“A Harlot’s progress was influenced by Hogarth’s story of the same name. Artist Karen Daye-Hutchinson’s interpretation of the sequence goes beyond the scope of Hogarth, not only in comprising twelve etchings (as opposed to his six), but also via a prologue in which we learn the motivations of a young woman to leave her ‘shit hole’ of a village and seek her fortune in the big city by following her father’s suggestion (against the will of a ‘disapproving mother’) to go to art college.

There is much to take in here. Like Hogarth's, the prints ask to be read; yet their meanings can never the pinned down. In terms of technique, the works are a masterclass in printmaking, with a balance between premeditation and spontaneity.”

- Jonathan Brennan

The Prelude (Plate 1)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

The first in the series, the text in this work talks about our protagonist’s dreams on working with exquisite costumes or being a famous designer. We learn of her desires to flee the ‘shit hole‘ village she finds herself trapped within, and join the fun of student life.

Where You Came From (Plate 2)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

Our young protagonist stands awkwardly in a dark space of her own - a foreshadowing of the slab she will later lie on. Building loom in the background and turreted like Rapunzel’s or St Barbara’s tower - with one looking like a pencil (a reference perhaps to the art college). The horse could be her mode of escaping or perhaps symbolises her father. Next to him, is the straining, Guernica-like face of her mother.

Leopard On A Pedestal (Plate 3)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

This image features the eponymous large cat, next to what appears to be a Dyson ‘pedestal fan’. Posed odalisque-like on the floor is our writhing protagonist, seemingly entranced by the lures of the metropolis. The horse and floating face observe in stoney silence.

The Marriage (Plate 4)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

The marriage is one of our favourites in this collection, and sees our young bride dressed in a simple white gown and oversized shoes, standing next to the ghostly figure of the groom. On the left, an ominous black bird with splayed wings perches about a tasselled rug with a snake. The presence of man, woman and snake is like the premonition of the fall from grace

Under The Spotlight (Plate 5)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

Our heroine is looking sexier and more confident here, reclining with a drink in her right hand. A child-like silhouette on the floor unsettles the harshly lit scene. Without volume it is like a stain, or a miscarriage, a shed skin, or the artist herself.

On A Pigs Back (Plate 6)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

On a pig’s back recalls the dob in Hogarth’s Bridewell Prison scene, or the decadence of Rops’ ‘Pornokratès’

The Orgy (Plate 7)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

The Orgy features, we assume, the husband and wife from plate four, sharing a bath with a bloated grinning hyena and a pale diaphanous female figure. The outline of the bath passes unobstructed through both of these figures: they are transparent, illusory or symbolic.

The Wicked, They Wait (Plate 8)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

Malevolent creatures which seem poised to attack.

The Onlookers (Plate 9)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

The hyena returns in The Onlookers, accompanied by another in the shadows. The animals are beautifully executed - the artist applying a tone using acquatint, and then burnishing it back to create soft chalky lines.

The Cat And The Blackbird (Plate 10)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

A white figure lies Marat-like on the ground in an ambiguous eyrie-like space, watched over by a white cat and a black bird.

The Ascension (Plate 11)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

The blackbird is now a dove taking flight - the conjunction of both birds reminiscent of Delargy’s Beckett series. A head (or maybe two?) emerges from a flickering bonfire, while a shadowy angel conjures the apparition from the flames or simply warms his hands beside the fire. The background is a gorgeous velvet black speckled with stars where the artist has perhaps applied a hand-shaken aquatint or splattered the area with stop-out varnish.

The Beginning Or The End (Plate 12)

Etching with Aquatint
Plate Size: 23 × 19cm
Edition of 30

As with Hogarth’s final scene, this work has a cyclical quality to it. We seem to be back in the countryside of the prologue or the afterlife. But this is no ‘shit hole’; rather a bucolic landscape with the heroine reclining under a tree and nuzzled by sheep. The father and mother reappear but seem softened

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About the artist

Karen Daye-Hutchinson is a multimedia artist from Belfast. She studied Fine Art at Manchester, Belfast and MFA at Central Saint Martins. An elected member of Prism Print International, RE-Royal Society of Printmakers, and the RUA-Royal Ulster Academy. 

We have a long working relationship with Karen and have been collecting her work for many years, mostly prints but also have several original paintings from her studio. The span of our collection (both at home, and in stock in the gallery) reflects her interest in habitat, architecture and literature.

Karen exhibits nationally and internationally including Venice, Poland, Japan, Canada, USA, New Zealand and has recieved multiple scholarships for travel and artist residencies.

“As an artist, I have always been drawn to the mediums of traditional and experimental printmaking, book art and moving image.” 

These forms allow me to explore the boundaries of visual storytelling, while also offering unique opportunities for personal expression and artistic experimentation.  My love for printmaking stems from a deep appreciation of the historical significance and technical precision inherent in the medium. The challenge of etching spontaneously into a copper plate and building monoprints, achieving perfect registration of multiple layers, or experimenting with different inks and tonalities drives me to push myself creatively and technically.  I am particularly interested in hybrid printing, which allows a lot of freedom, multi plates of different processes; explorative forms of printmaking that push the boundaries of traditional techniques with new safer ways of doing.  I am fascinated by the possibilities of combining printmaking with new technologies.

The End

Thanks for visiting this online exhibition, the complete series is available for sale in our gallery shop. Please sign the guest comments if you’d like to leave a comment or review

Special thanks to Jonathan Brennan for his introduction and commentary.

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