Description

“I have been making prints of Thames views for some time and more recently became drawn to quays and ships’ moorings. I enjoy the architectural, sometimes almost abstract shapes they make, and their strength but also slight dilapidation. Then I discovered, almost by accident, “dolphins” – freestanding, powerful moorings that appear all along the Thames. I spotted my first one by the HMS Belfast and was hooked. No-one seems to know the origin of their name except that it is almost certainly not connected to the marine mammal. And according to a very helpful contact at the Port of London Authority they come in all shapes, sizes and materials so that there is no clear definition. They are shown on PLA charts with the symbol “Dn”. Many are inaccessible from the shore as they belong to commercial ports on the Kent and Essex coasts so I have had to content myself with those in London.

“I started by making fairly literal drawings and prints but then moved on to the more abstract, geometric images the dolphins lend themselves to. I have added hand colouring to both literal and abstract versions using coloured pencil techniques.

“To make the coloured prints I first take a proof from the linocut then cut a stencil using that as a guide. I use the stencil to add the colouring to final print grade paper – mostly Fabriano Artistico 300gsm. The last step in the process is to print from the cut lino over the coloured shapes. “