A bit about me ……
I’m a Printmaker and Illustrator based in Shoreham-by-Sea near Brighton, Sussex with a passion for the natural environment, history and our local community. I’ve undertaken a wide range of commissions from cover designs, posters, jigsaw puzzles and greeting cards to large scale murals, banners and way-finding monoliths. I also run a range of printmaking workshops to adults of all ages and abilities. You can view some of my work at Shoreham Art Gallery where my prints and cards are on sale throughout the year .
Education & Qualifications:
- Foundation Studies Art & Design: St. Albans School of Art
- BA (Hons) Graphic Design (& Illustration) : Canterbury College of Art
- Printmaking Certificate with Commendation: Brighton Polytechnic
- Art Teachers Certificate/PGCE: Award from Sussex University
- M.A. Sequential Design & Illustration: University of Brighton
Printmaking Background:
I grew up looking at the detailed wood engravings of Polish artist Pawel Steller sent by the artist to our family each year from Poland. In awe of his intricately cut lines to create old faces, coal mines and landscapes with amazing qualities of light and dark, as well as the emotions conveyed, my interest in prints began. I started printmaking at school when a visiting American Artist/Printmaker Barbara Newcomb encouraged me to screen print. As an art student I discovered Print Rooms were really exciting places to work and experimented with lithography, etching, relief and screen printing. I was very fortunate to have had some great printmaking tutors, particularly etcher John Brunsdon at St Albans School of Art and Ann d’Arcy Hughes & Terry Gravett, printmakers at Brighton Polytechnic. Apart from Letterpress, printmaking was considered too “Fine Arty” for Graphic Design students at Canterbury but at any opportunity I would go down to their print room to develop screen prints and etchings for illustration assignments. When I began teaching I wanted students to be able to experience a variety of printmaking processes and discover what is so special about printmaking. Although now known mostly for my lino cuts I have continued to experiment with other print mediums often combined with mixed media.
Printmaking Equipment & Materials:
My small studio at home has a large Bewick & Wilson etching press on which I can print etchings, monoprints and collagraphs. I also have a Blueboy relief press for printing lino and woodblocks but hand-burnish small wood engravings with a trusty old spoon! I mostly use TN Lawrence’s and Hawthorn’s printing inks and print on a range of acid-free printmaking papers. Some work also incorporates collaged papers, chine colle and mixed media. My screen prints are produced using a variety of screens and stencils and printing with Golden acrylics with printing medium to create bright, light fast prints. I am currently a member of B.I.P. using their open access studio and wonderful Columbian press to print some of my larger lino blocks.
Screen Printing Workshops, Northbrook College
Greeting cards: Shoreham and Sussex greetings cards available at Shoreham Gallery, Worthing Museum and other local outlets
West Sussex Art Society Calendar cover 2020
A range of framed and unframed Prints are on show at Shoreham Art Gallery throughout the year.
Sketchbooks as starting points: Blocks and drawings accompanied the“Above and Below” Exhibition at Hearne Gallery Lttlehampton Museum. Gazette article and “Meet the Artist” day.