I drew the expressions of a group of children watching the final of the World Cup soccer tournament, July 2018, as France pulled through to victory against Croatia. Tensions ran from high anxiety to incomprehension to utter indifference. I worked these line sketches up into monotype in the studio.

The technique is an extension of Gauguin’s traced monotype invention, adding multiple colours and masks for runs through the press to give cut out shapes against the difficult-to-control traced monotype marks. I like the heaviness and the strong presence of the material on the light, thin, but strong Japanese paper; almost a build up into slight relief when the oil paint is rolled out thickly and picks up on the paper in a stippled effect. All this is great to work into and against.