Becoming Blue: INK Quarterly Proofs

Hibiscus flower, 11 x 14 cm, Watercolour on paper, SOLD

I am very excited to be able to tell you that on the anniversary of Leafscape we managed to get hold of the printed proof pages for our first INK Quarterly newspaper and, thanks to your support, they look great! 

For those of you who don't know, inspired by the work of Yves Klein, my intention was to make a newspaper as a piece of art - to question what a newspaper actually is and what it is supposed to do. With this, I decided that I wanted to make something that was both informative and good enough to put inside a frame. This entire adventure into newsprint explores not only how we treat print today, but poses questions about its future is in a digital world. INK Quarterly is a composite stage where artists, scientists, philosophers and historians can participate, exploring their ideas in a space without boundaries, without convention. This is a little different to what we are used to in the modern world. This document we have created without boundaries is rather like the internet or a printed 'utopia', but I guess we are just not used to seeing it in printed form. Print seems to have the association of being more logical. Yet it isn't the internet or a utopia because it is not limitless - these are limited in edition and limited in pages. Therefore really, when thinking about these things, this is something completely new. 

Laying out the pages of INK Quarterly. Designed by J R Shepherd and Browse Digital

All of the editions will be limited in number and will be printed using lithography by the same printer who helped us with Leafscape. Therefore this is no ordinary newspaper. It is a collector's piece. I am only printing 250 for the first edition and worldwide postage is included. If you are interested in subscribing or want to know more, please follow this link or get in touch: www.inkyleavespublishing.com/inkq. I am happy to answer any questions.

Close up on page 3 in INK Quarterly. Designed by J R Shepherd and Browse Digital. Article by Rob Kesseler.

Right at the beginning, I originally proposed for INKQ to be spread across two sides of an A1 sheet, but after laying out some of the amazing articles I have received, I have decided to add a page onto the first edition. This is inevitably costing more money, but I think it is worth it. Therefore please share this project with your friends and family or anyone who you feel might be interested, as having their support would really help. All funds raised go back into the project, so if we manage to get many subscribers, we could all end the year with a newspaper of many pages!

Hibiscus flower, 10 x 10 cm, Watercolour on paper, £150

Other news is the painting aspect of Blue Flower is still being planned out and prepared in the studio. I am still waiting for many of the blue flowers to come into bloom, so I am hiding in my studio making small study pieces and trying to finish my large Agapanthus piece titled 'The Kiss: Onslow Gardens', which I am painting mostly from my imagination now. This often happens towards the end when painting live material on this scale. You can read more about what inspired this painting in this blog post.

So with that I will sign off. Big thanks go to all of our contributors who have kindly chipped in for the sake of the project, sending in their articles and artworks without a fee. Without their help and your subscriptions, INKQ wouldn't be possible. This is very much a collaborative piece of art. 

Don't forget if you want to support the work we are doing, you can find out more about INKQ here: www.inkyleavespublishing.com/inkq 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend! 

The Kiss:Onslow Gardens - a work in progress. 1.5m x 1m. Waterccolour on paper