Brighton Print Fair

I am back screen printing in Birmingham after spending a few days at the first Brighton Print Fair which was held in the Phoenix Brighton. It was organised & curated by Tutton & Young who did an amazing job of publicising the fair as well as all the individual exhibitors. The exhibition style format & display of unframed work suited my screen prints just fine. It was great to be part of such an exciting show & to exhibit my work alongside so many printmakers I admire. www.brightonartfair.co.uk

There was alot of work at the print fair which I am already familiar with including Belinda Chen's wonderful screen prints. Belinda was exhibiting as part of East London Printmakers where she prints her work. I've been a fan of her illustration & printmaking since seeing it when we both exhibited at the 'Handmade and Bound' artists' book fair many years ago. Her screen prints are so colourful, imaginative & full of detail! www.belsartworld.com

I also love Jane Walker's reduction lino prints & it was a real treat to see an entire collection of them displayed together. I am drawn to the uniformity of her designs & the perfection of her printmaking. I like shininess of the inks as well as how smooth & flat the blocks of colour are. I was very lucky to meet Jane at the print fair & find out a little bit more about her work. www.janewalkerprintmaker.com

It was good to see such a variety of relief printing at the fair. I have only recently come across Bernard Lodge's lino cuts & wood cuts & the fair was a chance to see them close up. He has a very distinctive style & his prints are so unique. I love the bold graphic shapes, striking colour combinations & transparency of the inks. bernardlodge.moonfruit.com

Another relief printer whose work really stood out was Teresa Winchester. I've not seen her prints before & thought they looked stunning displayed on the black walls of the Phoenix. Her work has such a magical quality. I like the bold animal & bird characters combined with floral & foliage patterns against bright coloured backgrounds.www.teresawinchester.co.uk 

Alongside the print fair there were printmaking workshops running at the Phoenix. I booked a place on Jane Sampson's three colour monoprint workshop. It was a great opportunity to learn from a professional printmaker. I really enjoyed the technique Jane taught us & I picked up some good tips. I even managed to avoid mark making for the entire session by using paper shapes instead of drawing! I would love to do another of Jane's workshops & also visit Ink Spot Press, the print studio she runs in Brighton. www.inkspotpress.co.uk

I enjoyed my time at Brighton Print Fair & was sad when it was over but I felt like I had made the most of the experience. I was impressed with how well organised & publicised the fair was & from what I saw there were lots of enthusiastic visitors. I hope Tutton & Young decide to put on a second Brighton Print Fair! www.tuttonandyoung.co.uk