Behind The Scenes: A Printmaker's Creative Process Revealed

Have you ever thought about what a printmaker does every day? I’m a printmaker who specialises in collagraph and monotype printmaking. I’ve been making prints since 1998 when I first signed up for a Saturday monotype workshop at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

A text slide/image  with teh title 'A Day In The Life Of This Artist'
Choosing prints to send to for exhibitions with a detail of a landscape art print featuring an owl in flight with a bare winter tree and an stone wall in the background

Last week began with making preparations for the two summer exhibitions, at Eastgate Studios and Gallery in East Yorkshire and Cambridge Contemporary Art.

My morning began with print selection - which prints would appeal to which gallery-owner and their audience. This is an important task. It helps to ensure that the right prints go on display at each gallery.

After selecting the prints, I spent the rest of the day in my studio preparing them for display. This involved mounting them onto backing boards and framing them to create a cohesive and professional look.

The printmaking process can be time-consuming,

but it's worth it when the finished prints are displayed in a gallery setting. Each print is a unique work of art, and it's important to showcase them in the best possible way.

The exhibitions themselves will be a mix of landscape art and seascape art. They feature British wildlife and a range of techniques including collagraphs and monotype. I'm excited to see how the prints are received by visitors and buyers.

Overall, being a printmaker involves a lot of hard work, but it's rewarding. I love creating unique works of art using traditional techniques, and I'm looking forward to sharing my work with a wider audience at upcoming exhibitions.

I enjoy photography. I use it as a tool to promote my creative work! Later in the day, I had to take high-quality photos of my gift collections. That can make a significant impact on my marketing efforts, as it helps to showcase my products in the best possible light and attract potential customers to my website.

Today I was photographing the most recent

additions to my glass coasters gift collection. Here are some of the results. It was then time to shoot off to get my hair cut.

At the end of the day I uploaded them to Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter. Finally, it was time for a well-earned glass of wine followed by dinner cooked by my long-suffering other half.