Hello, I’m Lorna, a self-taught artist working with printmaking and collage based in Devon, Southwest England. Themes of movement, how we inhabit and speak into public and domestic spaces are threads which regularly run through my work. My wider practice uses creativity as a catalyst for conversations about the nuances of the Black British experience, visibility and expressions of joy. When I’m not printing, I’m a co-curator with 'talking on corners', a SW based experimental visual art curating / producing practice underpinned by critical thinking.  Describe your printmaking process. My process often emanates from snippets of ideas I regularly have swimming around my mind. These can be quotes, photos, words, a random postcard, all of which I capture in one of my many notebooks I carry with me, as sparks for future printmaking projects. I’m a thinker so my printmaking process is often a slow one; where my ideas sit and germinate until they’re ready to be worked with. I like to spend time researching themes, topics or even words I want to work with as part of my process, as it helps me form a richer context from which to begin creating. I play around with ideas in my sketch book - to formulate what I’m trying to say. I often use collage techniques, cutting, pasting, tearing, to help me bring together different possibilities for a new print. I do use digital design software, but it’s not my forte or preferred way of working; I’m much more at home with the analogue process of scissors, masking tape and pens. I like to repurpose ‘failed’ prints in my collage work, to create new artwork and perspectives on something I previously had rejected. How and where did you learn to print?  I mostly learned to print through attending a number of short courses over the years but predominantly through teaching myself at home, with a lot of trial and error and YouTube videos.  I’ve experimented with a number of printmaking techniques e.g. lino, cyanotype, drypoint etc, but a few years ago I decided I wanted to focus on screenprint so I enrolled on the Year in Screenprinting course at Spike Island, Bristol. It gave me the chance to experiment and really helped to develop both my printmaking skills and confidence as an artist. Why printmaking? I don’t remember why I was first drawn to printmaking, I think I was simply searching for something new and creative to do. I love the versatility of it, how it includes disciplines within a discipline i.e. Intaglio, relief and silk screen all sit under the banner of printmaking, but all produce very differing results.  I also love (and sometimes loathe) the uncertainty of printmaking, how you’re never 100% in control of the outcome which, I have a tendency to want to do. However, the unexpected outcomes e.g. of tones or textures, are the elements that excite me the most and spur me on to keep experimenting. Where do you work? I mostly work at home, where my planning and prep is done and I print at Double Elephant Print Workshop in Exeter, where I’m a member. It’s a well-resourced print studio and it’s encouraging to be part of a network which keeps me connected to fellow printmakers who I can learn from, as well as having knowledgeable technicians on hand for when I get stuck. Describe a typical day in your studio A studio day starts with a train to Exeter as I live in Plymouth. It’s an hour away but a lovely train ride along the Southwest coast. As well as admiring the view, I often use the journey time to write down my plan for the day to focus my mind when I get to the studio. If I’m starting a new print I’ll often want to test out the ideas that have been circling in my head to see how/if they translate onto the paper. This could involve exposing screens with textures and images, making up and testing out ink colours and printing these to see their effects. This time is as much about thinking and experimenting with my ideas as it is about actual printing. Being in a well-stocked studio allows me the freedom to change my mind and try something different if my ideas are not working. I try not to be too fixed and work with whatever the process (or print gods) throws up. How long have you been printmaking? I’ve been printmaking for about 7 years, a lot of which I’ve done at home on the kitchen table. I’ve tried a few differing techniques, but I’ve settled on screenprinting for now. I really like the number of different ways you can use this technique e.g painting onto the screen, exposing photographs, making handcut stencils and the differing affects you can get when they’re combined. There is always something new to try.   What inspires you? For me inspiration can be found in many places, but a significant part of my work is rooted in my Caribbean heritage. Through this I explore themes of memory, migration and belonging, using the visual language of printmaking to create connections between the real and imagined past, the present and desired future. I’m often moved by people’s stories, those shared in passing, in conversation, or across generations— they’re all sources of inspiration. I see my artwork as a way of holding space for these narratives, giving form to voices that might otherwise be overlooked, yet also an attempt to explore the tension between what’s visible and what’s felt beneath. What is your favourite printmaking product?  I’m not sure I have a favourite, but I do really like my aluminium handled squeegee with its sharp blade; I love the sound it makes when pulled across the screen. It’s one of the things that for me, really affects the crispness of a screenprint. What have you made that you are most proud of? Currently it’s my print ‘Dual Memories of Home: Ackee’, it’s a 5-layer screenprint centring an Ackee, the national fruit of Jamaica. The print process turned into a labour of love and nearly wasn’t completed as there were so many hurdles and frustrations along the way. It was really a test of my perseverance. The print speaks to the coming together of two worlds for migrants from the Caribbean to Britain in the 1950s and 60s, and how objects in the domestic setting often reflect this duality. The English countryside plate and souvenir ackee hang in dialogue next to each other on a 1970s style wallpaper print, as they were in my family home, referencing cultural history, identity and Black everyday life. I’m glad I stuck with this print as this year it was accepted into two summer open shows, at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Honiton and Studio Kind gallery, Barnstaple. Where can we see your work? Where do you sell? At the moment you can see my work on my website or Instagram page. I’m working on setting up a shop page so watch this space. People can message me directly if there is anything they’re interested in buying. What will we be seeing from you next? I’m developing more prints as part of my ‘Dual Memories of Home’ series speaking to the duality of existence of people from the Caribbean in Britain. My aim is to have a solo show of my work, creating space for the quieter voices and stories. Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives? I’m not sure I’m qualified to give advice to printmakers as I’ve still so much to learn, but these would be my top tips •    Don’t let not having a studio or all the top equipment prevent you from printing, work with what you have (2020 showed us that this is possible), experiment, play and see what happens.  •    Keep going, even when it feels like a disaster and you hate what you’ve created. Keep on keeping on.  •    Find other printmakers in real life or online and ask for help To see more from Lorna, follow her on Instagram!

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