Hi everyone, and welcome to the April newsletter. I write these each month to share seasonal reflections from nature and gentle ideas for sustaining a regular creative practice. You’ll also find details of my upcoming workshops and other seasonal ideas.
April always feels like a turning point. With the clocks going forward, there’s more light in the evenings and I can’t help but notice fresh greens appearing, blossom starting to show, and the soft shapes of catkins. Even with the occasional return to colder weather, it feels as though the promise of summer is on its way.
At this time of year, I find myself noticing the vivid bright green of new leaves, so different from what will come later and the brief flashes of blossom that won’t last for long. The world feels brighter and full of promise including the bluebells which will soon be carpeting the woods nearby.
Seeing all these colours and new shapes can help me feel more playful in my own art work. I find print-making one of the best ways to play with the colours and shapes I am seeing around me. It’s less about recreating exact detail of what I see, and more about responding by simplifying, playing and seeing what emerges. Print-making is also great fun because the outcomes can be so unexpected. I work with soft-cut lino, carving the negative space to leave the raised image for ink. I’ve refined my process so I get some really strong results now which takes away a lot of the frustration I used to feel when areas didn’t print well. I absolutely love sharing this with others at printing workshops; that moment when a participant pulls the print from the press to see what they have produced is pure magic!
In the meantime, April is a good moment to notice the return of colour and perhaps bring a little of that energy into your own creative practice.
Would like to try botanical lino-printing?
If you’d like to give it a try, I’ll be running a Botanical Printing workshop at the Botanical Gardens in July, when we’ll have all the colours and shapes to explore in the beautiful gardens!
Whether you’re new to printing or have tried it before, these sessions provide a supportive space to try new techniques, develop skills and create alongside others who enjoy doing the same.
Other workshops booking now:
Other ways to enjoy colour in April…
- Enjoy the return of colour to the woods – It will soon be bluebell season and there is nothing better than enjoying a stroll through a bluebell-carpeted woodland with the colours a special mix of bright green and pale blue/purple. Sheffield Wildlife Trust’s Bluebell Map shows the woodlands where you are likely to find native bluebells.
- Visit ‘Making Waves’ – The Art of Japanese Woodblock’ – This exhibition at York Art Gallery features a range of printwork from Japan including Hokasai’s ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’. Expect lots of Prussian blue – the colour that so excited Victorian England and makes these pieces of art so unique.
- Enjoy some armchair escapism by watching ‘Race Across the World’ – The new series returns on Thursday 2nd April and is a great way to get some travel inspiration. This time they will be racing from Italy to Mongolia through countries with some of the most interesting art and culture in the world.
If you enjoy gentle creative ideas, nature-based inspiration, and invitations to slow art workshops in Sheffield, you’re very welcome to stay subscribed — and to share this with anyone who might enjoy making a little more space for creativity.
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