Printmaking takes many different forms, with screen printing, etching, and relief printing (lino, wood block) among the most familiar techniques. This article showcases 10 contemporary artists working across printmaking today, each bringing something unique to the press. Follow the embedded links to learn more about each printmaker, their process, and their work.
Laura works exclusively with linocut and traditional Japanese woodblock printing. Both technically and visually complex, her landscapes display subtleties in colour and detail that showcase the sensitivity and versatility of printmaking. Check out Laura’s podcast here.
Lou’s work is full of movement, her style perfectly capturing the small-scale, rustling energy of hedgerows and undisturbed gardens. Small birds sit poised amidst naturalistically crowded foliage, ready to disappear between one glance and the next.
Frea is a multidisciplinary artist working across sculpture, installation, and printmaking. Her screen prints utilise a highly distilled palette—indigo, cyan, magenta, peach, yellow—that electrifies their angular compositions. Frea’s work is available through Smithson Gallery.
Molly takes almost all of her inspiration from the natural world. Delicately observed and beautifully executed, her woodblock prints are infused with her passion for environmentalism (all her packaging is plastic-free) and her interest in mental health.
Lisa pairs the vintage domestic-industrial graphics on used tins and containers (Colman’s Mustard; Bird’s Baking Power; Lyle’s Golden Syrup) with sprays of everyday flowers. Her screen prints are expertly layered and often finished with coloured pencil.
Joseph’s style is fantastically distinctive – his prints have a sort of sculptural quality, relaying not only a printed image, but a compelling impression of the block-cutting process itself. Joseph’s ‘inverted’ mark-making is highly charismatic: fluid, intuitive, and strikingly unique.
A prolific pattern-maker, Renee uses single carved sections of lino to create bold repeating patterns, demonstrating the graphic might and utilitarian thrill of print-making with practised ease. Renee’s instagram feed serves as a fantastic gallery of works past and present.
Kerry’s work hones in on subjects with strong graphic potential. Examples of interesting natural architecture—feathers, pinecones, animal skulls, the exaggerated profile of a greyhound—are skilfully recreated in perfectly observed yet decidedly stylised lino prints.
Finely-tuned screen prints inspired by Bauhaus and mid-century design. Sean’s compositions are beautifully balanced, combining an expertly curated selection of discrete yet interrelated shapes with an elegantly limited palette. Click here to view available works.
Images used with the artists’ permission.
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Coming soon: embroidery, ceramics, printmakers part 2, and places to shop small this Christmas!
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