Richard Marsden is a printmaker from Leeds currently living and working in Glasgow. He is a founding member of the Leeds Print Workshop. Richard uses screen printing to create formal compositions that explore the relationship between geometric shapes and layers of colour.
Initially developing his practice from an interest in architecture, Richard screen printed photographs of Brutalist architecture on top of one another to create increasingly abstract images. Through this process-led way of working, he started to focus on the geometric forms within these images. “Gradually, I learnt my interest was in formalism, not necessarily abstraction, appreciating a piece of art for its lines, shapes, compositions, colours and light rather than the subject matter, be that abstract or not” explains the printmaker.
Over the last couple of years Richard has been influenced by the construction of buildings, observing the functional elements of architecture that can only be seen prior to their completion. He uses his sketchbook to begin exploring new relationships between forms and the spaces around them. Using Adobe Illustrator to then experiment with colour combinations, these compositions gradually reach a stage at which a visual balance is reached and he exposes the forms onto a screen.
“Screen printing allows me to play with flat layers of colour of varying opacity, exploring bold contrasts as well as more subtle elements using layers of gloss and different types and colours of paper. There are overarching parallels of ideas between the physicality of building and the process of screen printing, constructing two-dimensional structures using layers of ink.”
Richard is currently working on a new series of one-off screen prints. In the series he gradually builds up layers with no plan, allowing each element to influence the next until each unplanned composition has reached the perfect visual balance.
www.richardmarsden.uk
@richard_marsden_
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