Meet the printmaker: John Joseph Lynch

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work…What sort of prints do you make? 
Hi, I’m John Joseph Lynch, I’ve made a variety of types of prints since I began print making.

I mainly concentrate on fine art and experimental printmaking and have an MA with distinction in Multidisciplinary Printmaking. For my final show I took the Multidisciplinary aspect quite literally when I made a body of hybrid prints that re-synthised classic Iconography in relation to consumer philosophies. I made hybrid luxurious pieces of print work combining linocut, digital, and flock velvet print along side screen printed enamels. I screen printed acid resists then deep etched copper plates and finished this with a cloisonné approach to create printed relics made of copper and coloured glass, I used etchings onto plaster casts and continued to combine methods and print approaches.

The MA was a explosion of experimental adventures, combining a range of print processes over the three year duration of the course, in which I was also awarded a two week residency in the states studying the art of fine paper making. I have always enjoyed an experimental approach to my work and have often pushed in the other direction from ‘the norm’.

False Paradise, Ed 5, Lino Cut, Digital and Flock

After the MA I won the 'Neo Print Prize' for 'New Media In Print' and went on to be awarded the 'Peter Reddick Bursary' for 'Contemporary Relief Print' which allowed me to spend a year developing a relief print practice. It was a great time to make mistakes and develop from them.

This has recently ended and I would now say I have developed a unique and complex style of woodcut printing to take forwards and create new work, in which I use the photographic or digitally produced image in a hand-made fashion, combining traditional and contemporary methods for making art.

I really enjoy working with wood and the challenges this presents. It’s like paper: always changing. Sometimes it’s a real pleasure to work with, and other times it is a pest.

Key Block for Royal Mail.

My work is often conceptual as I have a contemporary fine art background, practice and interest.  I really enjoy the methods and possibilities within this context to explore, combine and create new types of imagery. Along with this, I love the science and elemental factors involved in fine print and the types of inks and papers that always give new results.  Sometimes it’s a feeling like painting where the elements are working with you, which is a lovely mood to be in.  

I’ve been printmaking for 16 years now and teach screen-printing and relief printing along with the odd visiting lecture, and really enjoy sharing my print knowledge with other printmakers and artists. This exchange of knowledge is really important for any creative development. 

This is why I’ve really enjoyed being part of the organising team for The Print Shop, and meeting so many great printmakers, helping to raise the profile and public understanding of print and also getting in touch with some true masters in the field, like Yuji Hiratsuka. 

Are you solely a printmaker or do you work in any other creative fields?
My first degree was fine art Painting and printmaking. Back then I used to really enjoy painting but it wasn’t long until the lure of printmaking grabbed me and I ended up producing a final show which was heavily print centralised. I even remember using oil based inks with screen printing to make dramatic abstract works in my teens. So, I’ve always been very attracted to Printmaking.

All the while I’ve always been really into making music and performance. After university some good pals and I soon got ourselves into a pretty outrageous band called Pink Grease. We got signed to Mute Records and toured the world, making our mark in the underground scenes and playing hundreds of shows. I love live music performance as it’s so immediately expressive and fun. I’ve put together a few music formations whilst in Bristol and had some fun gigs. I’m currently having a bit of time out of the live scene to work on new ideas, but I would say I prioritise printmaking as my main creative process these days. 

Mostly all of my work and practice is focused on driving forward my printmaking these days and recently that’s also included driving forward the profile of printmaking with projects such as The Print shop and connecting Bristol printmakers to friends at the Hong Kong Open Print Shop.

Printmaking is a language of imagery and production that suits my needs the most, I love it’s immediate historic reference and the connotations it has to so many aspects of art and modern culture. We’re surrounded by print and I’m a big believer of art being rooted in the real and reflecting society, so for me print is perfect.

Some Proofs made during the work of Royal Mail: V1

I teach printmaking and this is also a creative process to me, as I’m always surprised what people - with little or no experience in these processes - can come up with. The results of loads of mistakes and happy accidents can teach you things you’d never expect.  I think teaching and the learning of new skills is a really important aspect of all creativity. Sharing your practice is essential to it’s development and also another creative part of it. 

What is your earliest recollection of making a print and what made you to want to do more?
Foot Prints in the mud: making a mark of your own presence and place.

What inspires you and are there any themes or ideas that often run through your work?
I am usually inspired by the things that go on around us in the world, often by media and the news. I like my art to have a reflection to how I perceive the world or a given theme within it.  For example, my Criminal Prints showing a hybrid president of the united States, a mix of four presidents to create a fictional yet familiar figure head. This was also inspired by fiction such as '1984' or 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'. I love a good story for new ideas, which is why I often slightly dramatized or over fictionalise, real places or events.

Wesley, Ed2 in variations, woodcut. 

My newest print, which I have, at times been working on in the shop and is now on display in The Print Shop and the Old Fire Station in Oxford, is Royal Mail: V1.

This print was inspired by a number of things, firstly it has reference to a copy of a 1950’s post card of East Berlin I found. At that time, the vision of a utopian new lifestyle was offered and the postcard showed these amazing new flats in Technicolour. I loved the double sided edge to this image and the forced enthusiasm of the colours.

In my new print the image is an adjusted version of the old post office centre by Temple Meads, which to me stands, in its way, as an iconic monument, yet in may ways it is useless, unsellable, impossible to develop. It is places like this that always remind me of Satre’s Nausea, where he writes about the consistent forces of nature always ready to reclaim and take over wherever it can, purely acting on existence.

To me there is a poetic beauty in this type of place and a reflection of human conditions, the kind of place that can trigger hundreds of daydreams, yet in itself is the shell of it’s former purpose - like an empty crab.

Royal Mail: V1, Woodcut

Could you give us an insight into where you work – your studio/workspace and where you print?
I work in three places mostly: Firstly, at Spike Print Studio, as since being awarded the bursary there I’ve really been able to push my work and develop woodcut printmaking. It’s a truly great studio and I recommend it to anyone interested in print. The staff are all great and there is a real public approach to making work, with amazing print work happening mostly every day it’s a great place and we also do really good courses.

Secondly, I have a shared studio space at the Island Art Space where I have acquired a great screen printing set up and we also make a bit of music here. My friend Danny Le Guilcher is a great portrait painter and he paints here too. All the team running the art space are really clued up to getting the old building off the ground and I run workshops in the space too. There are always new shows, exhibitions and events happening there, so it is a great place to work, plus it’s right in the city centre.

Thirdly I must say there is nothing like a bit of sunny woodcutting in the cratch back home on the boat.

Which other printmakers' work do you admire?
Being heavily involved with the starting and keeping of The Print Shop since the outset has meant that I’ve met some really great printmakers in Bristol, who make some really amazing work. I’m so happy the shop has really brought together a range of approaches and talents in the art, raising the bar for printmaking in Bristol. It was also really great to get one of my favourite known printmakers involved for volume one. Yuji Hiratsuka’s work is truly beautiful and it was great having a Skype interview with him in the shop. 

There are so many printmakers I really admire the work of. I really like the prints by Katsutoshi Yuasa, Christiana Baumgartner, Chuck Close, Carol Summers, Thomas Kilpper and naturally I love the work of Andy Warhol and the pop art printmakers like Rauschenburg. The list goes on and I’m always finding new artists I really like. Artists have always used printmaking as a strong point for visual communication in the arts. I also really love the traditional Japanese Woodblock by artists like Hokusai, Kuniyoshi and Hiroshige and wish I could be this good.

Skeleton, Kuniyoshi, Woodcut. 

Local artists like Ian Chamberlain, Emma Stibbon, Martin grimmer, are all amazing at what they do and artists we’ve had in the shop like Hannah McVicar, Gillian Thompson,  Holly Drewett, and Coo Geller all make really interesting work with print and push it in different directions.

Our last guest also works like this. Peter Williams’s monumental woodblocks are a real homage to traditional print. He’ll be in the print shop talking about his work on the 21st.

Maybe it’s clear by the above list that I like artists who push common associations to an art and create new and exiting approaches.

Can you share a little printing trick or secret with us?
I share loads of printing magic on my courses and in the studio. Learning from others is always a good one. Most importantly, enjoy what you are doing and always stay calm when printing, although sometimes this isn’t the easiest.

I’m always booking new workshops for artists in my studio and other print studios so if you want to learn more you can get in touch with me through my website, jjlynch.org

How would you like to develop your printmaking skills in the future?
It’s a constant development for me, so I hope this continues. I always like to move out of the safety zone and see what’s new to learn so I always look forwards to the next piece of work, I hope this doesn’t change.

Which printed publication do you most look forward to thumbing through?
Printmaking Today, and exhibition catalogues.



Thank you for taking the time out to answer our questions John. It's inspiring to have not only your input and direction with the running of the shop, but also your incredible multidisciplinary approach to print-making.

John has a range of brand new work currently for sale in the shop, which is open from now until Christmas. Come and purchase his prints, while stocks last. A great personal treat or the ideal gift for a friend.

The Print Shop 

Unit 6 

Quakers Friars 

Cabot Circus 

Bristol 

BS1 3BU 

Open Daily 

Mon - Sat 10am - 6pm 

Sun 11am - 5pm

Meet the printmaker: Dave Bain

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work… What sort of prints do you make? 

I enjoy taking on a challenge, which is what has held my interest in exploring illustration and the associated grey areas that it merges into, such as design and more conceptual or character artwork. Sometimes it's a tricky job to try and personally define where my work sometimes falls. More often than not it's focus is illustrative and I think even when I'm creating a piece of artwork from my own imagination, there tends to still be a purpose, meaning and attempt-to-explain a wider concept or story.

Flock (detail), 4 colour screen-print

Drawing out 'Flock'

Recently, I've tried to include my screen-printing know-how into my practice more and more. I fell in love with the way screen-printing can force a limitation (depending on what limits I set) on how I create an image. It's focused me even more on the colour palettes I choose and I've had fun discovering the layers that build up an image and how I can reduce those layers down, without losing the complexity and clarity. You can see a range of my screen-prints here.

James the Elephant, 3-colour screen-print

Are you solely a printmaker or do you work in any other creative fields?
I have always loved producing things in a traditional manner and have drawn and painted as long as I can remember. Painting and drawing is certainly always the starting point with all my projects. It's interesting to be translating these skills into printmaking methods.

Two of the layers, drawn in 4B pencil of 'James the Elephant'

Two of the layers, drawn in 4B pencil of 'Twits'

What is your earliest recollection of making a print and what made you to want to do more?
Creating little rubber stamp letters at school is my earliest print memory. In recent times, simply seeing the wealth of print talent in Bristol alone is such an inspiration for any budding print-maker. Since moving here, I've been enjoying learning new techniques from masters in this craft.

What inspires you and are there any themes or ideas that often run through your work? 
Colour is an obvious inspiration. I often draw on themes of optical illusions and geometrical shapes, as well as my long-term fascination with bird-life, nature and texture. I also love expressions and dark fairy stories.

12 Bikes - A 12 colour screen-print

Could you give us an insight into where you work – your studio/workspace and where you print? 
I have been part of setting up the Drawn in Bristol studio and print studio space, which is situated inside the Hamilton House building in Stokes Croft. Drawn in Bristol occupies a large area of one of the floors with over 20 people working within a lovely open plan space. I create all my work and print work from this studio, as well as inducting new members of the print studio into the space.

Printing 'Twits' in the Drawn in Bristol studio

Wrestlers, in the print rack, at the studio

The work of which other printmaker/s do you admire? 
Too many! But if I have to be specific, Simon Tozer, Hannah McVicar and Paul Farrell - all Bristol print-makers - have been a long-term source of advice, inspiration, support and general loveliness. Please check their work out. Hannah is also currently part of The Print Shop.

Printmaking is made up of lots of different processes, which aspect do you enjoy the most? 
I think it's the puzzle of working out what should be on each layer of a multi-layer print. I've always liked puzzles!

Tracing paper layers for my bird cards

Do you have a favourite tool or something you find invaluable when printing? 
I purchased two mini-squeegees in India, which I love using, when it's appropriate as they are so light-weight and fit well on the lip of the screens I use. Acetate is invaluable when I'm working out registration.

Can you share a little printing trick or secret with us? 
I always try to not print when tired - too many mistakes happen otherwise. Music is really important to me and having a good sound-track when printing can often help focus my mind. I've recently been getting into Forest Swords.



How would you like to develop your printmaking skills in the future? 
There's always more to learn and to improve on - I love discovering new tricks. I often feel like I'm at the start of a fun print-making journey and am excited about what's next. I definitely want to challenge myself by creating some much larger prints.

Raven Skull, 2-colour A2 screen-print.

Which printed publication do you most look forward to thumbing through?
Juxtapoz is always interesting, as well as Digital Arts. I really enjoy the free comic compilation Off Life too.


Monochrome or multi-coloured?
Multi-coloured mostly.


Thank you Dave for giving us an insight into the working process behind your colourful screen-prints. Particularly fascinating to see the drawings behind the work.

Dave will be at The Print Shop for the rest of Volume 3 with all of the above work for sale (while stocks last!).

The Print Shop

Unit 6

Quakers Friars

Cabot Circus

Bristol

BS1 3BU

Open Daily

Mon - Sat 10am - 6pm

Sun 11am - 5pm

Meet the Printmaker - Charlotte Farmer

Charlotte Farmer screen printing at Spike Island Print Studios

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work…What sort of prints do you make? 
I'm Charlotte Farmer – Illustrator & screenprinter with a love of gold and fluroescent.

What is your earliest recollection of making a print and what made you to want to do more?
My first print was made while I was doing an art foundation course. The print department was on the top floor of the foundation building, it smelt great and was where all the cool kids in their Black Flag T-shirts seemed to be. Once I peeled back the paper on my first print (a linocut of a chair) there was no going back – I went on to a fine art degree specializing in printmaking where I got hooked on screen printing...

What inspires you and are there any themes or ideas that often run through your work? 
I love drawing grumpy looking animals and my cat Margo makes regular appearances. But I have branched out into more exotic creatures in my recent work. I like to imagine what thoughts or conversations all the aniamls (or whatever else I've been drawing) might be having. I think titles are really important as they can influence how people see your work.

Could you give us an insight into where you work – your studio/workspace and where you print? 
I print at the very fabulous Spike Print Studio, an amazing space with interesting people to talk to which is good because the rest of my time is spent home alone drawing.

The work of which other printmaker/s do you admire? 
I've always been a big fan of Robert Rauschenberg's screenprints and David Hockney's Rake's Progress etchings. Closer to home I like Luice Sheridan, Jane Ormes and Anna Marrow's work – Anna and I both went through the rigors of a St Martins MA (they tried to stop us printing!)
They all draw brilliantly, use great colour combinations and there is always an element of humour or something that makes you wonder what is going on.

Printmaking is made up of lots of different processes, which aspect do you enjoy the most?
The way the last colour makes all the other, seemingly random blobs of colour make sense...that's if it's all worked out ok.

Bananas

Can you share a little printing trick or secret with us ? 
It doesn't fit in with the image of an artist but you have to be ridiculously organised when you're screen printing, if you're not it can easily all go horribly wrong.

How would you like to develop your printmaking skills in the future? 
I like embossing – and always mean to do more.

Which printed publication do you most look forward to thumbing through? 
Wrap magazine

Monochrome or multi-coloured? 
Both and gold and fluroescent.

Thanks Charlotte. We love the playfulness of you work and the assortment of colours that you use so well together.

Charlotte Farmer's work is currently featured in the second volume of The Print Shop, which finishes this Sunday, but don't worry, she'll also be in Volume 3 too! So get yourself down there to see the selection of work she has on display, including greetings cards, mounted prints and framed pieces on a lovely display wall. Also remember to put Wednesday 2nd October in you diaries for the launch of the new exciting Volume 3!

The Print Shop

Unit 6

Quakers Friars

Cabot Circus

Bristol

BS1 3BU

Open Daily

Mon - Sat 10am - 6pm

Sun 11am - 5pm

Meet the Printmaker - Alice Rolfe

 Alice Rolfe prints onto textiles and paper. Here you can see her sporting one of her wonderful t-shirts. Read on to hear about her processes and life as a printmaker in Bristol....

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work…

What sort of prints do you make?

I’m Alice Rolfe from Rolfe&Wills – a Bristol based Print and Upholstery company. I screen print our designs on to homewears, clothing, a variety of papers and fabric which Chloe Wills uses to upholster furniture.

What is your earliest recollection of making a print and what made you to want to do more?

From the age of about 6 I did printing workshops with family friends who were artists.  We screen printed using stencils, and etched – taking the plate out into the countryside or the beach and drawing what we saw.  I fell in love with the process – each step just as important as the last, and each step impacting the look your final piece. It was so much fun, I was hooked!

What inspires you and are there any themes or ideas that often run through your work?

Primarily I’m interested in colour.  I love layering and blending colours to see what comes out.  I use a lot of fluorescent colours against a neutral back drop – it really pops out and creates a bold statement. I like to let the colours do the work and keep the designs simple.

Could you give us an insight into where you work – your studio/workspace and where you print?

Currently I print at Drawn in Bristol’s space at Hamilton House.  It’s been absolutely fantastic, meeting fellow artists and keeping it affordable.  I wouldn’t have been able to grow the business with out it… But as the business has grown so fast in just over a year, it’s time to move on and have my stock, printing table, and desk all in one place, so I’m currently converting a garage in Easton into a studio space.  It’s a massive space and therefore a massive project but I’m hoping to move in there by mid September.  I’ll miss the space at Hamilton House, but I’ll be renting out spaces in the new studio, so hopefully there will be a creative vibe there also.

The work of which other printmaker/s do you admire?

I’m always drawn to Lizzy Cox’s work, a screen printer who lived in Somerset – her work is unique and some of the most beautiful I’ve seen. She would take a printing kit out into the fields and document the plants by printing onto them.  I think about this a lot and am sure they will influence my ideas in the future.

Printmaking is made up of lots of different processes, which aspect do you enjoy the most?

Well, it’s got to be the big reveal! How is it going to come out… It makes me nervous and excited every time – no wonder I’m totally exhausted after a day of printing! It’s a very emotional process as well as physical.

Can you share a little printing trick or secret with us?

Hummm well a lot of people ask me how to get the blended technique – but I’m not sure I should tell you...? It’s actually very simple, you just need all the colours on the screen at a time, and a steady hand.

How would you like to develop your printmaking skills in the future?

I’m still at the very early stages of my printing career – I don’t really consider myself as a professional printer yet as I still have so much to learn.  Every time I print I learn something new, and I’ve probably only mastered about two techniques out of about 300…. So it’s a life long thing really.  I guess I just want to get better – more accurate – more experiential. 

Which printed publication do you most look forward to thumbing through?

I have a few books ‘The Drawing Book’ by Tania Kovats – my old tutor, and a book of ‘Rachel Whitereads Drawings’ are two of my faves I love to brows through.  I have a slight wayward rout to a final idea – colourless drawings seem to inspire my brightly coloured prints…????

Monochrome or multi-coloured?

For me… My prints – super multi coloured all the way!

Thanks Alice, we love the colours you use and the range of products that your designs can be found on. 

Alice Rolfe's work is currently featured in the second volume of The Print Shop, which runs until September 29th. If you can, please do pop by the shop to see all our printmakers' work for real... the computer images never really does their work justice!

 The Print Shop

Unit 6

Quakers Friars

Cabot Circus

Bristol

BS1 3BU

Open Daily

Mon - Sat 10am - 6pm

Sun 11am - 5pm

Meet the Printmaker - Elena Ortiz

Introducing Elena Ortiz, a member of the Drawn in Bristol screen printing studio and an individual who takes inspiration from so much of the world around us. 

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work… What sort of prints do you make?
Hello, I’m Elena Ortiz and I like to observe and capture my everyday life. I come from sunny Spain but I’m currently living in the cloudy but lovely Bristol. I was very lucky to study Fine Arts and Printmaking in Porto and Valencia where I nurtured my love for Graphic Art. As soon as I finished, I moved to London where I had the opportunity of working in and learning more about printmaking. I like to jump from one printing technique to another depending on the nature of the image.

Elena Ortiz printmaking

Are you solely a printmaker or do you work in any other creative fields?
I feel comfortable with both photography and printmaking, although I don’t think that fields are separated by fences. My prints drink from my photographs and the other way around. I’m constantly trying to learn new things –my next target is ceramics!

What is your earliest recollection of making a print and what made you to want to do more?
I started printmaking in Porto, Portugal. I studied a year of University there and the workshops were amazing. I remember printing my first engraving, I will never forget when I pulled up the paper and saw the drawing of the feather printed in the paper –it was magic! Since that moment I knew I wanted THAT in my life, I wanted to learn as much as I could of the different techniques of printmaking.

What inspires you and are there any themes or ideas that often run through your work?
Looking through the window in the morning, having breakfast, passing by houses down the street, windows, doors, taking off and landing in airplanes, a song, coach journeys, the sea, rivers, plants, cities, maps … I don’t really have a theme, I’m just trying to portray my living.

Could you give us an insight into where you work – your studio/workspace and where you print?
Since I live abroad I haven’t had a proper studio. I work in my kitchen, the living room and when it’s not too cold, in my room. While living in London, I used to print at London Print Studio and here in Bristol the comfy Drawn in Bristol’s print studio.

The work of which other printmaker/s do you admire? 
I won’t say the ones I admire most because there are tons and I’m pretty bad with names but I will say the first one that I admired: Blexbolex.

Printmaking is made up of lots of different processes, which aspect do you enjoy the most?
The process, getting my hands dirty, mixing inks, inking, discovering new techniques and touching the paper.

Do you have a favourite tool or something you find invaluable when printing? 
An apron –I’ve been using the same since I started University and it’s kind of my good luck charm.

Can you share a little printing trick or secret with us? 
Always use the chamois with the non fluffy side.

How would you like to develop your printmaking skills in the future?
I haven’t got a plan, I just want to experiment and see how it goes. What I definitely want to try is screen printing in ceramics.

Which printed publication do you most look forward to thumbing through?
I would love to see the original screen printed Praia-mar by Bernardo Carvalho.

Monochrome or multi-coloured?
Depending on the day but probably I would say monochrome if I had to choose.

Thanks Elena, what an interesting read! We love the range of printing processes you use, and it's great to hear about what inspires you. 

If you haven't already, do pop into The Print Shop to see a number of Elena's print pieces, as well as work from a host of other talented printmakers.

The Print Shop

Unit 6

Quakers Friars

Cabot Circus

Bristol

BS1 3BU

Open Daily

Mon - Sat 10am - 6pm

Sun 11am - 5pm

Meet the Printmaker - Gail Mason

The work of talented and prolific printmaker Gail Mason has been very well received here in The Print Shop... read on to find out more about Gail's work and her printmaking practice...

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work…What sort of prints do you make?
My name is Gail Mason, I live in semi rural North Somerset with my husband and daughter. surrounded by cows, sheep and cats. I tend to work mainly in screenprint producing work which ranges from large expressive painterly abstract monoprints, to smaller flat colour edition work and most recently monochrome portraits.

Hesta / silkscreen monotype

Are you solely a printmaker or do you work in any other creative fields?
For the last 13 years I have worked part time as a lecturer and tutor on the Degree Courses at a local HE college teaching all kinds of printmaking to Graphics and Fine Art students. I run Silkscreen Monotype workshops at Spike Studio and in the studio space where I live. It’s been an interesting journey. I dropped out of my A level art and consequently didn’t go straight to Art College from school, instead did a Psychology and Education degree. During the 80’s I had my own business designing, producing, printing and painting clothes for my stall at Camden Market. From there I decided to return to education to study Fine Art and then later completed an MA in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking. I took the long way round….   

What is your earliest recollection of making a print and what made you to want
to do more?  
I became fascinated by silkscreen at around 15 yrs of age where I remember spending many solitary hours in a cold shed that made up part of the art rooms. There I played around with dyes and screen print, painting the mesh with emulsion paint to make the stencils. I loved the idea of being process led, that each step created a different effect.

What inspires you and are there any themes or ideas that often run through your work?
The positive impact of colour has been my main inspiration together with the idea of journeys both literal and metaphorical. The taste of colour is really important to me, I often begin work by mixing a whole load of colours and then selecting my palette from that.

New Pink / Silkscreen monoprint

Printmaking is made up of lots of different processes, which aspect do you
enjoy the most?
I have spent a long time working in silkscreen producing painterly monotypes because I love the chance surprise element and then figuring out the next step rather than having everything mapped out from the start. It’s rather like a dance where you have to be intuitive and allow yourself to move instinctively. I have also been working with oil-based monotypes, for pretty much the same reason, but the colours I seem to mix in oil are more subdued and atmospheric.

Moments of Clarity / silkscreen monotype

The work of which other printmaker/s do you admire?
My all time favourite has to be Barbara Rae I love the way she builds her work with many transparent layers and opaque colour, together with the freedom of her mark-making. I have also been inspired by Helen Frankenthaler and Hughie O ‘Donoghue.

Standing By / silkscreen monprint

Could you give us an insight into where you work – your studio/workspace
and where you print?
I am based at Spike Print Studios in Bristol where I produce work for Galleries, Exhibition and the Corporate World. I love working there with other printmakers where we can bounce ideas around, have a laugh and be sociable as well as working.

Do you have a favourite tool or something you find invaluable when printing?
I think I would be lost without the small plastic spatulas that I use to apply the inks to the screen when mono printing.

Can you share a little printing trick or secret with us?
I like to think about not what I put down, but what I take away.

How would you like to develop your printmaking skills in the future?
I would really like to explore off-set oil based monotype much further. The Curwen Studio prize from Originals enabled me to begin to explore this process spending time up at their studio, which I was really excited by.

Which printed publication do you most look forward to thumbing through?
Printmaking Today

Monochrome or multi-coloured?
Definitely both

Between You and Me / silkscreen mono print

Thanks Gail, what an inspiring read! We love the colours you use in your prints, and it's interesting to hear about the journey you have taken to be the printmaker you are today. 

If you haven't already, do pop into The Print Shop to see a number of Gail's print pieces, as well as work from a host of other talented printmakers.

The Print Shop

Unit 6

Quakers Friars

Cabot Circus

Bristol

BS1 3BU

Open Daily

Mon - Sat 10am - 6pm

Sun 11am - 5pm