Gina Cross: Palermo Moment

Gina Cross
Photo etching on reclaimed copper plate, monoprint and enamel spray
Waxed and polished
Unique
H 31 x W 21 cm artwork size

Framing notes:

Presented in a tray frame (no glass). 

"This collection of studies on reclaimed copper and brass is a continuation of my interest in light, colour and space. Inspired by travelling in Southern Europe, the series initially started during the pandemic when travel restrictions were in place. I referenced photographs and tapped in to the feelings that I experienced while away in Sicily and other parts of Italy and Spain when the heat is so much that you have to change pace, slow down, look around and soak up the sights, sounds, colour and heat.

The metal plates are reclaimed from various sources and I do not strive to make them perfect. These works have been photo etched with textures and shapes that are derived from my own photographs and manipulations. Throughout the process the metal undergoes chemical processes to transfer the imagery on to the plate, and I embrace the imperfections that happen in this process that are adding themselves to the existing imperfections on the metal.

Colour is applied through a number of processes, including mono printing, screenprinting stencilled shapes, and enamel spray paint, working intuitively. The reflective surface, for me, acts as the spacial element in the compositions, helping the applied colours shine but also they reflect the light and colour of their surroundings, and in that sense they come alive.

To quote Barbara Hepworth, ‘The language of colour and form is universal and not one for a special class - it is a thought which gives the same life, the same expansion, the same universal freedom to everyone."

— Gina Cross, 2024