Artwork description:

Usually my prints are based on travel, memories and exotic botany. Cactus is different, exotic it may be, but it's a resident in my studio on the window sill. Cactus is a tenacious plant refusing to die, in fact flourishing through its owners forgetful care. Good for Cactus, I say! Even if it always pricks me when I do endeavour to water it.

A reduction linocut is a totally hand made print. No machines are used. Only one piece of Lino is used throughout the process and so no prints can be reproduced.

I draw the image I want to create on the Lino, in reverse. Using carving tools I take away all the lightest parts which will be the colour of the the paper, I then ink up the Lino with a colour and press this onto some thick printing paper. Anything I want to be that colour I carve away and ink up the next colour and so the process goes until the image appears.

This print went through this process 8 times, to achieve the final image. I used oil based Calico artist inks and the paper is Somerset velvet in soft white.

The printed area is approximately 10.2m x 15.2 and the paper size is approximately 21.2cm x 16.2cm.

Materials used:

lino, inks, rollers, press, paper, cutting tools

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