JOHN SIMPSON
Omega and The Bear, 2014
102(w) x 76(h) cm
9 colour screenprint on Somerset 410 gsm paper
Edition of 50
£650.00
The way John Simpson produces screenprints is really quite unique. Preferring to call his editions ‘serigraphs’ rather than ‘screenprints’ to reiterate the fact that the screens are made from true-grains created by the artist’s hand, rather than from a digital image, the process of creating his prints is complex, time-consuming and an extremely important part of the work for Simpson.
Having spent two months in Canada over the summer months, John met with me to talk about the print at Atelier JI print studio near the O2 at the end of August, where we discussed his ideas with head printer Peter. It was just two days after John’s return, and he’d been making the initial sketches while he was away, so his experience was still very fresh on his mind. If you’re familiar with John’s work, you’ll know he often includes animals in his pieces, usually placed alongside figures, creating an interaction between the two, but it was clear when we looked at his preliminary sketches for the new print that he’d been influenced by his trip. When I asked if he’d seen any bears in Canada I was half joking, but it turns out he in fact had a close encounter with one at a point, where it was not far from him at all; whether this influenced his decision to include a bear in this piece or not I don’t know, but I quite like the story.
The title ‘Omega and the Bear’ references a printed prose poem written by artist Edvard Munch called ‘Alpha and Omega’. An alternative version of Adam and Eve, Omega (the first female human) chooses the company of animals over that of Alpha (the first human male). Simpson’s interest in Munch’s story - and that of the series of 22 lithographs Munch made to accompany it - comes from the connection between human beings and the rest of nature, and how the fact that we often choose to neglect our animal past has caused certain imbalances in the natural world.
The positioning of the female figure and the bear are intended to mirror each other. The striped markings on the girl’s back are ambiguous; my initial thoughts were that they represented the rib cage, but they could also be translated as clothing or, more likely animal markings, reiterating Simpson’s connection between human and animal existence. John says that in this piece he wanted to “connect the two creatures and remove any barrier we have imagined between humans and other animals. The girl’s hand gestures are also intended to represent an offering or an attempt at reconciliation between humanity and the rest of nature.”
As mentioned above, the processes involved in making these works is fairly complex. Instead of working directly on to true grain sheets to make the screens to build the image, John creates a number of monotypes on newsprint, which are oiled to make translucent images, and it’s these that are then made into the screens. He uses newsprint for its flexible and absorbent qualities which help to transfer the very sensitive marks from the glass plate (during the monoprints process), as well as having the ability to retain the oil for the stencil making process.
John worked for a week of full days and late nights in his studio to prepare for this print, and then spent two days at the printers executing the final product. It’s not just the endearing and comforting image that makes Omega and The Bear such a fantastic piece; the story, the process and the quality of the finished print all add to its greatness.
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