ABSTRACT ART

Flow - A Portrait 0f a Stream
Acrylic on Canvas · 36 × 60 in. · Private Collection

What is Stone Lithography?

Primal Growth
Paper, Drawn on 200lb Limestone · 18 × 24 in. · $1,800 CAD

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1. Draw Your Design 

   Start by drawing your design on a smooth, flat, slab of limestone (although some lithographers use aluminum or zinc). Use an oil-based medium such as lithographic ink, a crayon, or touché to create your artwork. This process relies on the principle that grease and water do not mix, as fatty acids are released into the stone.

2. Apply the Necessary Chemicals 

   Next, apply a solution of gum arabic and a mild acid (such as phosphoric or tannic acid) to the stone. The gum arabic combines with the greasy particles, thereby fixing the image onto the surface. This chemical reaction makes the drawn areas hydrophobic (water-repellent), while the blank, non-drawn areas of the stone become hydrophilic (water-absorbing). As a result, a chemical reaction occurs with the oil-based medium on the surface, forming a protective layer on the stone that prevents accidental greasy marks and preserves the image for printing.

3. Ink and Print 

   Using a brayer, coat the surface of your lithograph with oil-based ink.

4. Clean the Stone 

   To prepare for future use, grind down the previous image. Start with 80-grit carborundum, then progress to 100-grit carborundum, repeating the process three times. Next, move to 150-grit carborundum and repeat three more times, followed by 180-grit carborundum, completing that process another three times.

[Watch the process here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5fiKJLZxQU&t=261s).

My abstract work gives me the freedom to explore a different visual language—one led by colour, form, rhythm and the spontaneous movement of a mark.

While much of my work is grounded in the observed world of wildlife and landscape, abstraction offers another way of seeing—looking, responding, and discovering where the work wants to go.

Paintings