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1. Do you remember the first print you ever made?

I could reminisce about first experiences of lino printing back in my college days, studying for an Art & Design A-Level, but it was not until some 20 years later that I made my first print as an adult – I was trying the identity of ‘artist’ on for size, after taking a circuitous route in life.  I created the lino print ‘Room of One’s Own’ in early 2017 in order to celebrate the creation of my own maker space, a garden studio that would become Woodlea Studio, a functioning artist studio and umbrella for the print and mixed-media work I would go on to create.  I carved a woman’s head and shoulders – a simple line representation. I then printed this on to pages from Virgina Woolf’s 1929 essay of the same name, a feminist text which argued for a space, both literal and figurative, for women writers.  I chose pages that that resonated with me and made my first run of prints, experimenting with a patterned background to form a collage.  I clearly remember the rush of excitement in the big reveal of the first proof.

2. Are you a trained artist – do you think that’s important?

I do not hold a BA or MFA in Fine Art or Printmaking – I studied Film and English for my degree and went on to study an MA in Gender & Sexuality on Screen due to my interest in the politics of the image and the representation of gender.  Studying the moving image, certainly developed my aesthetic sensibility and influenced the work I create.  I am, for example, particularly interested in German Expressionist films of the 1920s and the Film Noir films of the 30s &40s due to the use of light, shadow and the expressive approach to visual composition.  Outside of formal education I have attended creative workshops at Hello Print Studio in Margate and Creek Creative in Faversham in order to develop techniques and learn from others. My experiences have made me the artist that I have become – or am still becoming – and the visual language and style I have developed.  I take a conceptual and research-informed approach to my work, an approach that was certainly developed through studying at postgraduate level.  If I could afford to return to University as a mature student and balance my work and life commitments then I would certainly love to study Fine Art and specialise in printmaking, but for now I’m enjoying getting back to practice and having the space to print!

3. What type of printmaking techniques do you favour and why?

Lino printing can feel like an alchemical process and I still feel as enthused by this technique as I did back in my college days.  As I evolve, I’m starting to find my own style and technique, favouring the expressive monoprint over the editionedrun.  I enjoy the freedom of experimenting with relief methods, inking and printing a variety of textured surfaces to create a composition.

4. What projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on a series of prints entitled ‘Adventures of a Bricoleur’.  I wanted to bring the process of experimentation and assemblage into full view and create work from impressions of found items – a deconstructed summer hat, or an old pair of my son’s jeans cut up into shapes.  I’m fascinated by how fabric can break down and fray in the printing process, creating interesting effects.  I like repurposing materials and recycling them in my art – often printing with bubble wrap or painting directly onto polystyrene packaging (see www.instagram.com/WoodleaStudio for current examples).

5. What drives you to make prints?

I print to feel more myself; to express myself in often what is a very immediate process.  I’m particularly inspired by the printmakers of the Grosvenor School and love their use of shape and colour to create a sense of movement or labour.  Printmaking enables me to play and visualise ideas through line, pattern and shape, but I’m also interested in how printing techniques can be combined and used alongside other media. I like to create prints that explore ideas or concepts and am driven to explore how the subject of my work can be simplified.

6. Who has been an important mentor in your life?

I’d like to find a creative mentor or collaborator that I can learn from – I’m interested in inter-disciplinary collaborations and the influence that this may have on practice.  The most influential mentor in my life was my first art teacher at secondary school.  She believed in my creative ability and nurtured a curiosity and interest in artistic expression.  I used to create large blue abstracts on brown paper, and she would post them on the classroom wall, giving me confidence to experiment.  She encouraged divergent thinking in her class and taught me that it was okay to take risks and come at things from a different angle.  Travelling forward many years, my eight-year-old son reminds me that “art is not failing” and that getting messy, making mistakes and trying things out feels like home – I have realised that creating art is an iterative process and that my best prints come from a place of experimentation and play.

7. Which art materials do you favour and why?

I favour the graphic look of lino printing for the reasons explored above.  I like the physical – almost meditative – process of cutting the block.  I use masking tape and paper stencils in my work and enjoy experimenting by combining screen and lino prints together.  I like to print on Japanese HoSho paper and find extending CaligoSafe Wash inks gives me a level of transparency so that I am able to build up vivid layers and create overlapping images to achieve a desired effect.

Thank you so much Kristy Widdicombe of Woodlea Studio.

Head to her Twitter page @StudioWoodlea and Instagram @WoodleaStudio

www.woodleastudio.com

If you would like to answer our SEVEN QUESTIONS FOR A PRINTMAKER, you can find the questions here: https://printdayinmay.com/2019/02/11/seven-questions-for-a-printmaker/