Print fair season beckons.
| | It’s less than a week since our new issue was released and we are already receiving some fabulous feedback about our latest edition – with its mix of makers, techniques and printmaking tales (this one even has glacial cyanotype printing), it seems to be going down well with readers who have had their copy already and is being highly anticipated by those it is on it’s way to. “Another stunning issue!” exclaimed print friend and regular reader Neera Sehgal, “Don’t know how you do it, but every time it’s just more exciting!” Kind words but safe to say it is the printmaking community and its artists that keep making amazing works, sharing their unique stories with us and we are as excited as you are to read them and share them with you all. |
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| | I’m feeling creatively re-invigorated after a short stay in Barcelona and attending a printmaking residency with La Maldita Estampa. I learnt about some great alternative screenprinting techniques (watercolour and charcoal monoprinting), did loads of sketching and made a couple of prints inspired by the colours and shapes from around the city. Add in a couple of museum trips, plenty of tapas and mooching around the Gothic quarter finding book and comic shops, it has set me up perfectly for more making on my return.
Not to say that I brought the sun back with me from Spain, but the brighter weather here hints at the promise of summer and I’m happy to be having first thoughts for our July edition. Especially excited to have long-term collaborator Jo Hounsome getting more involved in the curation and making of the magazine as we move forward. Jo has been involved from the start, takes amazing photos, can write a great article and has taught printmaking for many years, so is the perfect person to work with on the next issue and beyond.
The season of print fairs and events has started, with plenty events planned for this bank holiday weekend in the UK and onward into the coming months. I hope you enjoy reading about some of the happenings, print releases and inspiring artists in this newsletter. Keep well and keep on rolling… |
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| | John Coe Founder of Pressing Matters magazine
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| | Atelier Le Grand Village at LOPF The London Original Print Fair might be London's longest running art fair – celebrating its 41st edition this year at London's Somerset House from 14th-17th May – but that doesn’t stop it from innovating year-on-year. The fair - which has grown from just 16 exhibitors in 1985 to the 40 plus that it now hosts – is celebrated for championing printmaking, with an international roster of exhibitors who show work that straddles the centuries. We're excited to see Issue 21-featured Atelier Le Grand Village (whose excellent lithography work is featured above) attending again this year, with a raft of familiar print studios (Artichoke Print workshop, Graphic Studio Dublin and North London Printmakers) nestling in amongst galleries from far and wide. |
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| | Issue 34, Out Now "Drop a stone into water and watch it ripple." We’ve been ruminating on how small changes in your process or your approach to a technique can lead to different outcomes. Our new edition, Issue 34, is full of explorers and innovators who are looking to find new, creative terrains with their artworks and projects – whether they are searching out inspiration in their local environments or displaying their works for others to react to. We hope that the stories in our new issue inspire you to cast your own creative stone and see how your process emanates. See our website for more details and to buy or subscribe in either print or digital formats. |
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| | Michael Reeder x Hello Print Friend Studios We were fascinated to hear about a recent collaboration between artist Michael Reeder and Hello Print Friend Studios. Crafted using traditional stone lithography techniques dating back centuries, each print is a labour of love. During his two-week residency at Hello Print Friend Studios print workshop and gallery in Chiang Mai, he drew inspiration from the vivid cultural tapestry of Northern Thailand to produce this exclusive edition. 'Ghost Gate' is limited edition print which was hand-drawn and pulled through the press six times to build its rich, layered composition and finalised with hand-applied gold leaf. Be sure to take some time to watch their insightful process video. |
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| | It’s ISSUE 35 PRINT CHALLENGE time! This time around, we’re looking for submissions of handmade prints using Black and Blue inks. The winning entry will have their work featured in the magazine with a short Q&A, and will be sent a Keep On Rolling tote bag along with 3 FREE copies of Issue 35. The artists that make it into our Showcase Gallery will also receive a FREE copy of Issue 35. This is a chance to have your print featured as our winning artwork or as part of a showcase of brilliantly creative submissions in the July 2026 edition of Pressing Matters magazine. Open for submissions until the end of May. Check out our recent post for more details on how to get involved. |
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Friend-of-the-mag and recent Workspaces-featured artist Grace Hailstone has been 'on the wireless' as part of a project with Eames Fine Art and the 26 writing group called First Impressions. The episode 'Why Words Matter' discusses the project which sees writers visiting printmakers in their studios, filming the encounter and then subsequently writing about what they’ve learnt about the printmaker’s craft and process. Writer Lisa Andrews and artist Grace Hailstone are joined by Vincent Eames from Eames Fine Art and project co-lead Martin Lee to talk about the project and wider thoughts about the differences and similarities of art and writing as creative enterprises. |
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| | For The Love Of Print After the success of their event at the end of last year, For the Love of Print returns this weekend at Faversham's Assembly Rooms venue in Kent. On this Saturday 2nd May, the event will bring together 26 local printmakers – a vibrant celebration of printmaking with many new makers showing this time around. There'll be linocuts, risograph prints, screenprints, monoprints and much more for you to browse and buy, with the artists happy to talk about their techniques and artworks. "All are welcome and it's free to enter," says organiser Tina Hagger, "It's very easy to get to too – a two-minute walk from Faversham station, which is just an hour from London, 30 minutes from Margate". Add it to your diary when making plans for the bank holiday weekend. |
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| | Sizzling Summer Courses In Tuscany Looking over the Serchio valley towards the Apuane mountains (famous for providing the huge blocks of marble used for Michelangelo’s ‘David’ and many others), Quattro Archi Art Centre in Tuscany occupies an enviable location. The mountains provide an ever-changing landscape from dawn to dusk and the town just below echoes the stories buried within its medieval history. A perfect place therefore to practice your creativity and with summer courses coming up in June (Drypoint Masterclass with Michael Waight) and July (Lovely Lino with Jane Richardson), the team at Quattro Archi have offered a special discount of 20% off bookings to our readers (when you book before the end of April, so get your skates on…!) Visit their website or email them quoting ‘Pressing Matters”. |
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| | The Idea Of Light
We were so pleased to feature artist printmaker Katherine Jones in our latest issue. We've long been a huge fan of her delicately designed and layered collagraphs – super intrigued to find out more about her favoured print techniques and the inspirations behind her work. Bring on the dream team of Annabel MacIver (words) and Alun Callender (photos) and you've got yourself an insight interview supported by perfect process pics. "With light, layering is a big thing and collagraph give a natural gradation of colour between a line and a flat area,” says Katherine." Read her article, 'The Idea Of Light' in Issue 34, out now in print and digital editions. |
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| | Artist printmaker Charlotte Whiston recently got in touch with news of her crowdfunder – she’s looking to set up Folkestone’s first open-access screenprint studio. “It’s been a long-term goal of mine to create a space where people can access and learn screenprinting in a shared, community-led environment,” she explains. The funds raised will go directly towards purchasing a manual screenprinting bed. In exchange for your donations, she is giving away her screenprinted artworks, so not only will you be helping the local artists/school children/lovely people of Folkestone and the surrounding area, you'll be the owner of a limited edition Charlotte Whiston screenprint too. |
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From 6th-8th August, Thin Ice Press will host the first York Wayzgoose – a three-day gathering of traditional print, contemporary practice, research and exchange. Rooted in craft, shaped by scholarship and offered as a meeting point for lovers of print and printmaking, the event brings together practitioners, researchers, designers, students and studio owners. Expect superb guest speakers, a curated Suppliers’ Fair, hands-on workshops and demos, exhibitions, excursions, a print auction, a drinks reception and the Wayzgoose dinner. This being York, there will also be a print-your-own-beermat pub crawl and plenty of actual geese — one of them more than 500 years old! |
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