Printers 2011 collageNever fear, Spring will soon be here and with it Tinsmiths’ 2011 Printmaking Show. Four artists, Paul Farrell, Sarah Chrisp, John Richardson and Sarah Young, using a variety of printmaking techniques will grace our new Print Space.

Paul Farrell’s strong graphic style and design background is evident in his work. His interest in visually communicating an object clearly and simply is his main skill. Silhouettes, colour and simple shapes are used to help identify the subject. Paul will be showing his birds of prey series, his blackwood collection of tree silhouettes and his large prints of seagulls.

There is definately a link to all things watery in the work of this group of artists. John Richardson  is a keen fisherman and many of his linocuts are connected with fishing. John mainly makes linocuts occasionally adding woodcuts and etchings in his humorous, nostalgic and wistful repertoire.  John spent a number of years as a commercial artist, followed by a career in art education and now simply an artist with a number of pastimes and diversions that are easily deduced by a glance at the portfolio.

Sarah Chrisp lives by the sea – and always has – her etchings are very often landscapes or sea to landscapes. She finds representing the textures in a scene particularly fascinating – lichen, stone, treetops, shorelines are treated to her intense scrutiny and some unique treatments develop. Although the examples here are monochrome, many of her etchings are hand coloured, each different from one another and could more precisely be called mono-prints. Sarah will be showing etchings from sketches of the Cornish Coast around Rosudgeon and Porth en Alls and some from the warmer climes of Southern France.

Sara Young’s work is often narrative, inspired by and referencing, myth, folk tales, circus and burlesque imagery. Her latest illustrations for print,  Greek Myths for Walker Books, have influenced her most recent woodcuts.  Well known for her lino and wood-cuts Sarah also works in silk screenprinting and has recently been developing new methods of working in monoprint and collagraph – printing collage blocks.