I thought Brutalism had fallen out of the limelight…but then, perhaps not. I created this for the Bristol Wayzgoose.

In the centre is a lino cut of the Cathedral Church of SS Peter and Paul in Clifton, printed on 12 gsm Gampi Silk paper. The text giving the background story of the building is hand set in 12 point Gill Sans Bold.

I printed the paper which covers the card front and ‘Brutalism’ is printed using wood letters. Size approx 21cmx 11 cm.

This started life as a ‘simple’ chap book…. I had some vintage paper left over from the Orwell print and borrowed some wood letters.

I had two half tone blocks made and had been experimenting with them in black and white and colour and wanted to use the prints. My preoccupation with the state of the country and perennial worries about the future all came together … and the book was born.

George Orwell broadside

Photos taken Autumn/Winter 2021/22

During the pandemic we all walked…

This was a derive along the Dock Road in Liverpool. The Dock Road as it exists today is mostly down to Jesse Hartley who was the Dock Engineer between 1824 and 1860. He built many of the docks still in existence today including the Brunswick, Waterloo, Victoria, Stanley and the Bramley Moore Dock which is the site of the new Everton Football Stadium.

There are many Grade two listed buildings along its seven mile stretch…the Herculaneum steps, the Carriage Ramps and Steps that led to a bridge over the Cheshire Lines Railway, the Hydraulic Station at Toxteth Dock, the Customs Depot, the Gatekeeper’s Lodge and Hydraulic Tower at Wapping, Mann Island Pumping Station, George’s Dock Ventilation and Control Tower.. to name a few.

This project took up most of a year but was ultimately abandoned…

During this past year making work has been a real challenge not least because being creative in isolation is like working in the dark… but it did give time…lots of time.

Backlash

I created a book…Backlash in response to the killing of George Floyd. The title comes from the Backlash Blues sung by Nina Simone.

It was originally a poem by Langston Hughes who was a writer, playwright and poet at the heart of the Harlem renaissance during the 1960s.

My colleague at Juniper press, Ken Burnley secured the long term  stewardship of the Columbian press that sat in the Liverpool Echo and Daily Post building in Liverpool and this was subsequently moved to  the new Museum of Printing in  Birkenhead.

I resolved to make some large scale work in order to  use the press and conceived of these pieces:

Everything is Connected has a hand drawn screen printed background, the imagery coming from all over, including diverse flora and fauna, birds, historical figures, art works and artists.

The backgrounds to the  two Wild in the Country broadside are taken from my photographs off trees developed into screen prints.

I couldn’t make up mind which of the two tree images I preferred so I decided to print both of them.

All the broadsides are A2 size and are printed on Hairy Manilla recycled paper.

… Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

……..

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

Under lockdown I made this book. The images here are pages which are overlaid with text. There are pp 13 in all. The text has been hand set in 12 point Caslon and printed on 25 gsm Kozo paper. They were printed on an Adana 8×5 Printing Press.

My original photographs were digitally printed. The book has a hard back cover and was sewn and bound by hand using a Japanese stab binding.

https://vimeo.com/424116485

Tree

Title Page

Maya Angelou

William Blake

Karl Ove Knausgard

Robert MacFarlane

Linda Pastan

George Orwell

Ursula Le Guin

Jacob George Strutt

Ovid

Pages with overlaid texts.