The inspiration for this print was a magnolia tree in the park down the road. I think the colours are simple but very effective.

This time I lightened the blue and used olive green. Perhaps it turned out a bit too green. Might have looked better if the sky/ background at the top was blue. Too late now!

The dynamic diagonal works well on this one.

Finally I cut out all the areas that are red. Now only the areas of the design that I want to be black remain. The final printing is in black ink and then the print is complete. The registration is immaculate on some of the prints because even the lines between the woman’s toes have come out white – ‘nice crisp toes’. The block is now unusable and can’t be used to print more images. The print is called “Sundance”.

Next I clean the block and cut out everything in the design that I want to appear in yellow ochre. I then print the block for a second time in the next colour, in this case scarlet red. I print the block in exactly the same position on the paper each time. The red prints on top of the yellow and so comes out a more orange version than the scarlet from the tube.

I’ve cut out the white lines of the image only. Then I print the block at this stage using the lightest colour ink in the design – in this case yellow ochre.

You can see the design that I have drawn in felt tip for this print on the right of the photo. Firstly, I transfer the reversed image of the design onto the lino using tracing paper. Then I cut only the white lines of the design into the lino.

I was watching Wonderland on television and it reminded me of this print. I didn’t learn to swim until I was an adult and then I used to go for a swim everyday at the Imperial Hotel in Torquay. The ‘Imperial Ladies’ are the dedicated swimmers that I used to see in the pool there. They were always very absorbed in their own world and I think this print captures that. I like the half-moon faces and the intensity of the blue.

image size (w x h) – 150mm x 210mm
technique – two colour reduction linocut
edition size – 8
paper – Somerset

This is one of a series of cuts illustrating fairy tales. I think the design is reminiscent of Russian folk art and I like how the design is entirely contained within her cape. I wanted to cut it as if it was a piece of needlework.

The gold ink is incredible to print with, as a little goes a very long way.

image size (w x h) – 300mm x 300mm
technique – three colour reduction linocut
edition size – 9
paper – Somerset

The Goat Walk is a raised footpath that runs from the end of The Strand to Elm Grove Road beside the Exe estuary in Topsham, Devon. I have gone for many Sunday walks along this path and so I decided to use it as one of my first experiments with landscape. I wanted to incorporate pattern within the landscape and I used yellow ochre with two shades of grey and black. I wanted the curled ferns in the foreground to look a little like goats’ horns. The figures are very stylised, but I like the way their shadows look so serene on the white path.

image size (w x h) – 300mm x 300mm
technique – four colour reduction linocut
edition size – 6
paper – Fabriano Artistico