The Merryweather Artist

My print making journey began with a small lino starter kit in 2020. Although I had dabbled with lino block printing in the past, I found time to really explore the medium in depth and hone my skills.

My inspiration at the beginning was very much limited to my surroundings; that of my collection of vintage and antique vessels, the garden, allotment and the rural town where I live on the River Welland. My work is still very much influenced by these things as I find them beautiful and interesting to depict in my work. Each piece has a story behind it which I try to convey in the composition or even the title.

All of my works derive from sketches, some of which are made either out on my walks , often on my cycle rides or simply from setting up a still life arrangement at home. These sketches may stay just as observations and may never develop into a print. However, most often, they are used as a starting block for a print, either translated into a design for a linocut print or, more recently manipulated into layers for screenprinting.

I am now enjoying portraying my travels in an ongoing series of mini black and white relief prints using my Adana Eight/Five Press. Each little linocut print, a reminder of a place and time I have visited and enjoyed, much like a photograph really, but with more imagination!

As a member of Leicester Print Workshop, I have been expanding my practice to include etching, screen printing and wood engraving. I have found it interesting to see how different modes of print making find a different style from within me.