Artist Interview: Sherrie-Leigh Jones

I'm a curious type; I like to know what informs an artist. Who or what do they look to for inspiration? How do they work? Each month I will be asking an artist I admire a few questions, this month is Sherrie-Leigh Jones.

Falls at Dusk, 38.5cm x 28.5cm, hand finished screenprint with graphite powder and ink

Sherrie-Leigh, your landscape, travel and nature inspired prints are enchanting. I’m curious to know how you came to print making as your primary method of art making? 

When I left art college, I actually started a degree in illustration but didn’t stay on the course that long as it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, and I felt a bit pigeon holed working to briefs. A while after, I moved to Brighton to start a foundation degree in fine art where I experimented with different ways of working and printmaking again, particularly screenprinting as I really enjoyed the process - that’s when I really got into printmaking more and it became my chosen method of creating.

What is your favourite print making method?
Through experimenting, I naturally became drawn to screenprinting for the way in which I create my work. 

Moon Over The Plain, 38cm x 28.5cm, screenprint with graphite powder and ink

Midsummer Moon, 38cm x 28.5cm, screenprint with graphite powder and ink

I particularly love your Chinese and Japanese inspired work, what first prompted you to create a series inspired by Chinese and Japanese art forms?

You can easily get lost looking at all the different elements and tiny details in the landscapes, the different qualities of techniques with painting and printmaking from the softness of the brush strokes bringing a calmness. I think for me, they create that sense of escapism that I hope my work brings to people.

Are there other print techniques, materials or ways of working that you’d like to try? 

I’ve experimented with photo etching, mono printing, cyanotypes and other print techniques but always end up coming back to screenprint. Last year I played around more with the idea of chine collé, which I think I’ll come back to at some point and I’d also like to try risograph printing, as well as printing on wood again and perhaps also bringing an element of embossing back to some prints - I just never seem to have enough time for all my ideas!

Calm White River, 102cm x 68cm, cellulose transfer print on Japanese paper

You studied BA (Hons) Fine Art Printmaking at University of Brighton, what drew you to study at Brighton and how did the course affect your practice? 

The foundation degree was for two years, after which you could transfer to a BA to top it up. There aren’t that many specialist printmaking degrees in the UK and Brighton’s such a vibrant and diverse city by the sea, full of creativity that I loved, so I decided to stay as the University is one of the few that offers a printmaking course. As I’d already grown a love for screenprinting, I mainly stuck to that which I combined with digital print and collage. The course allowed me time to experiment even more with the possibilities of screenprint and the materials I could use. It’s also where I really developed the idea of creating imagined environments and landscapes. 

Take us through a ‘day in the life’ - what does a typical day involve? 

It depends what I have going on, no two days are generally the same, but I do try and have some sort of routine. Most days I’ll get up and workout, sort myself out and then head in the studio or to the print studio. Usually I’ll check emails first in the morning and reply to any that need a response sooner. I’ll then go to the post office or drop any prints off at the couriers. I try and do some collaging for a good few hours before I stop and do anymore admin late afternoon - emails, ordering materials and packaging, updating my website etc. and I try and remember to post on social media during the day as well. I’ll then pack any prints up before I finish for the day and try and go for a walk. If I’m at the print studio, I’ll be stripping, coating and exposing screens before sorting paper, mixing inks and printing my collages. Then I’ll come back later on and reply to emails, pack prints, arrange couriers etc. Some days and weeks are more creative than others, some just end up being more admin heavy.

Emerald Mount, 20.5cm x 25.5cm, cellulose print on Japanese paper

Emerald Mount (West), 20.5cm x 25.5cm, cellulose print on Japanese paper

What artists (living or dead) inspire you?

So many, but to name a few… Hasui Kawase and Koho Shoda, probably my favourite of the Shin-Hanga artists… Katie Paterson, James Turrell and Raqib Shaw. I also love romanticism, so people like Caspar David Friedrich and The Hudson River School artists.

Tell me about your studio or creative space.

I work between my home studio, which at the moment I share with my husband, and at North Star Printmaking studio in Brighton. l'm always gathering imagery and taking photographs on my travels, walks and when I'm just out and about if something catches my eye. I then use analogue and digital collage, which I work on in my home studio before taking them into the print studio to screenprint. It's nice to have a balance of working in my own space and then sometimes being around other printmakers in the print studio… and I also feel so lucky to have the sea on my doorstep if I get a bit of a block to go for a walk or just need a break from screens.

What aspirations do you have for your practice?

I hope to create some larger pieces again soon and I’d love to travel to do a residency at some point.

River by Dawn (after Koho Shoda), approx 34.5cm x 21.5cm, screenprint with graphite powder and ink on Japanese paper

River by Moonlight (after Koho Shoda), approx 34.5cm x 21.5cm, screenprint with graphite powder and ink on Japanese paper

I love learning random facts about people, tell me three things about yourself. 

• I love music, especially metal/hardcore but I don’t really share about it that much, as I don’t think it really goes with the calming sense of my work haha and I know it isn’t everyones cup of tea.

• I also love interior design and architecture - I have a real love for minimal, simple living and modern design..at one point I did consider doing interior design instead.

• I have a twin sister who’s also an artist as well as two other sisters.
  

Finally, where can people follow your work online?

My website www.sherrieleighjones.com where you can subscribe to my mailing list for a bit more insight to my practice, Instagram @sherrieleighjonesart and Twitter @SherrieLJones

Thank you so much to Sherrie-Leigh for giving us an insight into her wonderful printmaking processes. You can really feel Sherrie-Leigh’s passion for screen printing. Her work really speaks to me as a lover of landscape art in particular, I always feel transported back to places from my travels when I see her prints. They have an idealised and calming quality to them with a wonderfully reduced colour palette so you can focus on the details and the simple forms in nature. Sherrie-Leigh sells her prints on her website, her work has been exhibited extensively including at The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2021.

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them. ❤️

The Arborealists and Guests: The Art of the Tree

Woodland Study VI, pen on paper by Claire Leach

The Arborealists are an artist group founded by artist and curator Tim Craven in 2013. Tim’s intention was to bring together artists who used trees and woodland/forest landscapes as the particular focus of their practice and create opportunities to exhibit work together. An exhibition of several artists work is sometimes a more interesting prospect than a solo artists exhibition due to the variety in approach and mediums displayed. I’ve been following the work of The Arborealists since around 2014 when I finished my MA. I was introduced to the work of Blaze Cyan, a member of the group through Louise Pallister (a Twitter friend) and met Blaze when I went to London to see Louise and Blaze’s work at their final MA exhibition at City and Guilds.

Installation View of The Art of the Tree

Installation View of the Art of the Tree

In September last year I emailed Tim Craven and expressed interest in the group, Tim was gracious and said that although all the member slots were filled he would keep me in mind for any opportunities where I might be able to exhibit as a guest. In April I received an email from Tim asking if I’d like to exhibit as a guest with the group at The Turbine House which is part of Reading Museum. I agreed wholeheartedly and set to work making a new drawing to exhibit. It wasn’t easy but I managed to fit drawing in around looking after my baby son, who was just over two months when I first started work on my piece ‘Woodland Study VI’.

Above: Alders Reflected in the Dart, graphite on board by Paul Newman | Below: Shadowline 2, pencil on paper by Celia de Serra

June rolled around, I’d finished my drawing and organised framing. I took my piece to the Turbine House where I met Tim and some of the participating artists. The venue itself was full of character, situated on the banks of the River Kennet with river views from each of the square framed windows. I returned to The Turbine House the following evening for the private view, Tim’s curation of the show was wonderful. Large colourful paintings were given plenty of room while smaller more monochromatic works were placed together. It was a joy to see work in person by Paul Newman whom I’ve followed online for some time as well as Buckmaster/French whose work I’d seen at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. A personal favourite was the pencil drawing by Celia de Serra, she captured beautiful light and shadow of a forest trail that mentally transported me to a secluded woodland spot.

Fonthill Beech, etching on paper by Blaze Cyan

Detail of Tangled Bank - Winter Light, acrylic on canvas by David Wiseman

A familiar face at the exhibition was Peter Driver, an artist who I met while studying at Winchester School of Art. Peter had his piece ‘Eleven Of The Seventy-Seven Drawings Made At Two Mile Intervals Walking Between Winchester and Salisbury’ on display.

It was a real thrill to see my piece alongside work by accomplished artists and in such a characterful gallery space too. My thanks go to Tim Craven, The Arborealists and guests and the Reading Tree Wardens who invited The Arborealists to exhibit in Reading and invigilated the exhibition.

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them. ❤️

Artist Interview: Cally Conway

I'm a curious type; I like to know what informs an artist. Who or what do they look to for inspiration? How do they work? Each month I will be asking an artist I admire a few questions, this month is Cally Conway.

Callieach Bheara Print By Cally Conway

Cally, many of your prints are made using a linocut process, what is it about this process that you love?

With linocuts, I love how egalitarian they are. You don’t need fancy equipment or a big studio, you can get hold of fairly cheap tools and just carve away, and then print it all by hand with the back of a spoon if you want! That’s how I started. I also love the physical process of carving an image, I find it really meditative. 

The intricacy of your prints is staggering, how long does it take to go from an idea to a finished print?

Sometimes it can take me an age from starting an image to finishing. It really does depend on what I’m doing, the size of it, intricacy etc. And the fact that I teach means I can’t work on a piece continually every day. It can be anything from a few days to weeks or months even. I seem to need to do a lot of thinking at every stage too. I’ve realised recently just how I work, and I reckon I’m quite slow...! 

Nature and folklore are your biggest sources of inspiration, what is it about recording nature that appeals to you and how do you use folklore in your work?

For me, nature is not only beautiful and essential, but it continually inspires and sustains me. Being in nature makes me feel that everything is alright with the world, even if it’s not. And I think too many of us have lost touch with that. So I like to try and capture its beauty if I can, and maybe distill some of that. With my interest in folklore, sometimes it’s not that obvious, but I love finding out stories and meanings associated with plants or animals. When I’m creating a print I will research any folklore associated with what I want to include so that there might be a connection between the different elements. 

Fallow Deer Print By Cally Conway

Hare Print By Cally Conway

Fox Print By Cally Conway

Mouse Print By Cally Conway

You are based in London and yet your work is mostly nature inspired, where do you go to source inspiration for a new piece or series of work?

Ah yes, living in London you could say it would be hard to find any aspect of nature to work from, but in truth there’s actually lots in London if you know where to find it! I spend most of my time at Kew Gardens and Hampstead Heath. I’m lucky enough to live really near Hampstead Heath and just a short train ride from Kew. Since becoming a member of Kew Gardens a few years back I can honestly say it feels like a second home. 

Tell me about your studio or creative space.

My ‘studio’ is actually a small rectangular space off my front room, where I’ve managed to fit a work table, inking table, and printing press. No idea how I managed to squash it all in. I’d love to have more space but it just about works as a mini studio. It has a large window great for light, and for watching the local foxes and birds. And it also has the added bonus of being the place my cat races in from outside- usually with muddy paws and straight onto any print I’ve left laying around!  

Wildflowers by Cally Conway

Welsh Poppies by Cally Conway

What artists (living or dead) inspire you?

There are tons of artists I admire so I’ll mention some of my long time favourites: I’m fascinated by Louise Bourgeois’ work, I began experimenting with printmaking after discovering her work at art college. Marthe Armitage creates the most wonderful linocut repeat prints for wallpaper and Agnes Miller Parker is a long time favourite for her exquisite wood engravings. 

I love learning random facts about people, tell me three things about yourself.

• I’m a bit small, probably 5ft (I never measure myself, maybe I should?) every item of clothing is always too long...!
•  My cat Arwen is named after the beautiful elf in The Lord of the Rings, her middle name is Monkey (do other people give their cats middle names?!)
• I’m a proper insomniac which is really frustrating. Once I read an Alan Moore biography (called ‘Storyteller’) in two weeks just in the hours I couldn’t sleep. It became my ‘not sleeping’ book (great book if you love the writer Alan Moore!).

Finally, where can people follow your work online?

I have a website; callyconwayprints.com (which I must get better at updating) to view my prints. 
@callyconwayprints on Instagram
@callyconway on Twitter
@callyconwayprints on Facebook
And my prints are for sale on: Made By Hand Online and Folksy

Thank you to Cally for taking part in my artist interview series. I just love Cally's intricately detailed prints of botanicals and find her animal pieces enchanting. To purchase a print from Cally please take a look at her store on Folksy and Made By Hand Online and be sure to follow her creative endeavours on social media using the links above. 

If you'd like to take part in my artist interviews series then please do get in touch at claireleanneleach@gmail.com. 

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them. ❤️