SANDRA HIGGINS ART
Maxine works mainly in the mediums of monotype, intaglio and relief, frequently using palimpsest within the complexity of her multi-layered prints.
Inspired by her surroundings, these seeming disparate urban and natural environments are linked by decades of unique erosion and decay, brought about by natural and man-made interventions, introducing meandering connections to their water sources.
MAXINE FOSTER
Whenever I create a series of work, whether it’s inspired by the urban or natural landscape I’ll often give it time to breathe. I will abandon it for a period of time, refrain from looking at it for as little as a few days, to a longer period of time, sometimes as long as a year or very occasionally much longer. Whatever the process needs, to enable the finished result to reach the desired conclusion.
‘Abandoned’ a series of unique monoprints is a prime example of this approach, work that has been in progress for a much longer timescale, six years, from start to finish, to be exact. Not because I was unsure of what to do next but because other work would take priority. When I originally started making records of the images, it was a difficult time in my personal life; maybe I subconsciously abandoned the series because of that. I revisited the ‘Abandoned’ series last year, adding a deep red etch to the surface of the paper, creating its final layer.
This series of nine monoprints was inspired by the urban environment, a derelict bus depot in Loftus, Yorkshire. It first opened its doors in 1926 and closed in 2009. A partly demolished building with surfaces damaged by fire, bubbled peeling paint, exposed colour and an abundance of texture. Freezing moments in time, drawing energies from man-made structures, where nature intervened, altered by time and circumstance - using gestural mark-making, lines, textures, shadows, shapes and found objects.