Description
“My printmaking journey began 25 years ago when I studied Art and Design at Hereford College of Art. I enjoyed all forms of printing but decided to specialise in screen printing and textiles, which I continued during my Decorative Arts degree at Nottingham Trent University.
Some years later, after deciding to leave my career as a Staff Development Trainer for an NHS trust in London, we relocated to Monmouthshire where I retrained to become a freelance Primary School Art Teacher. Alongside my work in schools, I decided to revisit my love of printmaking and after attending refresher courses at a local studio, I was hooked (again) and in 2016 I set up my business DelARTful Designs.
My prints are created using linocut and collagraph printmaking techniques. Linocut is a process where sharp cutting tools are used to cut away part of the flat surface of a block of linoleum. After cutting, the remaining surface is inked with a roller and hand-printed on my relief press. To create my collagraph printing plates I add marks and textures to a piece of mountboard, like a collage, before inking using the intaglio method and printing on my #2 Gunning etching press.
I enjoy the endless possibilities of creating a printing block or plate and the magic and excitement of pulling the first print never fades. My current work is inspired by the natural world with a focus on wildlife, but I also like to explore retro imagery from my childhood.”
Sarah now lives in the Forest of Dean with her husband and two children. As well as developing her own work as a full-time printmaker at her studio in the grounds of her home, she also teaches printmaking workshops in linocut, collagraph, and drypoint.
