Much as I loved creating my 2014–18 silkscreens, the process came with certain limitations. Being photo-based, compositionally complex, and heavily layered, each piece demanded months of meticulous work to produce even a small edition to my satisfaction.
By 2018, I was craving more immediacy and energy — a way to respond directly to the ideas and landscapes that were constantly sparking my imagination. There was so much I wanted to capture, experiment with, and push further, while still staying rooted in printmaking to maintain a clear stylistic thread. I needed a process that could match my urgency and keep my creative momentum alive.
I discovered gelliplate printing almost by accident at the start of that year, and it instantly became a revelation. These simple, press-free plates offered an extraordinary range of possibilities — they are intuitive, adaptable, and wonderfully forgiving. Although often marketed as a children’s art tool (and rightly so for their playful freedom), in the hands of a printmaker they become a powerful medium for experimentation.
With gelliplates, I could produce five or six monoprints in a single day, each with its own unique atmosphere and visual depth. The portability of the method meant that I could print in situ during my travels in the USA and Portugal, responding to the landscape in real time. This immediacy brought a fresh, almost journal-like quality to the work.
What began as a direct engagement with the physical landscape soon evolved into a deeper exploration of humanity’s place within nature — and our increasing disconnection from it. Through these early gelliplate monoprints, I found not just a quicker process, but a more instinctive, tactile way of thinking through these ideas in print.
This led nicely towards The Tree Portraits series, which started in early 2020.
©Stewart Taylor 2025