Magic Cochin unplugged - days 2 & 3

I wasn't in Norfolk for a holiday, I was there for a three day printmaking workshop at the Broadland Arts Centre. The tutor was Richard Bawden, one of Britains most experienced printmakers and an undoubted expert in linocuts.


Richard brought along a portfolio of some of his recent work, this one of his cat and a pink amarylis is a tour de force!


I wanted to experiment with using more colour in my prints – I tend to play safe and use one or two colours. I used a watercolour sketch of purple podded peas and my Japanese fish brush rest as my inspiration for a series of multi-layered prints.


I was pleased with my pea pod design but the layers of colour need much more work. It has sparked off a whole series of ideas for vegetable and plants based designs which are a mix of stylised foliage and more formal images.

There was a great bunch of people on the course and we all worked incredibly hard to make the most of having Richard there to give us help, advice and encouragement. We felt so lucky that he still generously passes on his wealth of knowledge, and does so with such wit and charm. No wonder many students return year after year!