Virginia Bridge
Printmaker, Bristol
Virginia's work is concerned with the human experience of geometric form, material and surface. In our daily lives, we are constantly affected by the multitude of objects, spaces, materials and forms that we encounter. Our responses to these encounters may be conscious or unconscious, rational or irrational, fleeting or lingering, pleasurable or repugnant, trivial or overwhelming. It is our unconscious, irrational and emotional responses that interest me most. A space, an object or an image, whether natural or manufactured, has the capacity to elicit an infinite gamut of feelings, sensibilities or emotions.
Virginia draws influence from the work of mid 20th century ‘modernist artists, such as Ben Nicholson, Agnes Martin, Jean Arp and Joseph Albers, whose geometric abstractions were an exploration of the aesthetics of form, colour and material as a sensible experience in its own right, without representation or reference to real objects.
"The geometric forms that are the source material for my work are generally derived from architectural forms, but are often abstracted from reality, to enable a concentrated exploration of unconscious responses to the image".
Virginia Bridge
Etching is a traditional intaglio print process using a metal plate (usually copper) to print an image. The image (in reverse) is etched onto the plate using a strong acid or mordant. Various techniques, often involving several stages and using substances that resist the acid, are used to create lines and tonal areas. The finished plate is inked, wiped with scrim and passed through a press, to transfer the image onto dampened paper.
Virginia's most recent work, in 2020, is a celebration of mid 20th century ‘Brutalist’ architecture. The monumental and experimental geometric structures, enabled through the use of reinforced concrete, encapsulate the powerful hypnotic potential of architectural forms and so provide rich source material for her enquiry.
In June 2019, Virginia graduated from UWE (Bristol) with an MA (Distinction) in Multidisciplinary Printmaking. Virginia is represented by Agora Contemporary and have recently exhibited work at the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, The Affordable Art Fair (Battersea and Hampstead), Buy Art (Manchester), Fresh Art (Cheltenham and Ascot) and The Arnolfini, Bristol.