Dr Paul Thirkell

Past Research

Grant title: What constitutes a reproduction in the 20th century, through the 19th century collotype process?

Awarding body: Arts and Humanities Research Board
Project Leader: Dr Paul Thirkell
Project duration: 2001-2003

Project details:
Part two of the project continued the aims of the research described above, culminating in the production of a collotype portfolio publication and hosting the 2nd International Collotype conference at UWE bristol

Grant title: An investigation into what constitues a reproduction in the 20th century, through the 19th century collotype process

Awarding body: Arts and Humanities Research Board
Project Leader: Dr Paul Thirkell
Project duration: 1999-2000

Project details:
Collotype, more than any other printing process, has blurred the boundaries between the idea of original and reproduction in print. It is this extraordinary ability, especially in the hands of a master printer that enables every colour and tonal and colour nuance of an original to be faithfully captured. Despite such remarkable capabilities however, relatively few fine artists have used it as a creative medium. This project sought to recreate and reappraise this lost printing process in relation to current digital printing standards. It was also instrumental in researching compatible options for integrating the use of digital imaging with the process.

Grant title: A practical re-appraisal of continuous tone photo-relief printing for ceramics and alternative substrates

Awarding body: Arts and Humanities Research Board
Project Leader: Dr Paul Thirkell
Researcher participants: David Huson
Project duration: 2000-2003

Project details:
The Photo Relief technique, developed at the turn of the 19th century, is one of the few methods of ceramic decoration able to reproduce a fully continuous tone image on a ceramic surface by combining the use of varying glaze and clay body depths. Despite its outstanding capacity to create a permanent, highly photographic ceramic image, the process was not a major industrial success, and after the1940’s,’when production finally ceased, much of the expertise relating to the process was rapidly lost. This project analysed and translated the principles of a 19th century process attributed to George Cartlidge of Stoke on Trent into a contemporary context, through the application of CNC milling and modern glaze materials.

Grant title: Traditional stone lithography as a medium for printing photographic and digitally mediated imagery

Awarding body: Arts and Humanities Research Board
Project Leader: Dr Paul Thirkell
Project duration:

Project details:
Despite traditional stone lithography’s proven track record as a creatively flexible medium for the production of artists’ ‘original prints’, the possibilities for its use as a photomechanical medium within this context have not been fully explored. This project seeks to develop fine art print studio friendly methods for integrating contemporary photographic and digital imaging techniques into the practice of stone lithography, through the adaptation of long discarded 19th century industrial photomechanical techniques. The research ultimately aims to contribute to the consolidation of a broader range of print qualities and capabilities available to artists who employ photographic and digital imaging techniques in the production of prints.