We Have Lift Off!

“Six months on from the shock of the nerve agent attack on the Skripals, the people of Salisbury are attempting to use the power of the arts to reclaim the streets, work through the trauma of the assault and draw visitors back to the cathedral city.”

— The Guardian

A Celebration of the Arts

Over the August bank holiday weekend I was invited to run print workshops at Wiltshire Creative's 'Lift Off!’ Festival at Salisbury Arts Centre. The people of Salisbury certainly did reclaim the streets and Salisbury Arts Centre too! The city was buzzing and people were in great spirits.

Here are just a few of the pics of printing explorations over the busy weekend. 

Rubber-stamping Carving and printing 

Ben stamps his name and creates buildings from pre-carved stamps while the adults have a go at carving shapes and patterns to create their own stamps. 

Foreign Affairs in Letterpress

Ash works out a design for her boyfriend’s band ’Foreign Affairs.'

Type setting names and rubber stamping fun! 

Together Freya and Ewan type-set and print their names while little hands find spongy stamps to explore and play!

Flashy Letterpress & Rubber stamps! 

Thanks to all who took part over the weekend! It was fab! 

““It shows the world how important the arts are to the city and that despite recent events the community (and many visitors) still want to come together in celebration.”

— The Guardian

Read the full article from the Guardian

North Art Summer Show Exhibition

Thanks to my wonderful friend Patrick who helped me hang my woodblock prints for the North Art Gallery Summer Show. Thanks also to Adrian for curating the event. The preview was fab and the show will be up for 4 week so do pop in and say hello! 

Hanging the Woodblock prints

Netsuke Miniature Prints

Save The Elephants

£5 from the sale of each print will be donated to Save The Elephants. 

Through my interest in Japanese antique netsuke, I have become more aware of the ivory trade that is still in operation today. 

Save The Elephants are a founding partner of the Wildlife Conservation Network in the US which transmits 100% of donated funds to the field. 

"Our mission: to secure a future for elephants and to sustain the beauty and ecological integrity of the places they live; to promote man’s delight in their intelligence and the diversity of their world, and to develop a tolerant relationship between the two species."

Save The Elephants continue their research to find solutions to reduce conflict, end poaching, trafficking and the demand for ivory. They raise awareness and provide internships and scholarships in conservation education. 

Inspiration for the Project

The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal

This book was the inspiration for my journey into the wood. Each woodblock is hand printed with a baren using Japanese carbon ink on white hosho paper. The description 'NETSUKE’ is debossed with 10pt New Clarendon metal type printed on the adana 8 x 5 printing press.

The space invites you to take a quiet moment and sit on the cushion provided and read from the book if you wish. There are also hand printed bookmarks for you to take away.  

Other Artists exhibiting at North Summer Show 2018 include:

Show Miche Watkins, Tina Altwegg, Gareth Pitt, Sarah V Penrose, Ian Pillidge, Jane Warring, Jess Stevenson, David Brown, Tony Eastman, Victoria Fox, Ian Usher, Caroline McGlone, Lenny, Andrew Wilson and Luz Gallardo-Franco.

North Art

Gallery Opening Hours

Thursday 2pm - 6pm

Friday 2pm - 6pm

Saturday 10am - 4pm

Sunday 10am - 2pm

...and by appointment; please email contact@northart135.com

North Art - Summer Show Preview

“A new show with over a dozen local and international artists at North Art Gallery. Original works, prints and sculptures as well as installations and events. ”

— North Art Gallery

Next Thursday 19th July I will be showing a selection of my netsuke mini woodblock prints at North Art Gallery, Bristol. The Summer Show Preview will be from 6pm - 9pm. Other artists exhibiting their work include: Miche Watkins, Tina Altwegg, Gareth Pitt, Sarah V Penrose, Ian Pillidge, Jane Warring, Jess Stevenson, David Brown, Tony Eastman, Victoria Fox, Ian Usher, Caroline McGlone, Lenny, Andrew Wilson and Luz Gallardo-Franco.

I look forward to seeing you there! : ))

North Art Summer Show 2018

Preview Event

6-9pm - Thursday 19 July 2018
135 North Street, Southville, BS3 1EY
contact@northart135.com
www.northart135.com

Dreams of Wildlife

Netsuke - Elephant and Man in the Form of a Seal. Woodblock print. 

“Finally, we can congratulate ourselves on the unprecedented accomplishments of modern Sapiens only if we completely ignore the fate of all other animals.”

— Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari

Through my exploration of woodblock printing inspired by Japanese antique netsuke I have discovered many beautifully carved creatures in museum collections, catalogues, books, exhibitions and from friends who have had netsuke passed down to them through family. I have also encountered a deep sadness and uncertainty throughout this process. 

As humans our love for aesthetics and beauty throughout time has come at a great cost to other living beings. If the desire to make stuff is "our shared human inheritance” (Elizabeth Gilbert) I wonder if we can begin to learn new ways of using our ‘gifts' to connect in a more harmonious way with the environment and our fellow creatures on the planet.  

Ivory has been, and continues to be, one of the main materials used for carving netsuke. Elephants are poached for their tusks in order for humans to maintain trade relations, causing extreme suffering of this rare and beautiful species.   

“Of 13 elephants found dead in a sanctuary between September and November 2016 all but two were shot poisoned or snared.”

— Impossible Dream - Alice Owen

A few weeks ago I went along to the UWE degree show at Bower Ashton Campus in Bristol. I was so moved by this short film that I wanted to share it here. Impossible Dream was written, produced and directed by Alice Owen based in the Southwest of England. 

Daniel Zuma lives in the Tsavo corridor in Maungu Village, Kenya. His dream was initially to become a pilot flying commercial airplanes until he met Rob Dodson from Wildlife Works. Rob, a gyrocopter pilot in charge of a wildlife arial surveillance team, took Daniel under his wing giving him the opportunity to understand the importance of wildlife and study a diploma in aeronautical engineering. Daniel’s dream is now to become a Bush pilot helping to reduce conflict and conserve wildlife every day.

Another screening of ‘Impossible Dream’ will take place at UWE in the Autumn. Dates not confirmed yet but to find out more or to connect with Alice Owen click on the link below. 

If you want to help the elephants by purchasing one of my netsuke prints, I give a donation of £5 to Save The Elephants for each print sold.

Online Resources 

Impossible Dream Trailer

Impossible Dream 

Alice Owen

Wildlife Works

Save The Elephants

Books

Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari

The Making Ape

“All of your ancestors were creative — You and I and everybody we know were descended from tens of thousands of years of makers. The entire world, for better or for worse, has been altered by the human hand, by human beings doing this weird and irrational thing that only we do, amongst all our peers in the animal world, which is to waste our time making things that nobody needs, making things a little more beautiful than they have to be, altering things, changing things, building things, composing things, shaping things. This is what we do. We’re the making ape. And no one is left out of the inheritance of that — that’s our shared human inheritance.”

— Elizabeth Gilbert with Krista Tippett (onbeing.org)

Over the last few weeks I have been working with some fab spirited teens at a community centre in Salisbury. For the latest linocut workshop I brought along some celebrities. Ed Sheeran and Camilla Cabeo were the favourites. The teens got stuck in and made some brilliant prints. Here’s a snapshot of their hard work!

Ed Sheeran and Teen Team Spirit

Team effort is involved in the creation of Ed Sheeran. Together they carve and roll out the ink while one holds the paper the other prints. A wonderful collaborative process. 

An Independent Camila Cabeo 

A very focused and reflective individual enjoys the independence of carving and printing Camila Cabeo by herself. 

Support from The Rock

 The Rock created with an abundance of animated energy shows in these boldly carved lines.

The Greatest Showman

Celebrities pop art pics are left to one side for she already has something in mind. 

Usually to print text from a lino block, the text needs to be carved back-to-front. This way the text will print the right way round. But today a different approach is needed in order for a thoughtful teen to give the actual lino as a gift to a friend. She carves the words directly into the lino the right way round and inks up the lino to reveal the carved letters. The ink is left on the lino to dry.

Thank you to all the teens for your openess to explore printmaking and your commitment and effort throughout the whole process.

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Eightfivepress delivers rubber-stamp, linocut and letterpress printing workshops. 

If you would like to book Mog for a printmaking workshop at your community centre or school please click on the link below.