Hidden treasures, old archaeological finds and tree roots inspire artist's Stories of Discovery collographs at West Berks Museum

In 2021, Newbury artist Isabel Carmona Andreu was awarded a Develop Your Creative Practice grant by the Arts Council England to develop her multiplate collagraph printing technique, with mentoring by artist Frances Hatch.

Collagraph is a printmaking technique where the plates are made using card as a substrate where marks (graphs) are scored or collaged (using colla = glue). Multiplate printing indicates the possibility of including various layers and plates in a single print. The inking of the plates can be done in various ways, both intaglio (putting ink onto the grooves of the plate) or relief (laying the ink on top of the plate).

During January 2021 the exploration of her surroundings was still limited by Covid restrictions. Under Frances guidance, Isabel started walking and drawing in areas surrounding her home, trying to look afresh at the spaces she encountered, drawing first, mark-making with found objects, collecting found objects on the walks, letting the spaces influence her mood. Slowly, this repetitive meandering led her to a specific site in Wash Common with a particular appeal as it is an old site of archaeological interest. It has five burial mounds dating from the Bronze Age, including a ring mound, a large bowl barrow with a small ditch and three smaller bowl barrows. A small woodland borders the site with a rookery high up.

A few collections, of plates, of prints and found objects started appearing in Isabel’s studio and the stories of the prints slowly emerged. With reference to trees, birds, what is above as well as what is on the ground, leaves, feathers, and various litter, found objects, and what is beneath the ground, hidden treasures, old archaeological finds and tree roots.

They explore the relationships between the various layers, the sky and the ground; how permanent are they despite the variation of inhabitants, of dwellers of the space. The prints tell their intertwined stories.

The plates can mix objects of the past, axe or arrowheads with current discarded treasures, a lost key or a lighter, all layered in the same ground. The ground and the trees bear witness as the rooks fly noisily by.

They are ever-changing stories, all unique and equally all passing. If you told them, instead of Isabel, the stories would be different, as other objects will catch your attention and you will focus on something else. Life is open to personal interpretation.

Isabel’s collection of work ‘Stories of Discovery’ is currently on display at West Berkshire Museum until October 2, open Wednesday – Sunday 10am – 4pm. Entry is free but donations are welcomed.

Isabel is also running a series of events at the Museum;

Talk: Developing Creative Artworks Using Local Inspiration, September 14, 1pm – 2pm, free but must be pre-booked online.

Workshop: From Drawing to Print, Wednesday, September 21, Thursday 22, Friday 23, 10am - 12pm, £75.

For more information visit www.westberkshireheritage.org/whats-on

Isabel’s DYCP year is collected in her Instagram feed: @isacarmona-art. It includes process development images and videos. Isabel’s DYCP project was supported with funding by the Arts Council England.