Techniques
Although TGM had drawn and painted from an early age and then attended evening classes at Edinburgh College of Art, it was through his experience working in the printing trade that the techniques which were to characterise his later work were developed. He learnt, amongst various printing techniques, photo process engraving. This work led to a life-long fascination with the creation of surfaces through mark-making processes.
The discipline of creating the blocks for printing by producing intricate pen and ink separations, first the yellow, magenta then cyan allowed him to experiment in the development of a visual image created out of tiny marks built in layers. The final picture thus composed produced a wonderful miasmic image. It is fascinating to discover on close inspection that, within these small works there is an infinite variety of underlying marks and forms creating compositions within compositions.
The drawing shown here (original size 17 x 22cms) and the enlargement of one small section show the imaginative details that populate his creations in abundance.
It is clear to see how this practice enabled him to develop the practical skills of a pointilliste artist. It also gives an insight into his growing fascination with the possibilities that images can be suggested, formed out of the matrix of dots.
