About the Artist
I am a printmaker specialising in wood engraving. I grew up on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon and now live in South Gloucestershire with my husband and rescue dog Winnie. I have a home studio where I create my art (and tackle the inevitable mountains of admin) but I also love sketching, engraving and printing out in the landscape.
After graduating from a Fine Art degree at Winchester School of Art in 2015 I moved to Bristol and became a picture framer. After a few years of framing other artist’s work I decided I wanted to live my dream of being a full time artist. I first learnt wood engraving back in 2016 from Bristol based printmaker Ben Goodman. I had already been printmaking for a good few years creating monotypes, lino prints and pressure prints but during the workshop with Ben I completely fell in love with wood engraving and have never looked back.
What inspires me?
I spent much of my childhood paddling in the river Teign, exploring mossy woodlands and collecting snails in the garden so it’s not surprising that my artwork is inspired by rural British landscapes and wildlife. My favourite place is Dartmoor, I feel inspired when I see a crooked moorland tree, shrunk and battered by the weather. I enjoy using vibrant colour pallets, influenced by bright yellow gorse flowers, blankets of purple heather and rich blue skies.
Where I studied:
Totnes Art and Design Foundation Course, Devon, UK, 2011-2012
BA Fine Art, Winchester School of Art, Winchester, UK, 2012-2015
What is wood engraving?
Wood engraving is a relief printmaking technique. It’s not dissimilar to lino printing but you engrave wood rather than lino and the tools are more like chisels rather than V or U shaped gouges. The woodblocks are end grain hardwood such as boxwood, lemonwood and holly wood. My block maker is fellow wood engraver Chris Daunt. If you want to learn more about wood engraving and the tools I use I’ve created a video that you can watch here.
Residencies:
One of my favourite things to do is visit new places get inspired by beautiful rural landscapes. At the end of 2023 I went on my first self directed residency in Appledore, Devon, I spent a week making art and responding to the landscape. Since then I’ve attended residencies in Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, Gloucestershire and Snowdonia, I have loved creating prints inspired by these places.
Youtube:
I love connecting with my customers through videos and posts on social media. At the end of 2023 I started my YouTube channel to allow viewers to enjoy longer videos that are more in depth about my process and general studio life.
Podcast:
Back in 2021 my friend Bea and I started a podcast called Out of Ink. Wood engraving can be pretty tough on your hands and after I sustained a few injuries my physio had recommended I take a break from engraving to aid recovery. I was feeling pretty defeated and joked to Bea we should start a podcast to keep me busy and that’s how it all started. Out of Ink is two anxious artists chatting about small business life. In 2025 we celebrated our 50th episode and over 87,000 downloads. You can find Out of Ink on you favourite podcast app.
