I am just back from hearing Alan Powers give a talk at the House of Illustration where there is a lovely show about Enid Marx - textile designs, illustrations and wood engravings and linocuts and lots of information. Alan, who got to know her well, gave a stimulating account of her life and work - his book about her is just out, called The Pleasures of Pattern; and he is also speaking at an event there in September, convened by Desdemona McCannon on 17th September, 11am-4pm, as part of the Women in Print series; other speakers will include LottieCrawford, Graham Moss - who also got to know her and reprinted some of her images and books at Incline Press, Jane Audas, and myself. Friends and peers of Enid Marx being talked about may include Phyllis Baron and Dorothy Larcher, Peggy Angus, and Barbara Jones.See the link below to book tickets ; The House of Illustration is at 2 Granary Square, Kings Cross, London N1C 4BH
Women in Print; Enid Marx and her Contemporaries; highlighting the often overlooked contributions by women to print, pattern and popular art.
The Oxford book fair went well for me so I have been too busy printing and finishing editions, let alone trying to do new work, to blog properly and keep up with things....
but new work has included woodcuts for the new Lewes Printmakers edition coming out shortly called SYLVA about Lewes Trees.
We have called our new book Sylva after John Evelyn’s seminal text – Sylva: a Discourse about Forest Trees and the Propagation of Timber - first submitted to the Royal Society in 1662 and published as a book two years later (you can read it full online).
Evelyn, 1620 – 1706, like his contemporary Pepys a well known a diarist, lived at Southover Grange in Lewes with his grandmother Jane Stansfield, for most of his childhood. A radical Lewes character he attended a free school in Southover (the original Lewes Grammar School) rather than going to Eton as his father would have wished. He obviously knew his own mind, later travelling to visit formal gardens in France and Italy rather than fighting as a Royalist in the Civil War as would have been expected.
He designed his first garden when he was 22, returning from Europe to live in Deptford near the Royal Dockyard, where he could purchase botanical specimens from far afield. It would be nice to think that he influenced the planting of the magnificent trees in Grange Gardens, mentioned below, and he certainly influenced many horticulturalists and landowners from the 17th century onwards, favouring informal use of trees alongside more formal garden designs. He was aware too of the usefulness of tree products – from apple harvests to timber for shipbuilding, always a priority for the navy during on-going European Wars.
He understood ecological principles, encouraging new planting and inspiring Capability Brown and the 18th century Landscape Movement (not always such good news for the rural poor); but his long life suggests that sympathy for trees and curiosity about the natural world – and gardening – can be good for us.
Research now shows that time spent among trees reduces stress levels, boosts immune function, lowers blood pressure and improves mood and concentration; even hospital patients recover quicker if they can see them out of the window. With the recent headlines about felling of trees in Sheffield and by the railway companies we feel we have again managed to be quite topical. I will put up some images soon.
My images for the Tree book led to ideas for another little book of my own I am now working on for ArtWave - when I will be opening my studio for three weekends, including the bank holiday, the last weekends in August and the first in September .
Then in October I will be again taking part in the Design for Today event at Towner in Eastbourne Ink Paper and Print - this year it will be over two consecutive days as it was so successful - and crowded - last year.
here is the blurb for this event - there will also be another similar show at Margate -
Ink Paper + Print at The Towner Gallery on Sat &Sun 13th - 14th October 2018
Our first event of 2018 will be a Print and Illustration Fair at Eastbourne's iconic Towner Gallery. There will be 55 exhibitors showcasing a range of printmaking, artist's books, 20th Century design, ceramics and contemporary crafts. This is an exciting opportunity to see contemporary makers showcasing their latest work in one of Britain's leading galleries.
There will be two exhibition halls. The first hall will be for new printmakers, design collectives, university illustration departments, zines, riso prints, and fresh talent.
The second hall will be for established print makers, mid-century prints and ephemera, fine press 'artists' books, patterned paper, and those artists and publishers who are influenced by the 20th Century artists whose work is celebrated within the Towner collection.
Accompanying the Fair will be a series of engaging talks and behind-the-scenes tours of the Towner. Hear some of the UK's leading illustrators discuss their work and see behind the scenes of the Towner and its unique collection of 20th Century British Art.
at two venues. The first venue will be the iconic Winter Gardens (where the Beatles played). This will be our main venue with 55 exhibitors, bars, seated food area, exhibitions, print collectives and more. The second venue will be at the Turner Contemporary Gallery with 20 exhibitors whose focus will be 20th Century Graphic art, Fine Press Books and book arts. There will be 75+ exhibitors in total across the two venues showcasing a range of printmaking, artist's books, 20th Century design, zines, screenprints, risos, ceramics and contemporary crafts. This is an exciting opportunity to see contemporary printmakers and makers showcasing their work.
I will fill in all these events with images asap
