Mortuus

This print depicts a dead mouse, caught and hanging from an unseen holder: animal, or person, perhaps even a nail.

This series of aquatint etchings was loosely based on Aesops Fables but took a darker turn after a visit to see the etchings of Paula Rego at the Arnolfini. Her use of a wide range of blacks led me to experiment with darker tones and a glowing light reflection reminiscent of moonlight or torchlight used by Rembrandt in works including Descent from the Cross by Torchlight (1652).

About the artist:

Fiona Hamilton is a Bristol based printmaker. Her work explores the ecological sublime and an appreciation of the majesty of nature. She uses detailed intaglio etching, drypoint, lithography and chine collé to draw the viewer into an ethereal landscape that has an impact on our sense of place in relation to the natural world. She uses primarily black and white with natural tones of chine collé and sometimes layers of lithographic texture to introduce warmth to the stark palette and to invoke a sublime emotional connection. She works from sketches, photographs, notes and memory to create her prints.

Fiona has an MA in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking from The University of the West of England (2023). Previously she studied Graphic Fine Art at Canterbury (2002) and established Soma Gallery in 2004.