Springs Fireplace Road is the address of Payne's studio in East Hampton, New York*. Payne has printed for Hockney for over 40 years and it was at a chance meeting with Self in the 1990s at a David Hockney private view, that reconnected them. A few years later Payne visited Self when in north Norfolk after which they decided to work together again on this series. He left a number of different sized new plates with Self who began to work on them - all as personal and non-competitive as a diary.
Self considers these etchings to be essentially about serendipity. A quest to discover something sensed but remains covered. At times things are discovered by chance – some one never even knew existed in the first place. Self sees this body of work as the antithesis of ‘getting to the point’ having no apparent logic or theme. The backwater, which no matter what else goes on in world speculation, hype, investment, money, power and fashion, simply remains true, constant.
When at the Slade Self chose etching as a second subject to painting. He loved the pressure of the press and it somehow symbolised authenticity. Self drew drypoint and hard ground small etchings. Found objects were inked up and printed as the plate itself which was unorthodox in its time. In 'Springs Fireplace Road’ he quite naturally returned to the skills developed at the Slade. This series of tin cans printed by Payne, display in Self's own words: "a clear empathy and ability to get within the psychology of what I wanted to say – something truly amazing".
* Springs Fireplace Road in East Hampton. During a phone call with Maurice Payne, Colin Self was told that “The ‘Fireplace' refers to bonfires that were lit at night to guide in pirates like Captains Kidd and Blackbeard.” Later Payne mentioned that Jackson Pollock had his studio “50 yards down the road from here and the tree he crashed his car into and died still stands by the roadside.”
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About the author
Paul Vater
PAUL VATER
Paul conducts studio visits to maintain strong relationships with artists, designers and craftspeople who show their work with us. He manages the main C&C website and has developed the online shop where selected works are presented for sale.
Paul established his design company, Sugarfree, in 1990 and quickly gained a reputation for delivering fresh, effective marketing campaigns and brand identities for clients including Save the Children Fund, United Nations Association and UNHCR. Over the years those added to the roster include IPC Magazines, Arts Council England, The Roundhouse, Barbican Centre, Arts Marketing Association, Look Ahead Housing and Care, Paddington Waterside, BBC Worldwide, Commonwealth Foundation, Prestel, City of London Corporation, Baker Street Quarter, Victoria BID and the University of East Anglia.