Spuggies in the Rambling Rose

House Sparrow, Passer Domesticus.

Among the list of endangered species, it is sobering to learn that the humble House Sparrow is now on the Birds of Conservation Concern Red List, having declined in UK population by almost 70% in the last 40 years. The reasons for this decline are many and unclear but include lack of food in our more sterile gardens planted with non-native species, loss of habitat and nesting sites, and disease.

I am lucky enough to have daily visits from House Sparrows who congregate in my neighbour’s Rambling Rector Rose which grows in profusion between our gardens. Their lively chatter, social character and general sense of busyness explains their collective nouns – a Host, or a Quarrel. House Sparrows have lived alongside humans for millennia, and their familiarity has allowed for regional nicknames to be in common use. In the North of England, they are Spugs or Spuggies.

Artist Gallery

: 1. First Sketch. A very quick sketch in which I started thinking about colours and the sense of chaos in the Rambling Rose that I wanted to conjure up in the final print.

: 2. Second sketch. Thinking about the placement of the house in the background and the combination of flying and perching birds.

: 3. House Sparrows at the Great North Museum. A short sketching visit, the stuffed birds were difficult to see in the low light, behind glass, but it was a worthwhile trip.

: 4. Rambling Rose. A quick sketch from life to get an idea of the growth pattern of the rose.

: 5. The House. A quick sketch of the house, with the placement of the chimneys and shape of the roof.

: 6. Painting sketch with a plan of the 5 layers. I changed the composition slightly in the final print and decided against adding rain. I swapped the printing order of the 4th and 5th layers and added a 6th layer.

: 7. Woodblock used for the background house.

: 8. Woodblock used for printing 3 layers as a reduction print. The first layer was pale grey for the shading on the house, the sparrows and branches. The second layer was a darker brown for the branches, browny Burnt Sienna for the male sparrows and yellow ochre of the female, and the green leaves. The third layer was the grey shading of the leaves, and the darker branches and feathers on the Sparrows. This block was used for a final touch of darker brown/black on the face of the right hand perching sparrow.

: 9. Woodblock inked in dark khaki brown to add another layer to the briar.

Joanna Bourne

Joanna Bourne is a printmaker living in Newcastle upon Tyne, specialising in woodcut. Her studio is in her home where she has an 1861 Albion Press with which she prints her editions of woodcuts. Many of Joanna’s prints are inspired by the area of Newcastle in which she lives, close to the Town Moor, parks and allotments, and her own garden. She is interested in the places where urban life and the natural world meet, and her images convey the impressions of a given moment in time, a scene glimpsed.

When planning a new print, Joanna breaks down the image into a series of layers. Some blocks are inked up in several colours, overprinting in transparent colours can bring a depth to the image, and reduction printing is also often used. Each new print is approached in a way that suits the image, there isn’t a ‘usual’ way of working on a print.

Joanna has exhibited across the UK, and has been selected several times for Printfest, where she was voted Printmakers’ Printmaker in 2014.