John Preston

 

Artist’s Statement


I have painted and drawn throughout my life. Wanting to be able to both finish a composition and have the opportunity to take it further, I decided to learn printmaking, and in 1981 I found an evening class just across Mill Road (at what was then the CCAT printmaking studio in the former St Barnabas Church school). 


My etchings initially focused strongly on the qualities of lines on paper: I continue to be fascinated by the way in which the fineness of an etched line can capture a large landscape on even a very small plate. My work is often very atmospheric, using aquatint on zinc, or the natural texture of steel, as well as the more spontaneous pencil-like effects of soft ground. More recently, I have returned to painting, using watercolour and acrylic.


I have always been inspired by Italy, particularly Venice, but my work reflects my range of travels as well as my professional interest in architecture.