Easter Workshop - Printmaking - Woodcut

Had a lovely Wednesday morning at Stef Mitchell's workshop held at Duckett and Jeffreys Gallery - an introduction to woodcut.  It is a very satisfying process, holding little cutting tools (a bit like lino print) and slicing away strips and shavings - the wood makes a light tearing sound as I plough through it with inexperienced hands!

Stef is very creative and exploratory in her own work, loving the process and materials she works with, and was brilliantly able to pass some of this on in her tutoring.  I should have listened harder to her initial guidance about the wilfullness of wood, how we should work with the grain and let it have its say.  

This little 'taster' has given me an appetite - I am sure having another attempt, in light of my learning, will bring about a print more sympathetic to the material, utilizing some of its natural characteristics more artfully.

The little print that did emerge from my labour, was a bird, egg laying - and I wanted to give the impression of it in its nest within a hollow tree, at what should really have been a private time.

Stef is running more printmaking courses over Easter - contact the gallery for details.