Irish-born artist Paula Pohli’s hand-produced prints are essays in studied simplicity and reflection. Drawing on the visual traditions of German Expressionist and traditional Japanese printmaking, her intricate and deliberate linographs describe subjects ranging from the weathered landscapes of the earth to imagined encounters in another universe. Done mostly with organic dyes and always without recourse to printing presses or computers, each of Pohli’s prints reflects the nuances of being hand pulled, and her titles are often witty references to Irish landmarks or landscapes. The artist also draws inspiration from the great literary tradition of Ireland—especially the works of James Joyce—and hopes to contribute to the development of printmaking within the country.

including Untitled (lucas/crane) (left)

Printmaking is, and always will be, my first choice for making art. It is the carving of wood, the scratching on Perspex, sculpting with plaster, drawing with acid on metal and then printing the result, which continues to absorb me. The combination of traditional printmaking and more contemporary and innovative printing techniques means that the possibilities are endless, and this is what I really relish. My work is always influenced by my surroundings; many of my recent abstract pieces are strongly influenced by years of living by the sea in Cornwall. Other more figurative, narrative works are always a reflection of my life, but my images probably express aspects of everyone’s lives - I am illustrating things we all experience.

Organic or man-made sculpted forms provided an initial starting point for this new suite of prints. In many ways they are like notes in a nature study notebook or psuedo-scientific illustrations. I have been exploring these themes for some time and I find the medium of printmaking, copperplate etching in particular, especially suitable for the articulation of these ideas. The biting into the copper of the initial idea and the subsequent work on the plate allows the image to be either obliterated or developed.

Quintessential British life with a twist is portrayed in Ray Richardson’s work. There is edginess to his work that juxtaposes the more traditional English landscape/scene with more sinister urban elements such as a shaded figure or his trademark English bull dog. Richardson’s interest in the 1950’s &‘B’ movies is also noticeable in the general style and finish to his work.

Piia Rossi has always drawn inspiration for her work from architecture. She is interested in the concept of how people construct buildings in an orderly manner seeking to have control over their surroundings. Through her prints, Rossi creates mysterious and evocative buildings and environments. These are fictional, anonymous places with unknown histories, composed so that they connect with each other. The prints in the exhibition reflect the many roles and attributes of buildings throughout the ages such as strength, order, power, control, protection, identity and beauty. Rossi contrasts delicate with bold, old with modern, representational with semi-abstract. A strong sense of order is obvious in Rossi’s monoprints. Her work is about cultivated compositions and refined mark making. Her inspiration for the drawing mark and composition is coming from Romanesque and Renaissance times. She is a great believer of a ‘rebirth’ of traditional skills, styles and draughtsmanship.

Specializing in etching, Naomi Sex's prints encapsulate the essence of particular times and places. Exhibiting these pictorial descriptions of personal slices of history allow the viewer to access a glimpse of a private version of events, akin to finding a strangers lost diary, ripping out random pages and reading them. These snippets of a life can then be experienced and re-interpreted in a public domain.