My second project for the Yr 1999, (I was 16), linoprinting. For this project we studied the expressionists. I think this early influence in my "art education" made quite an impression on my emotive (if not impatient) artistic style.

Here's the Self-Evaluation for this project:
"I called my print this because the figure looks metallic, emerging from the furnace, the fires of the Phoenix. This also represents the fact that I am no longer a child and have to face the "big bad world" in a matter of years. The hissing, ruffled Phoenix reflects my state of mind- the still figure with virtually no facial features or expression represents my seemingly "collected" exterior.

I used a lower-case "e" in the title because if the print has to be named, I wanted a soft, undemanding title. The content reflects my thoughts and feelings that cant be put exactly into wordsw. Capital letters make the title look a bit still and bold and I didn't really want that!

My expressionist influence was Kirchner, for his sharp, jagged lines. I don't like these lines but they work extremely well to present feelings of anger and emotional discomfort. The quills of the Phoenix ruffle out in all directions and create an unsettling effect. The eye can be soothed by the curved lines of the figure, its simple shapes of light and dark. The figure was inspired by Botticelli's Venus- the nakedness representing my "vulnerable" state.

I'm sorry to say my design was hastily put together last minute, and the idea could have been developed further, But I'm happy with the rasults and very satisfied with my colour prints. These were derived from an earlier experiment with tissue paper and inks on sugar paper. The colours were quite vivid yet had pleasant, natural earth tones at the same time. I mostly used the mentioned materials in my final print, and was quite happy to use the textured sugar paper instead of smooth cards with bright, solid colour. "

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