Joyce Evans’s Sand grass series grew out of her interest in developing a formal pictorial language through the contemplation of nature. Evans was introduced to the notion of a semi-abstract organic language when she studied painting under John Olsen in the late 1960s. Olsen’s approach was informed by Eastern thought (especially the sumi-e ink drawings of Zen Masters). In essence, this approach involves seeing forms of nature as expressions of a life force, which the artist reiterates through a mark-making process. These teachings are clearly evident in the way Evans has flattened the picture plane and made lyrical use of lithe natural forms. Evans’s Sand grass series has been printed on handmade Japanese paper. The soft organic patina of this mulberry paper was selected because of its mimetic qualities; in Evans’s terms printing on this paper meant that ‘the sand would look like sand’.
(2014)
Also known as Giclee prints or bubble-jet prints, pigment ink-jet prints are generated by computer printers from digital or scanned files using dye-based or pigment-based inks. A series of nozzles spray tiny droplets of ink onto the paper surface in a precise pattern that corresponds to the digital image file. In dye-based prints the ink soaks into the paper, whereas in pigment-based prints the ink rests and dries on top of the paper surface.
Whilst the term is broad, pigment ink-jet prints have come to be associated with prints produced on fine art papers. They are the most versatile and archival method of printing available to photographers today. A wide variety of material on which an image can be printed with such inks are available, including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolour paper, cotton canvas or pre-coated canvas.
