ESSA - Exhibiting Societies of Scottish Artists

10 : Jill Bennett :"Above Tin's Town":

Born in Nottingham, Jill Bennett moved to the Scottish Borders in early childhood and is a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, specialising in Drawing and Painting. Based in Edinburgh she is now working full time as an artist having worked part time as a teacher of art in special education for some years.

Jill exhibited widely with works in oil, gouache and watercolour until an interest in printmaking, in particular lithography, developed over the last ten years into a major commitment. The surface effect achieved by tusche washes, the ability to employ semi transparent colour to build up the layers of an image on a slab of stone and the opportunity to use the very nature and texture of the stone in the final work, has enabled the artist to investigate anew many themes of enduring interest such as ancient structures and stone work, peeling layers of paint and rusting metal.

Interactions Collaborative Print Folio - Edinburgh Printmakers
Workshop May 2003

This series of lithographs has have been developed over the last few years using the sculptural shape and decorative designs of traditional Cycladic pigeon houses in their landscape. The Greek Island of Tinos is dotted with ancient dovecots. Once highly cultivated in walled terraces, the red ochre soil of this Cycladic island forms a richly coloured backdrop to these intricately decorated structures. Following the same basic two storey rectangular shape these stone built and white stuccoed structures are very domestic in appearance and scale not unlike a more elaborate version of our own Scottish doo’cot. Each pigeon house is unique in its decorative detail, reflecting the individuality and artistic sensibilities of the owners who have used popular traditional Greek motifs of sun wheel, cypress tree and lozenge. The finials on the roof may have been landmarks for the doves
to recognise home. The fact that many of the pigeon houses are in a dilapidated state [though fortunately many are now stabilised] adds interest with peeling paint and plasterwork and crumbling stone.

Using the simple sculptural form of the structure and the infinite
variety of intricate detail within, these prints have been created to
form strong monolithic shapes, richly coloured and patterned,
reflecting the strong light and colours of the landscape and the
texture of the disintegrating surfaces. Tusche washes and lithographic crayon drawing on the stone have enabled the artist to build up layers of semi transparent colours while also employing the technique of maniere noir on the decorative features to form the final image.