Some of our forthcoming exhibition dates for the start of 2013

For a PDF of our forthcoming exhibitions, click HERE.

"Wadham Bump in the Gut" (linocut)

This image of an VIII racing on the Isis in Oxford comes from a composite drawing that for once I had to make from several photographs.   For one reason the boats move so fast its hard to get a good sketch from life, and for another, I'm sat in the boat myself.  This recalls the Torpids races in March 2012 when the Wadham Old Boys boat, known as MBeer had a good year. For more of the latest linocuts from Robin, click the LINK to the album.

Artist-in-Residency, Oxford

Most of the latest images from our artist-in-residency at Wytham are now up on Facebook HERE, which will take you to a list of albums containing the latest pictures from our joint work at Wytham Woods, from Robin's residency at Harris-Manchester College, Oxford and from the progress (or lack thereof) of out new studio at Wytham.

Exhibition: Anatomy of a Print

For anyone who is in Oxford and curious about how we make our linocuts, I have just set up a small exhibition called Anatomy of a Print, which is in the Tate Library of Harris-Manchester College on Mansfield Road.  Unfortunately the library does not have general public access, but admission can be sought from the Librarian-Fellow Sue Killoran with whom it is possible to arrange visits. For her address and contact details, email me and I will be happy to provide them or to arrange a visit.

Harris-Manchester College, Oxford

This view of the Tate Quad is the second in a series of linocuts from Robin which will document the college as it is at the moment, focussing particularly on the new building work we are having done: a stunning new clock tower designed by architects Yiangou, on which work has begun this week.

See:

OXFORD MAIL ARTICLE

Linocut: Harris Manchester College, Oxford

Despite being one of the smallest and youngest of the colleges of Oxford University, Harris-Manchester is one of only five currently to have an artist in residence. While older, wealthier colleges have large art collections assembled over many centuries, Harris Manchester is actively supporting and exhibiting the work of its resident artist.  The linocut above, by Robin shows the chapel, main quad and Principal's lodgings of the college, which was originally founded in 1757 as the Warrington Academy and was incorporated as the thirty-seventh college of the University of Oxford in 1996.

To start the exhibitions in college during 2013, the main quad contains a small selection of linocuts and woodcuts from the Wytham Exhibition, which has now finished at the Natural History Museum.  On March 14th I will open a show of architectural linocuts (of which the example above is one) with my invited guests Tim Wilson and Necati Zontul whose architectural drawings are used as backdrops in animated films.  Following that, in May, I will be hosting a linocut show for five British artists including myself: Rosie Fairfax-Cholmeley, Sarah Wheeler, Ian Phillips and Laura Boswell, who will be filling the college with their pictures during the Oxfordshire Artweeks period.

For more details about the forthcoming exhibtions email me at: robin.wilson@hmc.ox.ac.uk

For more about the college, see the website: www.hmc.ox.ac.uk

Exhibition: West Ox Arts December 2012

Some of the more recent linocuts went into the Vesey Room at Bampton recently as a solo show for West Ox Arts to start off the new year. 

Give a Printing Course as a Christmas Gift

Courses make an ideal gift for yourself and others.  We run our printmaking courses from our Strawbale Studio in Duns Tew, Oxfordshire, where we will teach you how to make your own linocut images from start to finish showing you all the techniques and tools you need to create you own pictures and cards.  We don't use any expensive equipment, so once you've learned the basics, this is something you can go on and do at home without the need for expensive presses or specialised equipment.

We will be running one and two-day courses throughout the year. Places are limited to three students on the two-day courses, which aim to teach multi-colour linocut technique.  On the one-day course we will teach you how to make simple but effective printed images.

For more information, email us on: info@flagstonepress.co.uk or call Robin or Rosie on 07946 597316. 

A finished set of Christmas Cards.

Christmas Cards Set

The set of cards illustrated above is one of the designs commissioned for 2012. To create a two colour image of the owners house, I have used original photographs and sketches as the basis for a design which uses two carved lino printing blocks.  The block which I print from first is the coloured background layer, onto the top of which I print the second inked block, which in this case is black, and contains most of the the detail of the image.

In this instance, I have used the two lino-blocks to print thirty cards and two limited edition, mounted images. The cards are titled and signed in pencil, blank inside and come with envelopes and a protective plastic sleeve.

Although these cards are intended for Chritmas, Rosie and I undertake commissions for cards and images at any time of the year of for any occasion.  Prices start from £40 per block, which includes the image design.

For further information email us on: info@flagstonepress.co.uk

Bretforton Hall

Bloxham Church

Wytham Woods0

Christmas Angel

Flagstone: The Pressless Press

Burnishing the inked lino block

We were asked recently about the type of press we use for our images and cards.  The answer is that we don't use a press at all.  Unlike many printmakers we have neither an Albion or a Heidelberg and don't have to worry about creating space in our studio for heavy or expensive equipment.  The pictures we have recently exhibited are all the product of burnishing the reverse side of the paper after it has been placed on the inked block, as in the photograph above taken last during the process of printing cards for Bretforton Hall.  All of our prints are made in this way.  If the paper or card we are using is thick, such as for the Christmas cards, then we use a spoon (EPNS seems to give the best results).  If the paper we are using is finer or more absorptive, such as a the Japanese ho sho, then we will use a Japenese baren of the type shown below.

The texture of the leaf-wrapped baren and the knotted string spiral allow the ink to be transferred from the inked block to the carefully positioned (registered) paper that is placed upon it.  The spoon works in a similar manner, using physical pressure exerted by the printmaker to burnish a thin layer of ink onto the finished picture from the inked block beneath.   Both methods are time consuming and physically demanding, but the end results are as near to perfection as could be wished for.

That said.  If anyone has an old Albion Press going to waste somewhere, we would be happy to give it a good home.  The silver plate is wearing off the spoon, and it doubles up its functions at mealtimes.

The Wytham Studio...progress

The Wytham Studio in October

The picture above shows the partially finished state of the studio as it looked in October 2012.  As those of you who follow our art pages on Facebook will have seen, our long-planned studio in the Woods at Wytham is nearing completion.  Under the auspices of Oxford University, of which Wytham Woods is a part, the studio is being built to provide us with a permanent and long-term place of residence and practice in the centre of the woodlands.

The majority of the work is being undertaken by Ben and Matt, traditional oak-frame builders and thatchers whose woodland projects range from shingle splitting to charcoal burning and coppice management.  A month on from the picture above, the building is completely roofed with hand-split chestnut shingles using timber from Wytham, and the oak exterior is almost completed.  Despite the unpleasantly wet and icy weather, building work is progressing rapidly and we expect to hold an Exhibition here for Oxford Artweeks at the latest.

Christmas Card Making by Hand

Two colour-block linocut cards drying

Click on the link below for the album of images of one of our many Christmas Card projects this year:

Christmas Card Making: Bretforton Hall

Wytham Exhibition: Last Chance to Buy Prints from the Wytham Collection

The Oxford University Museum of Natural History has hosted the first Wytham collection of prints since our show opened there in April, and originally we were set to take the show down in October.  However it has been so successful that we have been asked to keep the images on the walls until Christmas.  So if you haven't bought one of our Wytham prints, there are a few left.  You can see them in the NHM and either buy then directly from the museum, or by emailing us on: robin.wilson@hmc.ox.ac.uk.

Bretforton Hall:A Linocut Christmas Card

The first stage of a two colour linocut is to carve the block that will eventually take the black ink.  This is sometimes known as the 'key' block.  More images from this and other recent cards can be found by clicking HERE.

West Ox Arts Demo

On Saturday 3rd November, we will be demonstrating our printmaking at the West Ox Arts Gallery in Bampton near Oxford.  Entrance to the printmaking exhibition is free. COme along and have a go at making your own prints from our woodblocks and linoblocks.  All day between 10.30 and 4.40.

Do come!

"Nature and Lore" opens at West Ox Arts, Bampton

Linocut Prints at West Ox Arts: "Nature and Lore"

CLICK FOR GALLERY

The exhibition is now open until 18th November.  Its free, so do go along and browse.  There are woodcut and linocut prints from printmakers Laura Boswell, Susan Wheeler, Nicky Cooney as well as Rosie and Robin.  The show is open between 10.30 and 4.30 each day.

Iona Gallery Exhibition 27 October - 4 November

The Iona House Gallery, Woodstock

The exhibition at the Iona Gallery is now open as a part of the Art in Woodstock Festival. Do go along, its free and there are events and lectures throughout the week connected with the various artists.  The pictures are for sale as usual, but do go along just to enjoy the setting.

IONA HOUSE GALLERY EXHIBITION

EXHIBITION WEBSITE

As a part of the Art in Woodstock exhibition, Rosie and I will be showing some of our latest prints at the Iona Gallery in Woodstock between 27th October and 4th November.  The link above will take you to the website and click on the map below to enlarge a map of Woodstock.

West Ox Arts Exhibition: Nature and Lore

EXHIBITION WEBSITE

Our next exhibition will open on 27th October at the gallery of West Ox Arts at the Old Town Hall in Bampton (OX17 2JH), which is not far from Oxford.  As well as Robin and Rosie, will appear three other well known printmakers Laura Boswell, Nicky Cooney, and Susan Wheeler.  The show will be a mix of woodblock and linocut prints inspired by nature.  

Opening Reception: Saturday 27 October, 12 - 2pm

West Ox Arts Gallery, Town Hall, Market Square, Bampton, Oxon, OX18 2JH
Email: gallery@westoxarts.com www.westoxarts.com
01993 850137

GALLERY OPENING TIMES: TUE TO SAT 1.30 AM TO 4.30 PM
SUN 2.00 PM TO 4.00 PM

Bodleian Library Courses at The Story Museum, Oxford

Dr. Paul Nash of the Bodleian Library and Strawberry Press

The Bodleian Library's printing presses and equipment are now housed at The Story Museum in Pembroke Street, Oxford, where classes and workshops areheld for families, beginners and experienced printers. The Bodleian Hand-Printing Workshop currently contains four Albion presses of varioussizes, a large columbian, an eighteenth-century wooden "common" press, several Adanas, and a good range of type, including large founts of Caslon and Bell. The Room has recently been given a Vandercook proof press by the family of the late Vivian Ridler, quondam Printer to the University.  Teaching covers both  the history and practice of printing in the hand-press period (roughly 1450-1825) and practical letterpress printing today, as a tool for producing prints, broadsheets and small books.  

Further details of classes and workshops may be found at the Story Museum's website at

http://www.storymuseum.org.uk/the-story-museum/print.

ART IN ACTION

GALLERY LINK

This year we were very privileged to be invited to demonstrate printmaking at Art in Action at Waterperry House in the OneOak tent. As well as selling linocut and woodcut prints and cards, we also presented a prize of one of our prints on behalf of OneOak and spent the rest of the four days rolling up linoblocks for everyone to come and try their hand at print-making.  Fortunately the ink we used is waterbased so no permanent damage was done.

"Great Tit" (Oak Woodblock Print) by R.A. Wilson
on wood from the ONEOAK Project 

STRAWBALE GALLERY: PRINTMAKING COURSE JULY 2012

GALLERY PHOTOGRAPHS HERE

The Printmaking Course in July was held as usual at our Strawbale Gallery in Duns Tew, and resulted in all of our students producing very successful multicolour linocut prints to take home with them.  Click on the link above to see more pictures from that course. 

YONDER CLOUD

An example of the work of Ian Dudley, a student on the Pitt-Rivers bookmaking course in August.

Finished Book: "Yonder Cloud" by Ian Dudley

NEW Flagstone Press Facebook Site

VISIT: Flagstone Press Facebook Site

Printmaking Course: Oxford Uni Natural History Museum

A student's model and finished linocut print.

In May we ran bookbinding, printmaking and scientific illustration courses at the Natural History Museum in Oxford.  Follow the link below to see some of the work our students managed to complete in a single day of learning to print using linocut.  The Pitt-Rivers and Natural History Museums have jointly commissioned courses to run throughout this year in conjunction with our exhibition.  Although all of the current courses are already booked for this summer, we plan to run further similar workshops in the near future. Have a look at the pictures from the last course, which took place in the seminar room at the Natural History Museum. and if you are interested, do contact Rosie or Robin so that we can put your name on the waiting list and let you know when the next courses will take place.    

PRINTMAKING COURSE PHOTOS

DEMO/EXHIBITION: ART IN ACTION

"Boxing Hares" - block during carving by Robin.

Next week, should you be in Oxfordshire, Rosie and I will be demonstrating and exhibiting some of our recent work as printmakers to the OneOak Project run by the charity Sylva.  We have been using oak blocks from the tree cut down in Blenheim Palace park for the purpose of the project and will be carving a few blocks and perhaps printing some new images during the four days of Art in Action, which takes place at Waterperry between Thursday and Sunday next week. Details can be found on the link below, do come along!


http://www.artinaction.org.uk/demo-One-Oak


Art in Action will take place at:.
Waterperry House, Waterperry,
Near. Wheatley, Oxfordshire
OX33 1JZ
19-22th July 2012
10:00am -5:30pm daily

Scilly Isles Prints

Expect a new series of prints later in the year from the sketchbooks we've just filled up on our recent trip to St. Martin's on the Isles of Scilly.  In the past, our trips here have provided us with material for several large linocuts and a recent monoprint of Hell Bay which I created as a demonstration during one of our printmaking courses at the Strawbale Gallery in May.  ST. Martins is known for its seabirds, sandy beaches and its rocky exposed northern shore which is exposed to the Atlantic rollers. In the photograph above, Rosie is sketching the causeway (only exposed at low tide) between St. Martins and White Island from Tinkler's Hill.

Oxford Natural History Museum Private View

Oxford Natural History Museum Private View

An online gallery of images taken by photographer Whitney Conti at the PV of our current Exhibition in Oxford. 

Natural History Museum Private View

On Friday 11th May to coincide with the opening of the Oxford City Artsweeks, of which our show was a part, we held the Private View of our Exhibition at the Museum of Natural History in Oxford, where we have the full length of the upper gallery which overlooks the main room with the dinosaurs.  There are a mixture of linocut and woodcut prints from our Wytham collection, set in a mix of photographs, woodblocks, lino printing blocks and a carved leaf and tree installation by local sculptor Simon Clements.  At one end of the gallery is Simon's compost clock, a Clepsidera, which is measuring the duration of the exhibition in terms of leaf mould decomposition.  Go and have a look, you'll see what I mean.  There are also banner and posters derived from our work at Wytham with other scientific, school and research bodies who also use the woodlands. The show is free, the pictures are for sale, there are cards in the museum shop by the entrance and it runs until the last day in September. 

A New "Studio" at Wytham for Flagstone Press

The old Woodman's Hut, Wytham Woods.  Ever since being invited to be artists in residence at Wytham Woods, our period of actual residence has amounted to no more than regular visiting the woods from  our base in Oxford and the occasional overnight stay among the trees in a tent.  In the wake of our recent efforts at the Natural History Museum in putting on our Wytham Woods exhibition (which runs until the end of September) the Conservator of the woods has very kindly and enthusiastically offered us a 'studio' in the woods to pursue our printmaking.  The building he has identified is a dilapidated and long-disused woodman's shed in the heart of the woods, which by various means we will convert into studio space before the beginning of Michaelmas Term 2012. That means quite a lot of work over the summer, and most likely the original building will be taken apart and re-built from scratch.  The site has wonderful views over Oxfordshire and if all goes well Rosie and I will be in residence before the start of the new academic year - but more news to follow on that. 

Print Scilly - Original artwork by Vickie Heaney

Print Scilly - Original artwork by Vickie Heaney

We were lucky enough to have a spare moment during our recent sailing and sketching trip on Scilly to be able to drop in on Vicky Heaney's print-making studio and gallery at Port Mellon on St. Mary's.  Vicky has amongst other things a great range of linocut prints and etchings inspired by her work as an ornithologist and from the birdlife of Scilly.

http://www.printscilly.com/gallery/bluepuffin.htm

Course Dates: Printmaking/Bookbinding

2012 Updated Course Dates

9th - 10th June Linocut Relief Printing

16th - 17th June Bookbinding

21st - 22nd July Linocut Relief Printing

28th - 29th July Bookbinding

25th - 26th August Linocut Relief Printing

1st - 2nd September Bookbinding

ArtsWeek Strawbale Gallery

For anyone planning to come along to our exhibition in Duns Tew, please be aware that contrary to the suggestion in the Arts Week catalogue that we are open on Friday evening, we shall in fact have to close the gallery at 4.30 in order to race into Oxford for the Private View of our show at the Natural History Museum.  We shall be open until six on Saturday and Sunday, so come along at the weekend!

Rosie

Straw Bale Gallery Exhibition: Duns Tew

Artsweeks 2012

As well as our Exhibition at the NHM of our Wytham Woods project work, Rosie and I will be exhibiting a range of our cards, prints and books at our own studio in Duns Tew, just north of Oxford (OX25 6JL) between the 5th and 13th of May. Unlike the summer Exhibition at the Natural History Museum, which goes on until the end of September, we will be on the spot at the Strawbale Gallery throughout the week, so do come along if you'd like to talk to us about what we do, the courses we run, or just come along and see the pictures. There is always cake and tea available and like all the Artsweek galleries its free to wander round.  There are lots of other studios and galleries in the area, so its easy to plan a circuit and see what other people are doing.   

BBC Radio Interview

CLICK HERE to listen to Robin talking to Jo Thoenes yesterday: BBC iPlayer

I'm talking for about 20 minutes half-way through the show about Oxfordshire Artsweeks and the Wytham Woods project amongst other things.

Bookbinding Taster Course - Oxford University Museum of Natural History

CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW FULL SIZE

Open to everyone, but you need to book a place through the: Oxford University Website
We are running a number of courses through the summer in conjunction with our exhibition at the Natural History Museum.

Charcoal Burning at Wytham Chalet

Charcoal Burning at Wytham Chalet
Robin Wilson (2012) Linocut

The gent known as Matt-the-Thatch is well known in Wytham for a range of activities. He is a strong advocate of Oxfordshire Long Thatch and often appears on BBC talking about traditional forms of thatching.  His website: Rumplestiltskin Thatching has all the information you could need about turning straw in gold.  In 2011 Matt branched out into charcoal burning, taking on the role left vacant by the retirement of Wytham's former charcoal burner.  Matt is active in coppicing at Wytham and in practicing all manner of traditional woodland skills. In the linocut I have made, the steam is rising from behind the Wytham chalet. Matt has to wait while it turns from blue to white (or is it the other way round?) as the moisture is progressively driven out of the wood, which is burning in the near-absence of oxygen in a steel lidded tank just out of sight. What appears to be a charcoal-burning tank in front of the chalet is in fact a neatly piles stack of off-cuts from the hand-made roof shingles which Matt cuts by hand with an axe.  The shed and enclosures hold various scientific cages and contraptions which are deployed by the field ecologists from the university in their varied research activities.  

Linocut: Noctules

"Noctules"
Robin Wilson (2012) Linocut

Until I worked at Wytham I had no idea how gregarious bats are.  Hanging from the trees in the woods are very many flat black boxes, which on inquiry turned out to be bat boxes.  Into these the bats crowd close packed.  The image above shows noctules (a common species of British bat) from Wytham crowded into the hollow of a tree. 

Frame-making Part 2

Frame-making at Wytham, Good Friday

The frame-making Odyssey continued yesterday after the Wytham village primrose-gathering walk through the woods.  The primroses that were gathered will be used to decorate the church on Sunday. The gatherers ended up with tea and cake in the church after the walk, but Rosie and I had lingered too long at the back of the walk talking, so by the time we arrived there were no consumables left.  In a hair-shirt and self-flagellation exercise, we took ourselves off to the sawmill to cut more frames until it became too cold and dark to operate the machinery.

As you can see from the photos, we are starting to make some headway into our stack of oak planks.

Image 1 

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4