The following piece was written for Bloom's website.

 

Last Thursday we popped down to Marie Varley’s new solo exhibition, in Damn Fine Print’s new studio (with the recent closure of Block T) in North Brunswick Street, Stoneybatter. The standard of taste and atmosphere was set upon arrival with complimentary ginger and lime Teeling whiskey and some almond and peanut Propercorn (yum!).

 

Airmail reimagines postage stamps and match boxes from the 1950’s in a cheerful yet direct and accurate way. The colour palate of these pieces don’t shout but rather playfully clap to command the attention of the viewer. Varley has resurrected these objects that have slowly faded from us due technological progress.

 

We asked Marie a couple of questions after the opening...

 

So, why printmaking?

 

Printmaking, especially screen printing lends itself very well to the aesthetic which I want to achieve within my work. The very first postage stamp was created using relief print techniques and I aim to stay true to the process of how the stamps and matchboxes were originally made.

My degree is actually in painting believe it or not! I still paint but for this specific series of works I have become fascinated with the process of screen printing.

 

How do you choose your subject?

 

I've always been interested in the found object. I find inspiration for my work everywhere from flea markets to antique stores. I'm always on the lookout and it's a great excuse to book a 'research holiday'!

What influences your work?

I am really influenced by German and Dutch design. Stamps and matchboxes from these countries are usually quite bold and punchy. I really admire the work of Dutch Illustrator and Designer Dick Bruna. I am a huge fan of the artist Richard Prince's work. His work deals with appropriation and is really thought provoking. Robert Rauschenberg and Sigmar Polke's work is really beautiful and shows the tactile nature of printmaking.

 

What have you learned in college that stuck with you into professional practice?

 

To invest in good materials. There really is no point scrimping on materials when it comes to inks and paper etc. For me, colour is such a huge part of my work it's really important that I can get a richness from the pigments I'm using. In Limerick School of Art & Design we had a class where we compared student quality inks with the more expensive professional quality and the difference between the two really stuck with me.

I think there could be more of a focus on professional development. Leaving art college is fairly daunting when you're trying to establish yourself as an artist. You're basically becoming self-employed and it seems a bit bizarre that students aren't being prepared a bit for this!

 

What inspired your current exhibition?

 

My current exhibition at Damn Fine Print is a culmination of 2 years work. The show is entitled 'Airmail' and is based on postage stamps and matchboxes from the 1950's onwards. I began working with postage stamps as I found them a rather curious object in our current social context. They don't have as much communicational power as they would have when these stamps were originally released. By redisplaying the stamps in a larger scale and in a different context I hope to question the imagery used.

 

What have you learned during the process of your current exhibition?

 

The importance of having exhibitions. It has been really great to get some feedback on the work. I use social media quite a bit to post about my new work which I find really useful but having a physical exhibition has been great.

 

What influences your colour palette?

 

With the stamps I always try to stay as true to the original colour of the stamp as possible. I spend a lot of time in the studio mixing colours and consulting my Pantone handbook. The matchboxes have their own colour palette of about 6 or 7 colours. I was drawn to these matchboxes first because of the striking colours so when I recreated them I ensured that colours were as visually striking as they originally were.

 

Any plans after the exhibition?

 

I would love to do more pop up exhibitions of my work in unusual spaces. It's always really inspiring for me to see the work in spaces where artwork may not usually be seen. I'm working on a few plans for this at the moment so watch this space!

 

What advice would you have for someone curious about printmaking?

 

Jump In! It's a really fun way of working and within printmaking there are so many different skills to learn. I have been screen printing for the last five years and am still learning new techniques within the medium. It's a lot of trial and error and there is a lot of fun to be had with it. Kim at Damn Fine Print is running some great evening courses and I see her students really getting a lot from being in the studio and getting stuck in.