Letterpressing and lino printing my 'Silva' poem and print, in homage to trees and woodland, for Tinsmiths. It was a joy to work with Phoebe of Tinsmiths and Martin of Tilley Printing. Prints available for sale via Tinsmiths.
In response to the invasion of Ukraine, like many people I wanted to spread a message of love and hope. This print was the result and I called it 'Hope'.
Fiona McBryde, founder/owner of Soap Folk, came to me with the dream job of designing the logo and brand identity, along with packaging, for her exceptional, organic and natural soap products.
Pencil crayon and pen drawings of interiors, followed by a couple of lino cuts. Inspired by 'Room Portrait Club' originally, and then a commission followed.
Over the years when time allows, I have worked to commission on prints for homeowners who want to capture the character and texture of their period homes, in the form of a bespoke lino print.
'Filigree' is a trellis based pattern than can be used in any direction. The design is inspired by honeysuckle vines on our terrace; continuous and intertwined.
Epworth Corydalis was inspired by the wild plant 'Corydalis Lutea' that grows at the foot of the drystone walls around the footpaths and lanes of my village.
Down a holloway and into the woods, under the cover of young oak leaves. Light glinting through making patterns on the path, made me look up and see the canopy above.
This design was quite simply inspired by looking down, one early morning, to a dew covered carpet of clover underfoot. It was already a pattern to me, so I carved it to lino to capture it.
This eccentric parade of some of the more fanciful beasts of the animal kingdom, (the lion, elephant and peacock), was imagined by my middle daughter when she was three. Many a visit to gardens of stately homes introduced her to the beauty of peacocks, and her ‘commission’ appealed to me, for bringing this unlikely combination together.
A burst of lilies on the surface of a pond, with a cascade of stems beneath, give this design depth as well as detail. I was inspired by the lilies of well stocked formal ponds at National Trust properties, but it was in fact a simple pool in the walled garden of a favourite museum that lead to the original drawings.
A swift on the wing, swooping past a rambling rose… this pretty design is a quintessential English garden print, capturing a fleeting second of country life.
The Whitebeam tree is a species I return to again and again, for it’s tangle of branches and the two-tone contrasting leaves. I show off these contrasts by framing the leaves against circles; perhaps the sun or the moon, with the leaves moving from dark to light across the design.
A primrose species with striped petals has the name ‘Zebra Blue’ after a similarly detailed butterfly, found in India. Amongst a sea of more general primroses, these caught my eye; they look almost coloured in… as if someone has picked up a biro and brought out the pattern on the petals.
Tumbling over a drystone wall, a beautiful kiwi plant created a canopy for pedestrians on the lane below, and made the perfect perch for a speckled Starling.
The vivid colours and overlapping petals of Camellia blooms, against the sandy soft backdrop of a Cotswold house, has lead to this strong, eye-catching design; a bold floral pattern with a subtle striped background.
Inspiration for this design came from the bursts of wildflowers adorning and bordering the dry-stone walls of a village walk, andis named after a young walking companion who enjoyed spotting the flowers along the way.
This design captures the most familiar and pleasing of natural pattern repeats:- the informal scattering of daisies across a lawn. This is a cheerful and uplifting design and very reminiscent of an English country garden.
Under Hillway Coppice was inspired by a walk on a disused railway line amongst the beautiful hills of West Dorset, where the undulating land seems to layer grasses, branches, brooks and woodland into pattern for itself.
This design magnifies the charm of the wild flowers, leaves and the curling tendrils found alongside the woodland and Common land near to our Gloucestershire home.
A collection of swan figurines displayed on a bedroom window sill at National Trust property Newark Park, Gloucestershire, inspired this striking, contemporary design.
Nestled amongst a backdrop of peonies, a secret bee goes about its business. This design bridges the gap between traditional and contemporary in a bold, dense repeat that draws the eye.
Inspired by a beautiful tree on Rodborough Common, Gloucestershire, this pattern is a rhythmic twist of branches and leaves, amongst which three birds nestle and swoop.