My latest print in this series illustrates Magpie Mine, near Sheldon. Mid-Derbyshire has a history of industrial lead mining going back to Roman times. Lead mining at this site goes back to at least the 17th century. The Shuttlebark vein of lead ore was officially opened in 1682. Magpie Mine is recorded back to 1740. After over 200 years of operation, Magpie Mine closed in 1958 and was the last working lead mine in Derbyshire.
After major modifications and then a lot fiddling around, I have also finally completed a large (for me) A3 print of it. It started with a walk and a sketch with the brilliant printmaker #jemma_gunning_artist whilst she was artist in residence at #wirksworthfestival last summer. The first version of this plate was a disaster, over etched and dark as night! With Jemma’s expert tuition I then stripped off all the aquatint and started again with just the line etch. After another aquatint and etching everything at ground level, I decided to add the clouds with my first ever ‘spit bite’, this time with the help of my long term mentor, the incredible #johnhowardprint! Here is the result, with many thank for the expert guidance from my mentors.
Leave a Reply