YORK Printmakers will hold their sixth Autumn Print Fair at York Cemetery Chapel and Harriet Room on September 23 and 24 from 10am to 5pm.
Set up in 2015 by a dozen printmakers from the York area, this thriving, diverse group now numbers around 40 enthusiastic artists, drawn from a wide range of printmaking backgrounds, from art students to professional artists.
Working independently, they come together to support and challenge each other by sharing opportunities, ideas and processes.
“Our annual print fair is a well-established event in the city’s creative calendar, attracting people from across the country,” says printmaker, illustrator and graphic designer Jo Ruth.
Kilburn White Horse, lino print, by Michelle Hughes
“It’s our opportunity to exhibit current work and to share our ideas and processes with an interested audience.”
Artists often take inspiration from their surroundings, in this case York and beyond. “Some evoke memories through their prints, others celebrate historic views,” says Jo. “There will be plenty to explore as you see how some of our members have interpreted familiar views through their own eyes.
“Our printmakers are no strangers to finding wonderful opportunities for creative ideas in and around York, both in the city and in the surrounding dramatic countryside. Some take inspiration from well-known landmarks; others look for beauty in less obvious places.”
For next month’s fair, Russell Hughes has produced a series of collagraph prints and collages inspired by walks around Richmond, North Yorkshire. “I interpret the variations encountered in our daily lives, recording experience in data, observing patterns in nature and in the built environment,” says this explorer of colour and pattern in handmade printmaking.
Trespassing, lino print, by Rachel Holborrow
Rachel Holborow’s lino print Trespassing explores the way the natural world rubs up against a more urban environment in its depiction of often-overlooked wild plants and flowers, such as poppies and chamomile, that populate the field margins along the A64.
Michelle Hughes creates linocut prints of iconic views of the Yorkshire countryside. “Walking and cycling in the area helps me to capture a sense of place,” she says. “I see so many different views of the Kilburn White Horse, even from Holgate Windmill in the street next to my studio.”
Other York Printmakers aim to evoke memories of a place or celebrate a well-known vista. Harriette Rymer, for example, produces delicate lino prints of flowers and has been inspired by the daffodils’ herald of springtime around the city walls.
Lino printer Jo Rodwell grew up in York. “There are so many sites and places that are familiar to me,” she says. “I try to capture the essence of a place and incorporate relatable local scenes that can trigger memories and make people talk about what it means to them. People can have their own relationship with my work and can place themselves in it, whatever their age.”
Minster In Bloom, lino print, by Harriette Rymer
Etching, linocut, collagraph, monotype, screen print, solar plate, Japanese woodblock, lithography, stencilling and gel plate printing all will feature in the print fair.
“Our members have a wide range of printmaking backgrounds and experience, but we all share a passion for print,” says Jo Ruth. “We’re happy to chat about our ideas, processes and techniques.
“Some members also run printmaking courses, so this is also a great opportunity to find out more and chat to the artists behind the prints.”
Hundreds of original prints will be on show and for sale. Entry is free.
York Printmakers’ Autumn Print Fair, York Cemetery, Cemetery Road, York, September 23 and 24, 10am to 5pm. Fair visitors can walk around the tranquil cemetery grounds, rich with wildlife. For more details, go to: yorkprintmakers.org.uk
York Printmakers’ Autumn Print Fair 2023 poster, showing a detail of Russell Hughes’s collagraph print Variations VII (Forms)
York Printmakers’ work on show at Blossom Street, York
YORK Printmakers are presenting A Showcase at Blossom Street Gallery, Blossom Street, York, until July 31.
On show is an array of printmaking skills, demonstrating techniques and printing processes that date back hundreds of years through to those that push the boundaries of contemporary practice, with laser-cut plates, digital elements and 3D techniques.
Taking part are: Harriette Rymer; Lyn Bailey; Bridget Hunt; Carrie Lyall; Patricia Ann Ruddle; Jane Dignum; Jo Rodwell; Lesley Shaw; Phill Jenkins; Sally Parkin; Emily Harvey; Gill Douglas; Becky Long-Smith; Vanessa Oo; Sandra Storey and Rachel Holborow.
York Printmakers formed in 2015 when a dozen or so printmakers from the York area joined together. The group now numbers around 50 members who meet monthly to share work, discuss ideas about processes in an informal way and learn from each other.
Their work spans a wide variety of methods, from etching, linocut, collagraph, monotype and screen print to solar plate, Japanese woodblock, lithography and stencilling.
Members have a wide range of printmaking backgrounds, from art students to professional artists who exhibit widely, and they work continually work on new opportunities for the group. For example, the logo was created as a group project with several members choosing letters and producing prints of them in their individual ways.
Regular opening hours at Blossom Street Gallery are: Thursdays, 11am to 3pm; Friday and Saturday, 10am to 4pm; Sundays, 10am to 3pm.
One of Ian Cameron’s paintings, on show in his back garden in Green Lane, Acomb
ARTISTS are entering the last week of preparations for the 20th edition of York Open Studios.
After the Covid-enforced fallow year in 2020, the event will return for two weekends of welcoming visitors to 95 studios, workspaces and homes on July 10, 11, 17 and 18, preceded by a preview evening on July 9.
As many as 146 artists and makers will be showing and selling their work in this high-summer opportunity for art lovers and the curious to enjoy the fresh air, meet the artists and view and buy unique arts and crafts from York’s artisans.
Ceramicist Pietro Sanna, making his York Open Studios debut in Dale Street, York
2021’s York Open Studios will celebrate originality and diversity and will be Covid-compliant, with artists adhering to Government guidelines on social distancing, ventilation and sanitisers, keeping themselves and visitors safe throughout.
The York Open Studios organisers are thrilled with the selection of artists and makers spanning ceramics, collage, digital art, illustration, jewellery, mixed media, painting, print-making , photography, sculpture, textiles and wood. Among them will be 43 new participants.
Committee member and featured ceramicist Beccy Ridsdel says: “After last year’s postponement, we think this year’s 20th show is one of the best. Our decision to move from April to July this year has given us the opportunity for the stricter Covid guidelines [before Step 3] to be relaxed and give the public more confidence when visiting artists’ studios.
“We think this year’s 20th show is one of the best,” says ceramicist and committee member Becky Ridsdel, who will welcome visitors to her South Cottages studio in Shipton Road, York
“Artists and makers bring a diverse range of skills to the weekends, producing bespoke ceramics, furniture, glass, jewellery, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, wood carving and multi-media.
“There’s something for everyone and every pocket. The artists also love to showcase their work within their surroundings and really value the interaction, whether you’re a buyer or a burgeoning artist. It’s a fabulous way too to enjoy York and view extraordinary work.”
Geometric pattern block lino-print postcards, by mixed-media artist Harriette Rymer, on show at 94, The Village, Haxby
The 95 locations will be highlighted on a map of York to help visitors navigate their way to as many studios, workshops and homes as they wish.
Visit yorkopenstudios.co.uk for more information and for a free York Open Studios map. Alternatively, the map can be picked up from Visit York, on Lendal, or in shops, restaurants and visitor attractions around the city.
For full information on the artists and their studios, examples of their work and opening hours, visit: yorkopenstudios.co.uk.
Rug weaver Jacqueline James with her loom at home in Rosslyn Street, Clifton
TODAY
should have been spent visiting other people’s homes, not staying home. Next
weekend too.
This is not
a cabin-fevered call for a foolhardy Trumpian dropping of the guard on
Covid-19, but a forlorn wish that York Open Studios 2020 could have been just
that: York Open Studios. Instead, this weekend and next weekend will be
York Shut Studios.
Nevertheless,
in the absence of the opportunity to meet 144 artists at 100 locations, banished
by the Coronavirus lockdown, CharlesHutchPress
is determinedly championing the creativity of York’s artists and makers, who
would have been showcasing their ceramics, collage, digital, illustration,
jewellery, mixed media, painting, print, photography, sculpture and textiles
skills.
Each day,
in brochure order, five artists who now miss out on the exposure of Open
Studios are being given a pen portrait on these pages, because so much art and
craft will have been created for the event and still needs a new home. Home and
studio addresses will not be included at this time.
Meanwhile,
York Open Studios artists are finding their own way to respond to the shutdown
by filling their windows with their work instead. Look for #openwindowsyork2020
to locate them. “If you see one in your area while taking your daily exercise,
take a picture and let us know,” they say.
Furthermore,
look out for plenty of the 144 artists still showcasing their work over the
York Open Studios period online. Holtby studio painter Kate Pettitt, for
example, is penning a daily blog at facebook.com/katepettittartist/.
“Visit the YOS website and take your own virtual tour at
yorkopenstudios.co.uk,” she advises.
Good advice! The website says: “We’re doing a Virtual Open Studio, with artists posting based on a daily
theme for the ten days spanning our two weekends. They’ll be showing you their
studios and workshops, favourite processes, answering your questions, and of
course lots of pictures of their new work!
“Search for
#YorkOpenStudios anywhere on social media or follow your favourite artists to
see more.”
First, however, here are five more artists and makers for you to discover…
Harriet McKenzie: Artist and foster carer
Harriet McKenzie, ceramics
HARRIET’S 2020 mission
is to “examine drawing in the interface between the two- dimensional picture
plane and the three-dimensional object”.
To do so, she creates ceramic
Circles: enclosed forms, in black clay with engobe and sgraffito painting.
Her Circles reflect how relationships, interplay and suggestion are the bedrock of her art practice in her home studio. Harriet, or Hatti as she is known, is both an artist and a foster carer, a role that fundamentally informs her work as “a multifaceted influence revealed over time,” she says.
Harriet graduated with First Class honours from her Bradford
School of Art fine art degree in 2007, first participating in York Open Studios
in 2008 and she has since done so in 2009, 2011 and 2015 to 2018, when she was
a bursary award winner.
Rounded up: A selection of Harriet McKenzie’s Circles
Her formal art education had a gap of 20 years as, first, she
took time out to travel and live in America, before making a home and raising her
daughter in York.
“I found it impossible to do both art and earn a living as a single parent,” she says candidly. “With my art, I got so focused and involved with each project, my poor daughter suffered, but with age comes a better balance.
“Now, I only do work to show in galleries or Open Studios once a year, as this can fit round my sometimes challenging life as a foster carer.” Seek out Harriet’s work at hattimckenzie.com.
Harriette Rymer at work
Harriette Rymer, painting
HARRIETTE creates
abstract paintings, vibrant and playful in character, often featuring a
geometric context, that she presents as original wall art panels, digital
artworks and installations.
“By employing a range of
mediums, I explore conflicting and harmonious relationships within colour and
texture,” she says.
Harriette first studied art and design at Leeds College of Art in 2013, later taking a science degree in Newcastle. After graduating, Harriette returned to her artistic passion and now combines her love for precision with design in her paintings, screen-prints and cards (where she uses block-printing and stamping techniques).
Energy, by Harriet Rymer
Her fascination with colour manifests itself throughout her vivid
work, curated under such collections as Confetti Collection, Hues, Colour
Overlays, Milieu, Pattern Postcards and Expanse.
“I want the viewer to make personal connections with each
composition, just as I have, whether it’s a reminder of a place they know well
or a visualisation of a memory, thought or feeling,” says Harriette, who uses
acrylic, gouache, watercolours and pastels.
This year she has exhibited in the York Printmakers show at Pairings wine bar, Castlegate, York, and in A First Glimpse at the Inspired By…Gallery, Danby, and she would have done so too at this month’s cancelled British Craft Trade Fair, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate.
Take a look at harrietterymer.com.
“I’m an instinctive painter,” says Steve Williams
Steve Williams, painting
STEVE’S strikingly vibrant and original paintings in acrylics are inspired mainly by North Yorkshire’s landscapes and coastline.
“I’m an instinctive
painter,” he says. “My pictures take form through the process of painting, not
through adherence to a fully formulated plan. Exploring my emotive response to
my subject matter, I allow my paintings to develop as a result of my mood or
subconscious mindset. They stem from an original idea, image or situation and
then come together of their own accord.”
Whitby At Night, by Steve Williams
Using acrylics, palette
knives and brushes, Steve seeks to infuse his pictures with fluidity, energy,
colour and texture. “My aim is to achieve a balance, a cohesion, harmony and
completeness, in all of my pictures,” he says.
“I work spontaneously to
convey my emotional energy into a painting. I believe this is the only way to
ensure authenticity.”
Steve exhibits regularly with contemporary galleries throughout Yorkshire, in London and further afield. Commissions are welcomed via stevewilliamsart.moonfruit.com.
“My inspiration comes from nature’s wonders,” says Sam Jones
Sam Jones, jewellery
SAM is self-taught in
the art of lampworking, otherwise known as glass-bead making.
She works with various
materials, such as glass rods, clear resin and metals, making her own glass
beads and combining these with silver, copper and semi-precious stones in her
jewellery since 2006.
She graduated with a degree in jewellery from Sheffield Hallam
University in 2000 and works within the creative industries as a scenic
painter. “I’m drawn to colour, pattern and texture,” she says. “I enjoy experimenting
with processes and like working with various materials as I find each has its
own qualities.
Handmade glass-beads necklace, by Sam Jones
“My inspiration comes from nature’s wonders, from the nebulas
within our galaxies, to the weird and wonderful inhabitants of our oceans.”
Should the non-scientific among you be wondering, a nebula is a
giant interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionised gases.
Some nebulae (the Latin plural) come from the gas and dust
thrown out by the explosion of a dying star, such as a supernova. Other nebulae
are “star nurseries”: regions where new stars are beginning to form. Science home-schooling
lesson of the day, at your service.
Discover more at samjonesjewellery.com.
Gerard Hobson with his wren installation beneath the Clock Tower at Beningbrough Hall, near York. Picture: Sue Jordan
Gerard Hobson, printmaking
GERARD has had a love of
birds, animals and art since childhood, a wildlife bent that saw him qualify as
a zoologist from Bangor University and work for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust as a
botanist and illustrator.
On relocating to the
north, he worked for Yorkshire Wildlife while continuing to develop his own work
on a freelance basis, turning his hand to woodcarving and studying print-making
in York.
Gerard now works from
his garden studio in Clifton, producing limited-edition hand-coloured linocut prints
of birds and animals, much of his work being inspired while out walking his dog
on the Clifton Ings.
His repertoire has expanded to take in cushions and lampshades, mugs and chopping boards, produced in tandem with Georgia Wilkinson Designs, and cut-outs of birds, animals, fish and mushrooms.
Leaping Hare, by Gerard Hobson
Gerard branched out still further earlier this year for his Winter Wildlife In Print show at the National Trust property of Beningbrough Hall, Beningbrough, near York, where he combined multiple prints in the Hayloft gallery with 14 sculptural scenes/installations in the outbuildings, gardens, grounds and parkland, inspired by creatures that make Beningbrough their winter home.
“I hope my art may stir people to become more interested in
the wildlife around them, to feed the birds and join their local wildlife trust,”
he says. “To share this with their children and their children’s children, and
hopefully generations of young people will become more interested in the birds
and woodlands around them. Maybe some will go on to be environmental
campaigners – who knows!”
More info at gerardhobson.com.
TOMORROW: Lesley Birch; Frances G Brock; Maria Keki; Beccy Ridsdel and Dawn Ridsdel.
