it is, breakdown printing is a process where thickened dye paste is squeezed/dribbled/spooned onto a silk screen and optionally, things such as bits of plastic can be embedded to create texture and additional interest in the print. Once the dye paste is completely dry and any added items removed, the screen can be use to print as normal.

Having said all that about the process of breakdown printing, in the end it was only indirectly used to create this piece. Once the screen was dry I took photos of it for future reference and I was surprised and delighted to see that the photos of the screen looked like track marks in the road, just as the original inspiration did. I had some of these screen images digitally printed onto fabric and this is my favourite one which I have embellished with stitch to create texture and interest to the foreground and to emphasise the areas of ‘snow’.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about how the ‘surprise’ got into Cold Snap Surprise. If you would like to hear the stories behind my work, be the first to hear about new work and exhibitions, why not subscribe to my newsletter?