Nine artists from the Oxford Printmakers Co-operative are celebrating their 30th anniversary using traditional and innovative processes and a wide range of materials. Influenced by the Japanese 'wood-cut' blocks Josephine Sumner uses three or four bright hand-cut lino pieces to create lively, exuberant animals. Many are threatened like the Giant Anteater from South America and the Diana Monkey with his furry brow from West Africa. Great for illustrations or for a child’s room, each character tells a story.
Suzette Broad’s animals, too, are enchanting, especially her imaginative collagraph frog, the Fly Catcher. Elaine Williams delights in the subtlety of bridges. Her plates of soft aquamarine, blues and greens suggest Mist over Hammersmith in contrast to the dramatic Thames Barrier after the Surge Tide which occurred when the water level fell exposing the hidden workings of the weir in 2007.
Morna Rhys uses two contrasting coloured plates that overlap to show the softly falling petals tumbling down in Cherry Blossom Walk, a transient moment reminiscent of Japanese prints. Using a combination of ‘hard ground’ for the petals of the flowers and ‘soft ground’ on which to imprint the leaves, she creates the romantic Stolen Roses.
Combining wood cut and screen printing Catriona Brodribb’s whimsical ideas are based on words and images: a photograph, text or letter. Winnie with Walter uses only the letter 'W'. Based on the retelling of her grandfather’s poem The Rake’s Progress, her words diminish in size as life slows down. She also plays with typographical signs and symbols like Ampersand (&) and is tempted to do a picture of the $ or the £ is disarray to express the current financial insecurity!
In Heather Power's series Screen Print on Glass meadow grass, cow parsley and honesty are trapped between two layers of glass. Grasses are also trapped between paper and glass to reveal a shadow between the two. In her etchings of bare branches the rich dense black aquatint is silhouetted against the stark white backgrounds like “Fencott Fours”.
Caroline Maas takes a four-plate etching to create a complex design of lines, yellow cranes and heavy lifting equipment in this exciting image of Willesden Junction II (pictured). This is an artist who enjoys unusual views like Down from Wittenham, near Didcot, that reveals a vast landscape laid out before us.
West Ox Arts, Bampton, until October 26. Tues-Sat 10.30am-12.30pm & 2-4pm. Sun 2-4pm. Workshop October 18, 10am-1pm. Contact gallery to book.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here