Chloe Tallack: Workshop Bursary Blog

The first guest blog from the 2023/24 Workshop Bursaries is by artist Chloe Tallack.

Chloe’s positive energy and motivation in the workshop has been inspiring for all of us. Her ambition also put our skills and facilities to the test as Chloe embarked upon the largest (and possibly the brightest!) screenprint that has been produced in the Toogs Artist Workshop to date! It’s a great example of how having some space and time (and the modest bursary materials budget) can spring board ideas from a dream to reality. Thanks for dreaming big, Chloe! We can’t wait to show the final prints in an exhibition coming up in 2025. We will now hand over to Chloe, who shares her experience of undertaking a Workshop Bursary:

Exploring the Art of Riso and Screen Printing 

I initially applied for the Gaada bursary with the goal of creating a series that merged my digital photography with printed text, exploring various printing processes along the way.

Getting Started 

My first session was all about getting comfortable in the studio space, familiarising myself with the Riso machine, and talking through some ideas. I started by creating a basic zine layout and spent some time experimenting in Photoshop to see how different factors might change once the image went through the printing process. I was amazed at how much we managed to squeeze into just three hours! However, I felt my work lacked the graphic feel I initially aimed for, partly due to my choice of images and maybe a lack of confidence at that point

Building on Ideas 

When I returned for the next session, a few months had passed. I needed that time to focus on my health. Snow had put me off one session, but the team was incredibly accommodating about rebooking and encouraged me to come in when I was ready. With Jono's expertise in printing and design, he helped bring my ideas to life—ideas that had been stuck in my head or on my computer for a while! By the second session, I had a clearer vision, and Jono guided me through the processes. I felt so motivated that I was pretty excited to get back into the studio as soon as I finished. 

Experimenting Between sessions, 

I played around with Spectrolite, a program Jono recommended, and revisited Photoshop to brainstorm font ideas. For my third session, I decided to continue the theme from the previous session and repeat the process. This allowed me to refresh my memory on the processes and improve on my messy notes I’d taken! This time, I took more of a lead, with Jono on hand for support. 

Print BIG

In the final session, I decided to go bigger and brighter (I was told it was possible!). I had an image ready, and Jono prepped the paper by flooding a yellow layer onto some A1 sheets in advance. This saved a lot of time and allowed us to dive straight into the important parts of the session. Prepping the larger screen for printing required a bit more physical help, but having four hands was definitely better than two.

The Final Outcome 

The results were close to my digital images but so much more satisfying to see on paper. There were beautiful variations with the Riso process, and we achieved pretty close colour matching by hand with the screen printing. Jono's expertise in visualising how colours work together, thinking about opacity, and understanding how the details translated to the screen was invaluable. But the best part was the constant encouragement and positivity I received throughout the process! 

I have felt creatively supported, and this experience has refocused my artistic practice. It wasn't just the time I needed, but the support and understanding about how difficult it is to juggle creativity and everyday life that made all the difference. I have a few more ideas I’d like to explore in the studio and am looking forward to share the outcome of this project.

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Gaada workshop bursaries are made possible by the funding of Creative Scotland and Shetland Charitable Trust.

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Workshop Bursaries for 2024/25 are now open for applications!

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Welcome Issey Medd - Gaada’s new Print Artist + Organiser!

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Brigði 2024—Shetland/Norway Artist Exchange