Claridges

Simon Claridge has announced that his last impressions were made using an old process.

The artist said he was willing to work according to the method of screen printing, a technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil, as a natural progression in his career.

Silkscreen first appearance in a recognizable form in China over a thousand years and the University of Reading graduates admitted he was proud to have developed a new collection of Simon Claridge impressions using the technique.

He said: "I consider that my original work, this way to be original paintings, I just use a different kind of brush!"

The final prints are Claridge Simon Penny Black, a symbolic interpretation of the stamp and Lisa Monroe, who is a "mash up" portraits of Mona Lisa and Marilyn Monroe.

Simon Claridge chose to paint the Penny Black, the first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system, in tribute to the emotional power of a handwritten letter or card.

"It is symbolic in both its symbolism and aesthetics. Today the world is available to us through email, Facebook and Twitter and I wanted to celebrate the power of writing by hand," he said.

Lisa Monroe is a bit funnier because it represents the legendary Hollywood actress, throwing back her head laughing while posing as the Mona Lisa in a style that is very similar to portraits of Andy Warhol pop art.

Claridge said: "Lisa Monroe was a joy to create, I see no more emblematic than portraits of the Mona Lisa and Marilyn Monroe, so I decided to combine the two to create this powerful image .."

Simon Claridge free limited edition prints will be given to people who visit national tour of the artist over the coming months on a first come, first served.

The artist will be appearing in most major cities to present its new collection and use his platform to create mobile screen Simon Claridge free prints for each exposure.

Simon Claridge prints usually feature women famous faces that the artist has said that it painted women as he admires Sixties model Twiggy, Brigitte Bardot, Hollywood icon and supermodel Kate Moss.

Last Christmas, Scottish pop legend Rod Stewart was seen buying a print of Simon Claridge Blondie singer Deborah Harry of Harrods in Knightsbridge.