Audrey Feltham's Granada Journal

First Jim's Canadian Culture and Meteorology Lesson

One of the most interesting things that happens here at World Printmakers is when someone we have been dealing with over Internet for years shows up for a visit. This is what happened a couple of months ago when Canadian printmaker, Audrey Feltham and her husband, Jim, arrived in our sleepy mountain village for a two-day stay. We're not that easy to find, as Audrey and Jim discovered, but Audrey was determined to include a printmaking experience in their Iberian trip, and she did.

We're not acquainted with many Canadians and were fascinated to get to know Audrey and Jim. They live in Newfoundland which I seemed to recall was on the Eastern coast of the country and had big, beautiful black dogs. We were fascinated when Jim and Audrey informed us that Newfoundland is actually an island about the size of Spain, with a population of just 400,000 people. So while Maureen and Audrey made prints, Jim educated me on the subject of Canadian geography and culture. I found his own story fascinating, as well. He retired once from teaching, then went back. ("I had three girls in college, including my wife," he confesses.) Besides being a lifelong basketball coach and licensed salmon fishing guide, Jim is currently spends the school years teaching and coaching in an Inuit village on the northern end of Baffin Island.

"Fascinating," I said, "How cold does it get in winter?"

"Around 60 below zero."

"How far away is the nearest town?"

"About an hour away," replied Jim, "by air."

"And by road?"

"There isn't any road."

Jim and Audrey's visit was far too short. Before they left I asked Audrey if she would like to write a few paragraphs on their visit to Granada for publication on the World Printmakers website, and she very graciously acceeded. What follows is her account of their Iberian adventure.

Audrey Feltham's Journal - March, 2005

Jim and I are planning a trip to Portugal to visit family. It seems so close to Spain and I am wondering if I can persuade Maureen Booth to accommodate a visit to her studio and possibly do a small edition. I contact Mike by e-mail and ask if this is a possibility.

mid-March

Visit is confirmed. Maureen and Mike have returned from Estampa, exhausted, but Maureen is willing to undertake the edition providing it's a small one. I assure her that it won't be more than 15, and the size of the print will be small. Intaglio /chine colle on pieced and sewn paper. Visit is confirmed for the first week in May, and I begin making hotel arrangements village in the Sierra Nevada foothills outside Granada, where World Printmakers is located.

May 4, 2005

Jim and I arrive in Granada from Loule, on Portugal's Algarve Coast. Our brother-in-law has driven us from Loule to the Spanish border town of Huelva, and we have taken the train to Granada, and then a taxi to the village. Neither Jim nor I speak a word of Spanish, so the trip is a tad stressful and we have some difficulty explaining to the driver where we want to go. I have the address typed out from the computer, and he appears to recognize what I am talking about. He consults with a fellow taxi driver
and off we go.

The Booth's village is about a 15-minute taxi drive from the train station in Granada. We arrive safe and sound, with the taxi driver very excited that he has actually found the hotel . We check in, and to our surprise find that the staff speaks no English. After much gesturing, we find the first floor of the hotel, but we are in total darkness. We stumble and fumble around, and eventually make the brillant discovery that we can turn the hall lights on by pressing switches conveniently located along the passageway. Now, to find the room. Unlock the door, and once again we are in total darkness. A desire to "see the light" finally permits us to find the slot in the wall where the card key has to be inserted to turn on the lights.

I phone Mike and Maureen to let them know we have arrived. Mike tells us that they have been anxious, wondering if we had trouble. We assure him we are fine, and we make arrangements to visit World Printmakers the next morning. Jim and I make the mistake of assuming that we will just hail a cab. Unfortunately all taxis come from Granada and no one wants to come for what appears to be a 10-minute walk, but we speak no Spanish and don't know how to ask directions or which way to head to get to Mike and Maureen's place. Finally the desk clerk, who is happily also the owner of the hotel, grabs his car keys and drives us, hell bent, to the door of their abode. Do all Spanish drive like this?

Jim and I are reluctant to consider the walk back to the hotel by way of the taxi ride, along a narrow, winding mountain road. Mike explains that there is a nice, quiet walk through the village along the river and gives Jim all the details. I leave Jim and enter Maureen's studio and a day of work.

Maureen is very professional, a wonderful printmaker and a joy to work with. We quickly pulled a proof of what we considered might be an acceptable print for the edition. We then talked paper, and Maureen introduced me a paper made by a little paper mill in the Spanish Basque country called Paperki. It is the most wonderful hand-made paper I have ever worked with, and I have tried
many, many printmaking papers. I choose this one to edition my print. By the end of the day we have printed the small edition of 13 prints and they are drying on the rack. Maureen asks me if I would be open to learning a new technique for the next day, and I am delighted.

May 5, 2005 Maureen shows me some prints that she has done using a collograph technique that employs a metal-based epoxy glue. The two parts of the glue are mixed and applied to the metal matrix, and then the glue is allowed to dry for approximately an hour. At this point the glue permits the artist to emboss, as well as allowing drawing in the soft metal to create a simulation of etched lines. When the drawing is completed, the metal is allowed to dry until it is very hard. The edges of the plate are filed again, and it can be inked and rolled. Maureen and I decide to use the plate that I have bought with me, so I spend the day creating a new matrix over an old, used plate. The possibilities delight me. I can reuse my old metal plates, but I can also create a host of intaglio techniques without having to go to the acid tray. By the end of Friday, Jim and I have made two new friends. Mike and Maureen have been perfect hosts, inviting us into their home, and including us in a delightful evening of fellowship at the home of their friends, Antoine and Lourdes Saint Bois. We leave for Granada on Saturday, to spend a night in the city before heading home. I'm very excited about my printmaking experience, but sad to say goodbye. We agree to keep in touch and I am presently working on a project to bring Maureen to Newfoundland to do some workshops both in St. John's and on the west coast of the island where we live.                     Gracias, Mike and Maureen.