F

OR the past two years Clive Hicks-Jenkins has been making a series of fourteen screen prints based on the mystical medieval poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, using Simon Armitage’s 2007 translation published by Faber & Faber.

The work has been a collaboration with Daniel Bugg, whose Penfold Press has produced and published the editions of prints.

January will see the second and concluding Gawain themed exhibition at Martin Tinney Gallery, with all fourteen prints on show, accompanied by art historian James Russell’s insightful observations on the images.

The studies and paintings made in the process of creating the prints will be included in the exhibition.

Clive, who was born in Newport in 1951, was a choreographer and stage director but he turned away from theatre to concentrate on his underlining passion for painting in 1990.

He said: “Each screenprint is constructed from many layers of transparent ink, all carefully aligned and overprinted to make the complete image. Initially I make each layer of the artwork on a transparent sheet of lithographic film.

“There are up to twelve layers per print, and they’re rendered only in black and red as the intended colours don’t enter the equation printing stage.

“Once the layers of film for a print have been completed, each is transferred to a micromesh ‘screen’ by Dan. Inks are mixed according to sample colours I produce, and the printing begins.

“No-one really has a clear idea of how anything will look until the image begins to emerge, layer by layer from the printing press. It can feel like magic.”

Call on 029 2064 1411 or visit www.artwales.com. All work is for sale and can be seen on the website.

Martin Tinney Gallery, 18 St Andrew’s Crescent, Cardiff. Open: Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm and Saturday, 10am-5pm. until the