Julie North - Relief and intaglio printmaker

I am a relief and intaglio printmaker, producing linocut, dry point and collagraph prints, which are inspired by the natural environment around me.  From the moment I took a short course on linocut printmaking, I was hooked.  Since the first tentative steps of working independently (in the attic), I now predominantly use the reduction method to produce linocut prints.  I have also expanded into the techniques of intaglio printmaking and love the very different effects that can be achieved with dry point and collagraph printmaking. 

 

A momentary tableau, perhaps seen on a drive or a walk will often be the starting point for my prints.  Initially, my images are created in detailed pencil drawings and selected drawings are then transferred to the appropriate substrate (plate) for the printmaking method of choice.  I use Japanese vinyl for my linocuts (relief printmaking), whereby a series of strategic cuts and marks are made in the vinyl, before the plate is inked-up ready for printing.  Different colours are used (usually from light to dark) to build up the image in layers by alternating a round of cutting with the next colour pass, to gradually produce the final print.  These prints can have 7 or more colour passes, depending on complexity of the design.  I never tire of the thrill of seeing the prints unfold after each stage of cutting and inking, while the vinyl block gradually diminishes; each edition of prints is unique and cannot be re-printed; such is the nature of the reduction method.

 

For intaglio printmaking, I use acetate plates for dry points and mount card for my collagraphs.   For both methods, the plates are scratched, cut and/ or marked and the ink is then pressed into these marks before the plates are carefully cleaned.  I then run the prepared plates through my Hawthorn press at high pressure to transfer the image/s onto paper.  I am particularly attracted to shadows and tones, which I enjoy describing in my pencil drawings and which can be translated well into dry point or collagraph images.  For me, the fascination with creating these prints is the transformation from drawing to the ‘heart-in-mouth’ moment as the image comes off the press.

 

I was born in Whitstable and grew up in Canterbury, England, where my love of nature and the countryside began.  My husband and I moved to Yorkshire in the late 1980s; we were fortunate to be close to open farmland; this and the diverse open spaces North Yorkshire had to offer, was a constant source of inspiration.  In 2015, we sold up and moved to rural France in the Department of Mayenne, Pays de la Loire, taking over an old farmhouse and acre of land.  A break in printmaking was necessary as we created our new home and started work in the garden, while making new friends in the local community.  The countryside is on our doorstep and we are constantly visited by the wildlife - birds, mammals, insects - all playing a part to inspire the artist in me.  I now have a new studio, which is an amazing space and I hope for many more years to come of printmaking and creativity... 

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