Throughout 2023, participants of SPW’s project MiniPrint Wales 2023 were busy making small-scale work in the studio, at home, and out in the community.
The specific size of the image – 10cm x 10cm – has recently become very popular in international printmaking circles not only for its accessibility – it uses less resources, is easy to package and send around the world for competitions and exhibition – but because it encourages experimentation with processes and materials.
We set out to find workshop leaders who could lead us into new territory while nurturing creativity and sharing their extensive printmaking knowledge.
Over 300 prints were created during the project and a large selection of this work – from people new to printmaking as well as more experienced artists – is showcased here. Artwork is displayed under the lead artists to illuminate the different processes, materials and approaches each offered. It also beautifully demonstrates the boundless variety of styles and subject matter possible and even, you could say, prompted by the challenge of mini prints.
Judith Stroud
demonstrated the advantages of using Japanese Vinyl as a relief printing medium. It is much thinner and more flexible than traditional lino and can be easily cut into interlocking pieces. These can then be inked up separately in different colours and put back together again.
Flora McLachlan
introduced us to relief collagraph using a new material that was more commonly used for drypoint prints in the studio. This process has become very popular with our members with new workshops quickly being booked up. She uses a range of ‘found’ objects to press into the card to make textures and lines which then appear as white marks on the print. There is much scope for research and experiment.
Andrew Baldwin
is the inventor of an etching ground which has revolutionised a process that traditionally used very toxic materials with etchers working in a very harmful environment. This has become a very popular process with our members as if offers so many interesting ways of putting an image on a range of metal substrates.
Vinita Voogd
uses Chine Collé to establish rich colourful backgrounds for relief prints and collagraphs. Japanese papers are traditionally used, but other materials such as tissue paper, maps, sheet music, even fabric – anything delicate enough to be printed onto – can work and offers many creative possibilities.
Mark Pavey
has introduced many of our members to their first opportunity to use our collection of wooden type in an informed way. We have been able to organise them for easy viewing and selection and look forward to seeing much more type-based work being produced in the studio.
Sarah Hopkins
In addition to our invited artist workshops, our normal workshop programme offered the opportunity for our members to take part in the project. Sarah’s technique using cut paper stencils for screenprint is hugely popular and was ideal fro producing these small-scale prints.
For more information on the project, please visit MiniPrint Wales 2023. You can read about other projects in our Project Archive section that we have delivered over the years.