MONOPRINTLondon

In my first workshop I began experimenting with the possibilities and limitations of the relatively simple medium of monoprint. It became apparent that line drawings created the most successful prints, and that the resultant prints had a raw, grimy quality.

After the workshop I researched other artists who use monoprint, and was most interested by some of Tracey Emin's monoprints.

Emin exploits the honest and gritty voice of the medium to speak frankly directly to the viewer, often with intention of shocking and unsettling.

The idea of monoprint as an inherently honest and direct medium really appealed to me, and so I decided to explore how I could use the process to represent some of the less positive/glossy aspects of London. Inspired by B&W Studio's Annual Report for St George's Crypt, which features stark, direct photographic portraits of homeless people to connect viewer with subject, I decided to take homelessness in London as my focus.

Yesterday I set about travelling around London interviewing a number of homeless people, taking photographic portraits and recording their personal stories of how they ended up on the streets of London.

I will use these photos as the basis for my monoprints, and although I've begun experimenting transforming the photos into line drawings, as yet I haven't begun printing the final portraits or worked out if/how I will incorporate their stories into the prints...