I have used print making in the form of Artists prints (i.e. one up of each different print comprising a series of images) a valuable tool in developing a series of paintings. The following only stayed as series of prints and were not redeveloped (as yet) into a formal painting sequence.
‘The Universal Sandwich of Man’ referred directly at the time to the intensive urban renewal that began eroding whole parts of the original city of Melbourne in the late 60’s and early 70’s as I had known it as a student and then for some time as a worker within it. In addition to this was a rather fatalistic attitude that arose out of the fears of the threats of the Cold War and the threats to large urban centres – especially in relation to the arms race combined with the space race. At that stage though we were another 15 years or so away from the amalgam of both – but were keenly aware of the abilities of the super powers to unleash destruction within minutes in any part of the globe. Allied to this was the knowledge that only 20 years previously attempts had been made by several dictators controlling their nation states to dominate and subjugate the world with true weapons of mass destruction and attempt to exterminate whole cultures in their wake. What we had in Australia was a chance to use space. We didn’t need the lebensraum of the Nazis and we certainly didn’t need to pile brick after brick on top of each other to clone ourselves in the American ‘New York ‘image. We could have expanded into an ‘Eden’ but we chose to ‘go up’ and sandwich ourselves somewhere between the heaven of our previous existence and the unknown hells of the future! We certainly didn’t need a master race or eugenically enhanced population to survive – and we were all left wondering if we had truly learnt and grasped the lessons of history.
All prints are Acrylic Block Inks thickened with Clear Acrylic Emulsions (Marcus Pigments) and are printed of a waxed Glass Bed onto Linen Grain Print Paper in Mounts (24” X 20”) (610mm X 510mm) – Image sizes are all (16” X 14”) (406mm X 360 mm) or as otherwise indicated.
They are numbered out of a sequence of 7 in order. As of this date 5/7 cannot be accounted for and it’s provenance is being researched. If you know of it’s whereabouts please use the contact section above to let me know.