A National Waterfront Museum Residency, in partnership with Mission Gallery Swansea
It was a great pleasure to be invited by The National Waterfront Museum in association with Mission Gallery, Swansea, to set up a studio alongside the Stanhope Letter Press. I spent the month of February 2013 producing over thirty preliminary drawings in pencil and then in ink and wash, cutting blocks, proof printing by hand and finally printing ten blocks in an edition of two on the Stanhope Press and a series printed by hand in an edition of five.
I called this project The Journey. I rarely make one-off prints, they seem always to develop into a series and a narrative begins. The story in this case is not a new one for me – an individual moving through life, facing adversity, dreaming, hoping and hopefully finding solace – but as the first few drawings were being made, aspects of the space in which I was working affected the imagery. I was there to make prints and use the Stanhope Press, but the presence of the displayed objects surrounding me – symbols of human endeavour – and discussions with visitors and staff, encouraged thought processes and ideas that played into the work.
I have, throughout my life as an artist, worked with writers both from Wales and abroad. When asked to be resident artist, I immediately invited my friend David Thomas, a Welsh poet based in Birmingham to collaborate. The contents of this box are the outcome of this opportunity.
I must thank Steph Mastoris Head of the National Waterfront Museum and Amanda Roderick, Director of Mission Gallery, Swansea, for the opportunity and for their help and encouragement.
Keith Bayliss 2013
