Screenprinting Mile Stones
Gaada is honoured to present new work by acclaimed Graphic Novelist, Isabel Greenberg,
via the publication of our first ever Screenprint edition!
The Ship Sinking Witch by Isabel Greenberg, separation prep by Daniel Clark, Printed by Amy Gear
This genuinely momentous occasion actually occurred in December but as it was somewhat lost in the rush up to Christmas, we are taking some time right now to celebrate it and share with you some of the deeper significance it holds for Gaada.
Firstly, we need to explain something: Screenprinting is a complex (and beautiful) process! There are many ways you can screenprint, ranging from relatively simple methods: like painting directly onto the screen for one-hit monoprints, or using paper to create your image stencils; or the more complicated process of using handmade drawings sent through the internet, light sensitive photo-emulsion, a ultraviolet exposure unit, and a pressure hose, to transfer very precise images onto screens for printing (this isn’t even the entire process!). Editioning a print, particularly during a pandemic, calls for the latter more complex process.
Despite our equipment continuing to be quite basic, with thanks to Creative Scotland funding in 2020 and the steely determination of Gaada’s (frankly print-obsessed) staff, we have been able to produce a quality screenprint edition. All of this means Gaada is one step closer to a key founding aim of creating a fully functional printmaking workshop for Shetland. Whilst we have a long way to go before our currently makeshift set up is fit for public use (ie not pressure-washing silkscreens outside in Force 6 Gales) we still think this is a pretty big deal!
This edition also hits upon another important founding aim of Gaada – we have been able to create new work which bridges a gap between Shetland and the wider creative world. Isabel Greenberg is an author and illustrator of acclaimed Graphic Novels which have been published and re-translated across the world. Since Gaada began, Isabel has been eager to work with us and explore some of Shetland’s rich Dialect and story-telling history. Gaada’s 2020/21 Weemin’s Wark programme provide a perfect opportunity to work with Isabel, whose the use of traditional Shetlandic counting rhymes in historic accounts of Witchcraft and the persecution of Witches in Shetland. The resulting pair of prints (The Ship Sinking Witch and The Corbieing Witch) are on display in Eetum Peetum Penny Pie an exhibition in Gaada’s outdoor exhibition space Display in Burra Isle, Shetland.
Both prints are now also available to purchase through Gaada’s Online Shop.
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Weemin’s Wark is funded by Creative Scotland, in partnership with local equalities group Up Helly Aa for Aa, and the Glasgow Women’s Library. Click here to find out more!
The Corbieing Witch by Isabel Greenberg, separation prep by Daniel Clark, Printed by Amy Gear
