Press and play: Experimental printmaking

Spend a day exploring discovering the possibilities of printmaking, inspired by Yinka Shonibare and Thomas Gainsborough: A Conversation , an exhibition that brings historic and contemporary artistic voices together. Using this dialogue between past and present as a starting point, artist and educator Alex Bowie will guide you in responding to artworks through tactile, innovative printmaking processes. This hands-on workshop invites you to explore how artists revisit, reinterpret and reimagine images and ideas, translating visual details, textures and impressions into your own prints. With an emphasis on playful mark-making, the course encourages curiosity and experimentation, offering space to develop personal responses rather than fixed outcomes. Working intuitively with ink, plate and paper, you’ll explore a variety of techniques to build layered, expressive images. Using both a full-sized press and portable postcard presses, you’ll have the opportunity to move between scales, testing ideas quickly in small formats before developing them into more resolved prints. Throughout the day, Alex will introduce a range of mark-making and printmaking processes through demonstrations and individual guidance in a relaxed, welcoming environment. Suitable for beginners as well as those looking to refresh their practice, this workshop offers the opportunity to develop new skills, experiment with materials and create a unique set of prints to take home. By the end of the session, you’ll have a fresh perspective on how artists from different periods can inspire new ways of making and thinking today. This session is suitable for all levels of artists. All materials are provided, and your work is yours to take home. Handouts with extra resources will be provided in advance of the session. Suitable for participants aged 18 or over.