The Artist will visit Pyramid Gallery on
Wednesday 15 November 2016
at4pm, until 6.30pm to talk about her work
SOPHIE LAYTON Methods
No two of my monotypes are alike; each is a spontaneous and unique artwork. I begin with a notion in my head, however, wonderful things happen along the way that I didn’t foresee, which take me in new and unexpected directions. The end result is often different from the idea I initially conceive.
My photographic prints are made by exposing UV light onto a sheet of steel through a negative of the image. I then put this into acid which corrodes the metal where the light has not been able to pass through, which become the shadows and dark spaces due to the ink remaining in the textured areas. I then create the monotype sections. I start by laying out primary coloured inks onto a palette.
I use the large surface area of the palette to mix and spread the inks, adding different amounts of pigment until I’m satisfied with the colour. Working with three different sized rollers of thick dense rubber, I create my images by rolling very thin layers of ink on a sheet of aluminium the size of the finished print. The inks are made from a transparent base or medium.
I tend to mix a lot of this to dilute the colour decreasing their opacity. When I’m happy with the colour I’ve laid on the metal sheet I run it through the press. This creates a mirror image of what I laid down. By going back and forth from the palette to the press I eventually build up the surface I want, by trial and error. It takes a long time before the image achieves the painterly quality that I’m after.
About SOPHIE LAYTON
Sophie is an innovative, energetic person. Her time is divided between sketching in the attic space of her home in South London and creating in the print workshop at her studio in Brixton. “I love the physical and intellectual process of printmaking; the way results build up and ideas emerge onto paper, demanding constant decision-making.”
After graduating from Brighton University in 2009 she was awarded a residency at London Metropolitan University and later at the Scuola di Graphica in Venice. Sophie enjoys film, travel and taking photos, which often feed their way into her work. Her dynamic artworks have been exhibited internationally in such places as China, Italy and London. She is currently preparing for a solo show in May 2016 at Eames Fine Art gallery in London.
Education: 2009-2010 Associate Student Printmaking London Met. University.
2006-2009 BA Hons Fine Art Printmaking, Brighton University
2005-2006 Art Foundation, Camberwell College of Art (Distinction)
Awards: 2016 Artist in Residence at Mi-Lab Japan, Tokyo in 2017
2015 Prism Print International : Intaglio First Prize
2014 Acclaimed film maker Mike Suthon made a short film about my art
work and journey to creating work for my solo show in 2013.
2012 Scholarship for an eight-week residency to The International Scuola de
Grafica Venice. 2012 Sponsored by The Fine Art Partnership to print in Venice at The
International Scuola de Grafica
2009 Two works selected for the Aldridge Collection, Brighton University
Professional
Experience: 2014 Lectured at Eames Fine Art in a group discussion with Vincent Eames
and Mike Southon about my artwork and film.
2014 Lectured with Power Point Presentation to students aged 13-18 at
Wellington College
2013 Lectured at Eames Fine Gallery to art collectors about my artwork
2013 Lectured with Power Point Presentation to students aged 13-18 at
Wellington College
2013 Gallery assistant Eames Fine Art (see current occupation)
2013 Lectured with Power Point Presentation of my artistic carrier to A-level students at Tonbridge Boys School
2013 Created a promotional video of myself making artwork www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixVcJS4Mqac
2012 Marketing administrator for Lorenzo di Castro at the Scuola de Grafica
2012 Artist Assistant to Layne Rowe, Glassblower
2012 Artist Assistant to Anita Klein, Print Maker
2010-2013 Resident Artist at Artichoke Print Studio, London
2010 Artist in residence at London Metropolitan University
2010 Assistant to Gallery Manager at London Glassblowing
Exhibitions: 2016 Solo Exhibition “NEW” Sophie Layton at Eames Fine Art
2016 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2016 Prism Print International in Poland
2015 Intersecting Practices of Contemporary Printmaking in the UK in China
2015 Impact 9 Printmaking Conference in Hangzhou, China 2015 Distinct Impressions, Prism Print International, Prism 5 London 2015 National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery 2015 Ruth Borchard, Self Portrait Prize, Piano Nobile Kings Place 2015 Collectors’ Evening, Eames Fine Art 2015 Collectors’ Evening, Eames Fine Art 2014 Dadbrook Gallery, Brussels 2014 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London 2014 Quest Gallery, Bath 2013 Art in Action Exhibitor and Demonstrator 2013 Collectors Evening with Sophie Layton 2013 Eames Fine Art Gallery Launch Exhibition 2013 20/21 International Art Fair 2013 The London Art Fair 2012 Past and Present, London Glassblowing 2012 Scuola di Grafica Gallery Venice 2012 20/21 British Art Fair 2012 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition London 2012 Best of the Best, Art in Action 2012 Art in Action Exhibitor and Demonstrator 2012 The RA Original Print Fair 2012 The London Art Fair with The Fine Art Partnership