WENDA BARTLETT ARTS

This leaping cat lino cut was based on my own black cat

As a printmaker, I enjoy working with a wide variety of printing techniques.Some of these include etching, lino cut, wood engraving, woodcut and collagraph.This site shows a variety of prints and craft items which have been the outcome of this.These include original limited edition prints, hand printed scarves ,tote bags and cards . Other craft items have been made based on my designs, such as notebooks and keyrings. I'm interested in conservation and ecology and subjects of the original prints include animals, birds, trees, seascapes and landscapes. I get my inspiration from everyday pottering around on my allotment as well as coastal walking. In recent years I've been commissioned to do a linocut of a Hare for the Hare Preservation Society. Sadly these amazing animals are near extinction. Also I've been involved in a project called "Rewilding" which aimed to raise public awareness on the plight of many British birds, including the turtle dove, which are nearing extinction. I am a member of Spike Print Studio , Bristol, where I work on my prints.

This lino cut has been printed on wet paper to create an embossed effect and then hand finished with water colour

This lying cat lino cut image has been used on cards, mugs and keyrings.

This fox etching picture has been used on mugs, drink mats, table mats and cards

Origins

History

One day I walked past a sign saying Etching Saturday School and was intrigued. I'd heard of etching and thought it would be interesting to enrol for the course. I didn't have an art school qualification, having trained as a teacher, but was active in art in my spare time. The course, over a full day enabled me to leave with a finished print, working from scratch. After that I was hooked. I never looked back and have been printmaking ever since. I have been working in both relief printmaking and intaglio. After etching , I moved to relief printing, producing lino cuts , wood engraving, woodcuts and collagraph . In recent years I have gone on to transfer these designs to textiles, printing on cotton and then silk. I also had a series of items produced as well as a variety of cards printed .

Original Prints

Etchings ,lino cuts and wood engravings have been printed as limited editions. Silk scarves were a lockdown project when the studio was shut. I managed to print them individually at home . They are hand printed with fabric inks which are colour fast and can be washed in warm water. I also printed on canvas tote bags with some of my lino cut blocks. Nowadays I have returned to conventional printing

Cards

A wide variety of cards have been printed both in small and large sizes. They are also in themed packs of five, with a heading card in a cellophane pack. Recently I've been looking at the idea of a cardboard presentation box rather than cellophane.