Artworks

Stephen Mumberson RE, Marcilhac Head, stone lithograph, edition of 10

Elected ARE in 1991, RE 1995

This work was inspired by details found in the medieval buildings of the small quiet village of Marcilhac-Sur-Cele in South West France, where Stephen participated in the annual international lithography ‘plein-air’ workshop. This medieval imagery appealed to the artist as perfect subject matter, with its complex detail of fantastical animals, visions of hell and mythical faces carved into the limestone capitals on the columns of the buildings.

This print has been made by drawing directly onto a lithographic stone using a greasy medium which is then chemically fixed to the stone. The stone is then dampened with water and rolled with oil-based ink. The oily ink adheres to the grease of the image areas and is repelled by the water in the non-image areas of the stone. Under the pressure of a special press, the image is printed onto paper.

Stephen works in all areas of printmaking, including three-dimensional forms, collage and digital media. After studying at Brighton Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art, Stephen worked as a sessional lecturer at many colleges, and later became Associate Professor running MA Printmaking and teaching on the Middlesex University BA Fine Art course until retiring in 2020. Having worked in Britain, France, Germany and Africa, his work is in collections in the USA, Europe, China, Japan and Africa. Stephen was recently selected for the Wrexham Print International and he has an upcoming solo show in New Zealand in 2022, at the Wharepuke Centre, Keri Keri.