Pressing Matters Issue 8

Pressing Matters magazine - Issue 8
Printmakers are a curious bunch it seems, ever experimenting with their chosen techniques, quite happy to see them combine for the desired effect. Issue 8 sees some of our featured artists working with print to do just this – be it Desiree deRuiter creating the blackest of blacks, Lauren Curl adding sculptural qualities to her work through laser etching or Claire Harrup exploring what printed mark-making brings to her illustrations. We hear about their creative journeys which are often ones of surprise, happy accidents and, more often that not, hard work.

Through making this issue, I’ve encountered more and more makers keen to share their knowledge, to push themselves and their co-conspirators forward. We hear from printmakers using screenprint, woodcut, riso and more to ask questions, to work at the very edge of the techniques exploring what’s possible, engaging with their communities and further afield. It was in this spirit that I said yes to an invitation to the Letterpress Workers Summit in Milan, throwing myself in at the deep end technically, but coming away with a better appreciation of the technique and some firm friends too.

We’re also looking back to look forward, delving into the work of Romas Visuelas, the Grosvenor School of Art and Geoffrey Wales, who all produced exciting and dynamic works in the past, had very modern approaches and created prints that could easily have been made today.  It’s exciting to hear about these artists from those who knew them and take away the best bits to feed it into our own work.

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Issue 8 featured artists/studios:

Lauren Curl • Desiree deRuiter • Fernando Feijoo • Grosvenor School of Modern Art • Claire Harrup • Rachael Hibbs • Letterpress Workers (LPW) • Rhi Moxon • Print Market Project • Risolve Studio • Lisa Sewards • Sean Starwars • David Vanadia • Romas Viesulas • Geoffrey Wales • Ruth Wheaton • Work & Turn Collective • Martina Zena