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Hi! I’m Beth (Bethan) a printmaker who found a love for linocut relief printing. I’m based in a little village in the middle of Derbyshire.  Describe your printmaking process. My printmaking process probably isn’t as traditional as others, I draw my designs digitally and transfer them to my lino block. For some, drawing my designs on my iPad might be seen as cheating, and that’s fine! It works well for me as I often don’t have a plan when I begin a design, and I make numerous changes throughout the drawing before transferring it to the block. I have a Woodzilla printing press which both me and my dodgy back adore! But I still finish most of my prints by hand, using my trusty candle lid as a barren. How and where did you learn to print? I’m an entirely self taught printmaker - is that the term you use for “kind of making it up as I go along?” I have always been a creative person, and in 2019 I fractured my spine and was left bedbound. To help with my struggling mental health while in...
3 months ago

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More from Handprinted - Blog

Meet The Maker: Holly Nairn

Hello! My name is Holly Nairn and I am a full time Art teacher in Hertfordshire, a job I absolutely love. I work under the name PaperInkDream and I currently live in Essex with my husband and my cocker spaniel Teddy. Apart from printmaking, I am cycling obsessed and love nothing more than a very long day out on a road bike in nice weather! I have long loved printmaking and this has become a bigger part of my life over the last few years. Especially since discovering the wonderful Handprinted community. Describe your printmaking process. My printmaking processes are still quite fluid as I do love to experiment – I am currently enjoying painting on screens with filler and printing large areas of pattern onto both fabric and paper – however I will always start with pen drawing. I have lots of small sketchbooks which to be honest sometimes just contain doodles or patterns but often form the seed of a new idea or motif.  I used to be very precious about these and would throw them out if I had a creative dry spell but now I make a point of keeping these and I feel this has really helped me come back to and pin point successful ideas and develop these rather than starting all over again.  Once I have drawn a series of ideas, keeping these really loose and fun, without any judgement, I might decide to develop a lino print, or a small screen print or even a mix of them both. I trace or draw directly onto speedball speedy carve and get to work! I use small A4 screens at home that are easy to clean and manage. How and where did you learn to print? I learned to print at school with a printmaker from Peterborough called John McGowan who was an incredible teacher and is still a meticulous genius with all things screen-printing. John introduced me to all types of printmaking and I was lucky enough to make some meaningfully developed work together. I still keep in touch with John and he advises me how best to screen print with larger groups or A level students as although my school is well equipped you have more limitations within a school day and John understands this having been a teacher himself. I then took a degree in illustration and became more proficient with screen-printing. Since becoming a teacher, I try to attend at least 1 course every year which ring fences creative time and helps me learn a little bit more. I now practise at home as I have the materials and confidence to go it alone but it was quite a long time before I really got going independently. The printmaking community around Handprinted and Instagram are absolutely amazing and so supportive which has been such a joy to discover. Why printmaking? Printmaking, for me, perfectly combines the loose and free feeling of drawing with the more controlled meditative aspects of planning, designing, and carving. I find this blend of freedom vs limitations endlessly exciting. I also find the quality of materials has such a huge impact with printmaking, just changing a tool or paper surface can completely change the outcome you had been expecting. Where do you work? I work at a school in Hertfordshire where I lead the Art department. We have a really strong culture of printmaking and drawing at my school and it is incredible to see what my students can create. I am always amazed at how a student can run with a simple idea far beyond what you had envisaged for them and produce something completely breath-taking. I always feel privileged to be part of the creative journey of my students and I definitely think being an Art teacher is the best job available in a secondary school.  I personally work on my own creative practise in my spare room at home. I used to work on the dining table but since we got our dog that became completely hopeless as he just chewed up rollers and paper and is generally a total nightmare around anything you definitely don’t want him to have – like printing ink!  Having a designated space (even though it’s tiny) has completely transformed my printmaking and I wish I had done this sooner (who needs a guest bedroom anyway…) I feel like a proper printmaker now and my portfolio has expanded so much along with my ability to experiment and try new things, leave things and then come back to them. It has also meant I can work on much larger projects; like my block printed quilts which combine my love of printmaking and patchwork. Describe a typical day in your studio. I will come to my studio (spare room) after work at about 6pm. I have very limited time in the week so need to make sure I make the most of it and tend to do things in order, draw, carve, print…I will repeat this each day and then I might have a break if I want to create new ideas in my sketchbook. The weekends are more productive and I will spend a whole day drawing and then the next day might get stuck into a larger linocut or print up some fabric to use later. How long have you been printmaking? I have been printmaking on and off for 20 years but independently and more seriously with a view to sell my work and create a personal portfolio for about 3 years. Teaching in schools has been my main priority but I have always tried to keep my own practise going. What inspires you?  I have the smallest garden in the world, it’s just a tiny patio but it inspires me so much. I have 10 different varieties of clematis growing which I love to photograph and draw when they are in bud, there’s something so beautiful about the regularity of the leaves and flowers. Nature inspires me, we live in an area surrounded by fields and hedges and I am very thankful for this oasis of calm and the opportunity to walk Teddy there. I will often take my sketchbook out or photograph things I see to inspire me later. I am also really inspired by other printmakers – especially those featured on Meet the Maker which is an incredible teaching resource. If we are feeling devoid of ideas at school we have a good look through until we find someone whose work we love. It is endlessly brilliant and inspiring for children so thank you so much Handprinted team for putting so much effort into this amazing resource. What is your favourite printmaking product?  I have to say my Flexicut and Pfeil tools are just absolutely gorgeous. I love using them so much and they were worth every penny. If you are considering the investment – GO FOR IT you won’t regret it! What have you made that you are most proud of? I think one of my most successful screen prints was the piece I made for my sister’s first wedding anniversary. I made it at East London Printmakers open access and I was so happy with how my pen design translated well into a screen print. It feels very ‘me’ and I had to plan carefully to ensure I had all the things I needed on the tube to take to the studio to get a run of about 20 prints in total. I even matched the pinks to her bridesmaid dresses too! I gave the best one to my sister to keep and she loved the print, it is one of the most meaningful and successful prints I have created.  Where can we see your work? Where do you sell?  I mainly share my work on Instagram but am also building a website paperinkdream.co.uk so check back soon to see the finished product! I also have a small selection on Etsy. I share work at a local Art exhibition too but my limited time means I can’t over commit but I definitely want to exhibit more and put myself out there as time goes on and I build my confidence. I love the feeling of making something that has made someone happy or is going to be a unique gift.  What will we be seeing from you next? I am going to design a lino cut alphabet next – it is something I teach as a scheme of work in my Art classes and I often think ‘I want to have a go at this myself’. My sister has also recently had a baby who is called Alfie so it will motivate me to get the letter ‘A’ done first! Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives? Keep a sketchbook! I have finally found out myself quite recently why this is so important, and this is even after telling all my students to do it all the time but not actually doing it myself. As soon as I made my sketchbook a part of my daily art practise things started to make more sense to me and I could start to see my own visual language. Make sure the sketchbook is for your eyes only – don’t make it with the intention of sharing. It needs to be completely 100% YOU in my opinion. If you end up sharing it then cool, but don’t make that the primary objective! Be joyful with your work, it’s a privilege to have the space in any human life to make art so embrace it fully and love the process, don’t worry about an end point or outcome until you really have to!  The best thing about printmaking – there is no printmaking police. Let loose and do what you want to! To see more of Holly, follow her on Instagram

a week ago 7 votes
Jigsaw Block Printing on Fabric

Block printing onto fabric is such a fun way to create your own designs. Jigsaw printing allows you to carve just one block to print a multi-coloured design. By cutting our carved block into jigsaw pieces we can ink them up separately and print onto the fabric, knowing they'll slot back together perfectly. Choose a soft lino for this technique, as we need to be able to cut it up with a scalpel -  Softcut a great choice. Cut your block using lino cutting tools and then dissect it into chunks using a scalpel - each one will print a different colour. For details on how to carve a block for jigsaw linocut, read our blog post here. Read on for how to print your design. You could give new life to an old block by slicing up a block you've already made and finished with. Printing onto a slightly padded table surface will help get good ink coverage. Our table is covered with a dense blanket and thick cotton. We're printing onto a tote bag. You can use YoJo Measure Pattern Tape to mark out where your design will be printed - this is especially helpful if you're printing a repeat pattern. We have stuffed our bag with a flat piece of newsprint to stop any excess ink going through and staining the back. We're using Fabric Paint for this print. You could also use a pre-mixed Screen Printing Fabric Ink like Speedball, Permaset or Madder, Cutch and Co. When using Fabric Paints or Screen Printing Ink, you'll need a Textile Roller, as a standard roller will not turn in this slippery texture.  Our first Fabric Paint is a mix of Black and Chocolate. The ink will be thicker on the roller and the block than a standard block printing ink and there will be more texture to the print on fabric. Place the inked up block face down on the fabric and press down hard. Ink up again and print in the next position. You can also print using a split fountain (colour gradient) by blending from one colour to another on the roller. Place 2 blobs of colour next to each other and drag them down the roller to blend. Ink up the next shape and print in its space. Repeat with each shape, building up the design. We decided to add a little extra element to the design using softcut offcuts cut with scissors into worm shapes, and inked up with a Stencil Foam Brush in a mix of Orange and Opaque White Fabric paint. The Opaque White in the mix allows the colour to show up on top of the dark soil background. When the ink is dry, heat set the prints with an iron on a hot setting. Iron until the prints fell too hot to comfortably touch. To make this project you will need: Softcut Lino Lino Cutting Tools Scalpel Cutting Mat Tote Bag or fabric to print onto Padded surface Yojo Measure Tape (optional) Fabric Paint (or pre-mixed Screen Printing Fabric Ink like Speedball, Permaset or Madder, Cutch and Co.) Textile Roller Inking Tray Stencil Foam Brush (optional) Iron

a week ago 9 votes
Meet The Maker: Louis Andrews

I’m Louis Andrews, multidisciplinary artist with a primary focus on tattooing and printmaking. After a brief stint studying painting at Camberwell I quickly found institutionalised “learning” wasn’t doing me any favours so I dropped out and committed myself fully to becoming a tattoo artist. Rent and bills need paying and London ain’t cheap, and having felt a connection to the craft for some time it felt like the right path to take. A combination of hard work and good fortune allowed me to meet people who inspired my practice, and along with social media 8 years ago actually being a platform where your work was seen by others, I slowly started tattooing full time. After a few years I hadn’t felt I’d landed on something within my work that I could call my own, which evoked the need for a period of research and change. Rather than trying to come up with some new stylised way of approaching drawing and illustration, I felt manipulating the process would lead to a more interesting outcome - adding new layers to the conception of a tattoo instead of just changing the way something looked initially. During my research I came across old techniques of applying stencils/marks by printing carved woodblocks or organic material to skin. This seemed like a process that had been forgotten within modern and western tattoo culture, so I gave it a crack using a form of linoleum instead to try and revive a lost art. Bringing something new to my own work and dare I say the way we look at tattoos and their application in general.   Outside of all this I like to make music, it’s my safe place when the pressures of constant creation get too much.  Describe your printmaking process.  I tend to start by drawing the bones of an image. Whether from a sketch I’ve made or a reference from a book or a photograph. After a certain amount of trial and error, marks usually start coming to the surface which feel like something I can run with. When I first started I’d just draw straight onto the plate, then I started drawing on tracing paper so I could transfer the image onto the material by flipping it over and rubbing the back with a spoon. This way when you come to print the initial image isn’t flipped, and it’s easier to fix mistakes or unwanted elements within the design on paper than it is on material.  All the while fuelled by coffee and cigarettes, and listening to whatever genre of music I’m obsessing over at the time. How and where did you learn to print?  In the depths of my basement flat in Brixton. I never studied it, nor wanted to. My experience with formal learning has never been very positive, and by approaching something with complete naivety I believed I could avoid the hinderance of things having to be done a certain way because some bitter old man said so.  Having said that, there are times where I feel some insight into a further understanding of technique and process wouldn’t be such a bad thing, I just haven’t found the right teacher yet... Why printmaking? I guess at first it wasn’t such a conscious decision to choose it as a medium, instead it just so happened to be the thing that I used to influence and further my primary practice of tattooing. Through the course of practicing it though, it makes a lot of sense as to why I landed on it the way I did.  It’s cathartic, it requires intense focus for long periods of time, there are elements to achieving the final result that can be left to chance, and it feeds my obsession over detail. Not that these things are necessary to make a print, but they’re what I enjoy the most out of printmaking. Where do you work? After running a tattoo studio with two friends in Whitechapel for 4 years, we closed it down in September ‘24. I then worked from home for the past 6 months and have recently made the decision to take a needed break from the abusive relationship we like to call living in London. I’m temporarily based in the Sussex countryside for now, but my intentions are to be on the road for a while to gain new perspectives, meet new people, and visit as many new places I can before the nukes drop. Describe a typical day in your studio. I’m not really one for typical days, there’s nothing more disconcerting than doing the same thing all the time. Each day is subject to what I need or want to work on. When I’m working with a client on a tattoo, they either choose from a collection of stamps I’ve pre-made, or we sit and come up with an idea together that I will draw, carve, and tattoo in the same session. If I’m working for myself, as it were, I’ll start by organising my environment to allow for a work flow without interruption. I find being meticulous about the arrangement of my work station avoids any breaks to my concentration, which with an ADHD brain is all too easy. More often than not my approach to working revolves around problem solving, whether it’s within the image I’m working on or the external distractions I’m trying to ignore. How long have you been printmaking?   Around five or six years so far, although because my process is primarily for the purpose of creating a tattoo, I feel I’m still a total beginner when it comes to printing on paper and there’s so much more for me to figure out and learn about it as a practice. What inspires you. I like to step out and gather references from old buildings, churches, pubs, museums/galleries, woodland, gardens, and spaces of heritage tend to be my go to. I like to get inspired by old stuff basically. By using a source that had been created in a time where people had more time, I feel somewhat removed from the pace at which we’re expected to churn out work. Medieval depictions of the bible, nature within ornamental and decorative design all have huge influence over my work. Once I’ve consumed these visual queues, then I can start combining ideas and elements together to create something that speaks to things we’re exposed to on a daily basis but are often overlooked. When I’m not being inspired visually, I’m inspired audibly or by written language - music, poetry, folklore, story telling - even better if get to hear it first hand. What is your favourite printmaking product? I love a good tool. How something can be so practical in its use whilst also being crafted in a way that has a physical aesthetic value. I find it poetic how these things become an extension of the body for an artist to use for their expression.  I use Pfeil tools for carving lino and wood, EC Lyons or an old dremel for etching. Top it off with a big etching press and you’ve a match made in heaven. What have you made that you are most proud of?  A living.  There are pieces of work I’ve made that I’m happy with sure, but the thing I can feel most proud of is being able to do something that allows me to afford the lifestyle that I have, and make the connections I’ve made along the way. Where can we see your work? Where do you sell?  Unfortunately, Instagram. That’s where I take bookings and where (if I have them) I’ll advertise prints for sale.  I never got round to making a website and never reached out to, or been approached by, a gallery. I haven’t felt anything I’ve done so far has been worthy of exhibiting yet, but I’m working on it… What will we be seeing from you next?   My current project is to make a book. Ultimately I would like to be tattooing less, and working on prints and sculpture primarily. By creating a physical archive of all the stamps I’ve made for tattooing in one linen bound, embossed covered, carefully curated little bible would feel like a nice way to round off what I’ve been doing for the last bit of time and allow me the ability to slowly move onto other ideas and practices. Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives? Trust yourself over anyone else whilst staying open to interpretation. Make a bunch of mistakes. Allow yourself rest. Turn off your phone. To see more of Louis, follow him on Instagram

2 weeks ago 12 votes
Meet the Maker: Ian O' Halloran

My name is Ian O’Halloran. I am a professional Artist and Printmaker living and working in the Sussex Weald near Herstmonceux (UK). I am and always have been inspired by the British landscape. I came to art later in life than most, having had a career in civil engineering first and not getting to art college (at Eastbourne) until I was 30. Describe your printmaking processes. My main printmaking process is multi-block linocut, but I have also recently started making drypoint engravings (using the acrylic plates sold by Handprinted). I love the flowing lines that can be created with Lino and use the ‘battleship’ grey blocks as they are softer than the brown. I build up my prints in layers using typically around 12 colours on 4 to 6 blocks. I tend to print my images in the same order that I would paint them i.e. starting with the sky and working forward from distance to foreground, but there are always exceptions. My drypoints are engraved onto the acrylic pates with etching needles and I’ve discovered that I can use sandpaper to get some nice half-tones. I’m now experimenting with using more than one colour when I ink up the plates and sometimes I use watercolour on the finished print to add another dimension. I really like the connection between drawing and printmaking that you get with drypoint. How and where did I learn to print? That’s easy. I am still teaching myself! Why printmaking? I call myself ‘The Accidental Printmaker’ as that’s pretty much how I got into it. When I was at Art College, I studied painting and that’s the art career I followed after leaving. I had a few successful one-man shows and all was well. Then after my wife and I had kids it all changed. I found that I no longer had the time or energy to create. After a couple of years of not doing art at all, things calmed down slightly and I realised that I needed to get back into being creative. Painting was not really an option as it requires a sustained input of time, so I had to find something more process based that I could pick up and put down easily. A friend is a printmaker and I liked the results she got, so I thought I’d give it go. It was like coming home and I felt I had ‘found my tribe’ amongst printmakers, they seem to be so much more supportive than painters. Interestingly, when I look at some of my paintings now, I can see that they were very much part of my journey towards printmaking. Where do you work? I’m very lucky to have a home studio where I work and can also show work to any visitors. It’s the shortest commute I’ve ever had. Pros: I like being able to pop in whenever I have an idea or need to work on something. Cons: interruptions! Describe a typical day in your studio. There’s really no such thing as a typical day. It very much depends on what needs doing – sometimes it will be more mundane tasks such as framing or mounting work for an exhibition, printing my hand printed cards or editioning prints. But as I usually have a few projects on the go it might be something more interesting - like carving a lino block, test printing colours or working on composition drawings for a new print. How long have I been printmaking? I’d dabbled on and off for years but didn’t really get properly stuck into it until about 2007/8 What inspires you? I have always been inspired by the English landscape (and by Artists who depict it especially Paul and John Nash, Eric Ravilious and John Piper) and I am particularly drawn to certain types of landscape – what I think of as Ancient Landscapes - ones that tell a story and where there is more going on than meets the eye, which is why you will often find standing stones, dolmen, chalk hill figures and trackways in my work. Whilst most of my work is based on actual locations, I’m not trying to create an exact likeness of somewhere but more a sense of what it feels like to be there. To this end I tend to use colour to evoke an emotional response. What is your favourite printmaking product? Oh dear! Hard to choose just one. But if I had to it would be Cranfield traditional oil based relief inks.  If I’m allowed to choose favourite equipment it would have to be my trusty wooden spoon – I could make linoprints without my press if I had to, but not without my wooden spoon! What have you made that you are most proud of? My wife and I have spent the last 30 years creating gardens from a 5-acre field into a productive and wildlife friendly haven, so it would probably have to be that Where can we see your work? Where do you sell? I have work in Edwards & Todd Gallery (High Street, Lewes. East Sussex) My work also appears on ‘The Artists Bridge’ (Hailsham. East Sussex) I’m also a member of The Sussex Arts Collective and show work with them regularly throughout the year at their gallery (Gallery UNO in Seaford, East Sussex) You can see most of my work on my website and can buy cards and artwork from my Etsy shop. Also, I’m on Instagram and  Facebook. What will we be seeing from you next? My year started with the shock of my linocut ‘Autumn Hillside’ winning the Handprinted/LinoPrint4 Competition! (thank you Ben Dickson and Handprinted) My print (and those of the 3 runners up) was shown at the Horsebridge Arts Centre in Whitstable, alongside work from some of the best linoprint artists around. It was a real honour. Next up will be an exhibition at Gallery UNO (Seaford) as part of the regular shows of the Sussex Arts Collective this runs from: 13th May – 5th June  Also in May I’m really excited to be taking part in my first ever print fair – ‘Ink, Paper & Print’ at Lewes Town Hall on the 24th May. Then in July I’m taking part in another print fair (also at Lewes Town Hall) ‘Strange Magic Print Fair’ on 26th July Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives? I’m not sure I’m in any sort of position to dispense advice about anything. However, some things that I’ve found helpful have been: - Making sure I pay attention to the boring things like composition, perspective and drawing – I’ve seen a lot of prints spoiled by poor composition/design - a strong image is important. I also try to not get to obsessed by the craft of printmaking and keep reminding myself that I’m making a piece of art. I’ve seen a lot of amazing, technically brilliant prints that ultimately are not very interesting to look at. I had to spend years finding my own style, but I believe that I have now developed a visual language that makes my work different from other artists. This was not a contrived thing and cannot be forced, you’ll just have to trust it will arrive in time. One last piece of non-advice: make work for yourself and not for any other reason. It will show if you don’t! To see more of Ian, follow him on Instagram or sign up to his newsletter!

a month ago 24 votes
Meet the Maker: Rosie Mclay

I'm Rosie, a 32 year old female artist who is mostly from Bristol but can't decide whether to live in Bristol or the Welsh borders so is a bit all over the place. I've been a full time artist for eight years, mostly making art about our relationship to mortality and nature by exploring the human body and the earthly elements. Describe your printmaking process. The printmaking process I've ended up working in is probably the best one for intricacy and sensitive mark making. Some etchers work in 'dry' point techniques where you directly scratch the plate, so I suppose my way is 'wet' point? The wax is rolled and smoked onto the surface before drawing. Wherever the wax is taken off from the copper the acid will be able to get to. As a lover of drawing, to be directly scoring the ridiculously thin and delicate wax ground with my needle point tool is just the most satisfying possible surface to work on. It's a game of how you disturb the surface of the polished copper really. Then the ink sits in the grooves and disturbances but I also love to paint in smoky textures with the ink where most printmakers choose to keep it clean and consistent. How and where did you learn to print? I learned etching alongside loads of other totally brilliant skills on my Drawing and Applied Arts degree at UWE in Bristol. I graduated in 2014 after 3 years of full on learning and exploration and I miss it so much.   Why printmaking? I got passionate about print when I was also making 3D work in metals including copper and brass and I was just fascinated by all the ways you can manipulate metal, a material that I'd always considered so permanent. Copper plate etching was the perfect mixture of my love of drawing, mucking about with metal and process as well as producing multiples. I'm so precious about my work and knowing I could have an edition where if I wanted to stitch, tear, paint or write on one then it was alright, I had another if it didn't work out.  Where do you work? I've got my own chaotic, woody and cosy studio at Estate of the Arts in Bristol with my 140 year old star wheel etching press; the most precious and inconvenient object I own. I bloody love my space and it's become my anchor while my inability to decide where home is continues... I'm surrounded by dozens of other at years ago when it was just an empty industrial estate and now it's filled with 60 artists. It really feels like it's going to be impossible to ever leave here! Describe a typical day in your studio. Open big annoying shutters. Little neighbour dogs come over for a tickle. Black tea. Music or radio immediately. Stare at my diary, order sheets and endless to do lists that don't totally make sense.   If I'm working on a new plate I'll be at my table easel surrounded by sketchbooks, reference materials and tea. Some days it's all about framing as this is all done in house with my assistant so I'll be finishing prints in gold leaf, emboss stamping and signing a lot. Other days it's about printing so I'll need to do a big tidy up, get tearing paper to size and get my apron on. And lastly order days where I'll be making parcels, (I re-use all my packaging so it can take ages) and working on admin while huddled over the radiator.  Lunch is always at 1 and I sit with my other maker mates in the yard, no matter the weather.   How long have you been printmaking? So I learned loads of printmaking techniques in my first year at Uni which was 2011. Jesus it's 2025. Have I really been printmaking for FOURTEEN YEARS?! I'm definitely still only 'scratching the surface', (weheey) with this craft. I've gotten so carried away with just drawing on copper and there's so much potential for more.   What inspires you? I use making art as a kind of diary. There'll be something that's happened in my life that's made me either visualise a certain animal or something that I want to be closer to, or it's something that is troubling me and learning more about it eases me. Learning and intimacy with the world around me I suppose.  What is your favourite printmaking product? Oh well it's got to be Somerset Velvet paper that's made in Wells. 100% cotton, handmade, textured, soft white beauty.   What have you made that you are most proud of? That changes all the time. That's such a hard question! Most recently it's actually probably my new anatomical stained glass window. But I am also proper chuffed with my human hand piece 'Strings' , which has already been rejected from three different open exhibitions despite only finishing it 2 months ago. Boo. Where can we see your work? Where do you sell? I'm exhibiting at the RHS Spring Malvern show 8-11 May as part of the Cotswold Craftsmen Guild. I love shows, I do more than twelve art fairs and craft shows a year. I get to go around the country and meet so many people and talk about EVERYTHING. I also have a huge miniature giclee print and card collection which are more affordable little reproductions which I sell in shops and galleries around Bristol such as Molii Fishponds, Upfest Gallery and Me & East in Totnes but I have most of my work on my website shop and originals by enquiry. Also it’s not technically official yet so I haven’t told most people but I’m opening a gallery studio in Hay on Wye in a few weeks! Me and my friend Pia Longden are combining our love of glass, paper and stone in this little space at the back of Hay Castle. It’ll be open every Thursday and Saturday at least, from our opening party onwards on Saturday 17th May, but you can contact me to see if we’re open. What will we be seeing from you next? I'm working on a few things; a new big splashy wave aquatint etching and my first painted stained glass commission. I've just got back from a trip to Japan and I have a real hankering for a massive heron piece too. Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives? Keep a forgiving eye on how your creativity fluctuates through time. I really beat myself up over not being more explorative or making enough new work, but noticing the small ways that in that period of time your heart or head get switched on and use that as fuel. Even if it's expressing something in a really small way that's for nothing else but really being with that moment, just do it. Also for printmaking in particular, never throw any misprints away (someone will always want them), keep a journal of your plate progress and editioning notes (I never do but wish I had) and always have nail polish in the studio (in case you got ink or general print goo staining your hands and you get invited on a date).  To see more of Rosie, follow her on Instagram or see her website!

a month ago 12 votes

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5 hours ago 1 votes
“I made a mistake”

This sits right next to, “I made a bad decision,” in things that are hard to say. But there are many moments when we’re confused about what actually happened. You might not have made a bad decision. And it’s also possible you didn’t make a mistake. It could be that there was simply a bad […]

yesterday 2 votes
A Grad Student Asks Carl Sagan If He Believes in God (1994)

?si=yeo1Xsu2ZLuCpQbC Most scientists are prepared to answer questions about their research from other members of their field; rather fewer have equipped themselves to answer questions from the general public about what Douglas Adams called life, the universe, and everything. Carl Sagan was one of that minority, an expert “science communicator” before science communication was recognized […]

yesterday 2 votes