Hi there
As always there has been a lot going on at Printworks HQ, including some non-print activity! I've had some great events over the last few months, Open Up Sheffield, Saltaire Makers Fair, Sunny Bank Mills Print Festival, Endless Love Summer Festival and The Hepworth Wakefield Print Fair! phew...The Pride Of Yorkshire sculpture trail has also been launched this month, which is very exciting, as 150 lions and lionesses have been let loose all around Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley!
Amongst all of this, I have found some time to make some new prints, which I'll tell you about below.
I have one more event coming up before the summer break, being the Spike Print Fair in Bristol! This is their first print fair at Spike Print Studios (surprisingly) at what is a fab large open access facility and gallery for all sorts of print methods. It is on 24 to 26 July 2026 (Fri preview 6-9pm, Sat/Sun 10am - 5pm). I've never done any events in Bristol and I'm a big fan of the city, so can't wait!
PRIDE OF YORKSHIRE
The Pride Of Yorkshire sculpture trail was launched on 8th June 2026!
150 lions and lionesses, transformed by artists from near and far will
be placed all around Sheffield and South Yorkshire. The project has been
organised by the Sheffield Childrens Hospital Charity in order to raise money for the emergency department, and they're hoping to raise £2.8m.
It
was great fun taking part in this project earlier this year, and then
see all the creations at the Sheffield Arena earlier this month (top pic). I transformed my lion/lioness into donkey worlds (obviously!)
and they will be located at Charter Square in Sheffield and the Danum Gallery, Library and Museum in Doncaster. There are so many great artists involved with this project, including Ryan Mosley, Sarah Abbott, Kid Acne, Jonathan Wilkinson, Pete Mckee, Sam Groom, Liah Edwards and many more. You can see which artists are taking part here.
NEW PAINTINGS
I
have also been working on a series of paintings over the last few
months. I'm not normally a painter, and have done very little since
specialising in print over 18 years ago. However, since being involved
in the Pride Of Yorkshire
charity project, I felt very inspired to try some paintings on a
slightly easier canvas! I have made six donkey paintings using emulsion
paint on board, all 30cm square, framed and varnished (the one missing
in the pic above is currently being displayed at the Millennium Gallery
until July). They are £400 each, and in my Folksy shop.
NEW CERAMICS
I have been beavering away alongside my prints creating a new batch of sgraffito stoneware donkey plates, this time with potter Elham Hessavi, who was a finalist in this year's Great Pottery Throw Down
TV series. I love making the plates, and she is great fun to work with,
as well as being a very talented ceramicist! The sgraffito process is
extremely therapeutic and does feel a lot like making a linocut. I have
8 new plates which are 22cm in diameter and in red, blue, green and
black. They are £50 each and available at upcoming in-person events. However if you'd like to come and collect one from my studio, drop me a line.
NEW PRINTS
I
hadn't intend to create any more versions of this print, until I had a
conversation with my sister, and she asked why I hadn't done a green
version. I couldn't think of a reason, and rather liked the idea, so
here it is! A lone donkey contemplating a mighty circle. Is it a moon, a
solid dot, a passage to another place? They will find out soon enough.
Apple
green System 3 ink on A2 size Seawhite antique white 290gsm acid-free
paper. From an edition of only 7, signed, titled and numbered. £50 in my Folksy shop.
I created this print whilst taking part in Open Up Artists' Studios
a few of weeks ago. The title was suggest by the winner of a
competition I set (to come up with an interesting title) and it seems
pretty fitting!
I only created a tiny edition
of this print, 4(!), of which three are available. It is an A5 size
linocut print on 220gsm Daler Rowney paper, signed titled and numbered. £20 in my Folksy shop.
This large-scale print started out as an experiment in
mark-making, using charcoal, pens and markers. I soon knew that this was
the perfect environment for a new abstract environment for a donkey to
explore! I created the edition at Hunk Print in Sheffield.
Blue
and black System 3 inks on A2 size Seawhite antique white 290gsm
acid-free paper. From an edition of 20, signed, titled and numbered. £60 in my Folksy shop.
After
doing quite a few large prints recently, I decided to go small for a
change. I have created two A5 size two-colour screenprints. Both were
made by experimenting with mark-making and loosely based on tree
patterns. This is also the first time I have used fluorescent inks too. I
love how bright they are, but they are really tricky to photograph.
Believe me they are pretty bright! Unusually for me, I have tried to
print right up to the edges of the paper, so that when they are framed,
you can't see the edges of the paper, except for at the bottom where the
edition, title and signature are.
These bright little donkeys have two new strange landscapes to explore.
Donkey Abstract No.4:
Fluorescent pink and grey System 3 inks on A5 size Munken Pure
off-white 260gsm acid-free paper. From an edition of 24, signed, titled
and numbered. £20 in my Folksy shop.
Donkey Abstract No.5:
Fluorescent orange and grey System 3 inks on A5 size Munken Pure
off-white 260gsm acid-free paper. From an edition of 24, signed, titled
and numbered. £20 in my Folksy shop.
Alternative you can buy both prints as a bundle for £35 in my Folksy shop.
This is the seventeenth print in the donkey-world series, a continuation of my surreal donkey theme.
In
this print, several donkeys have found on their adventures that gravity
seems to have redefined itself, mysterious beacons have appeared, and a
bunch of 'helping hands' have gathered, intending on being of some
assistance to them.
Pink, orange and dark grey
System 3 inks on A3 size Antique White Seawhite 290gsm acid-free paper.
From an edition of 34, signed, titled and numbered.
The print is now in my Folksy shop and costs £40 plus p&p.
This
is fourth print in the 'donkey puzzle' series, a continuation of my
theme showing a donkey or donkeys figuring out a tricky puzzle made of
strange and mysterious shapes, on their adventures in donkey-world. This
here donkey is taking their time. There is no rushing this puzzle!
It is an A3 size three-colour screenprint, printed on 300gsm white Seawhite paper, in an edition of 34. The print is now in my Folksy shop and costs £40 plus p&p.
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