My shop will be closing on Thursday 19 December for my Xmas break. I’ll be re-opening on 25 January, until then I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Jo

Most of my print designs are inspired by Northern Hemisphere landscape, animals and folklore, although sometimes my Manchester roots peep through!

My first linocut design idea came to me whilst on holiday in 2011. We had travelled the breadth of Canada on a road trip and encountered 32 black bears, often at close quarters, and I completely fell in love with them. One particular individual wandered out of the forest in search of buffalo berries which were in season at the time and as I sat watching him, the strange way he ambled along captured my imagination. I had not done any lino print since art college many years previously but I knew it would prove the best medium for the image I had in my head. The little bear on my logo is this original linocut design. Ever since then, I have been drawn towards Northern Hemisphere landscape, animals and folklore.
I am fortunate that I work from a room in my house overlooking the garden. We have a number of mature trees and the wild end of the garden is frequented by a family of foxes. Sometimes they take to sleeping on our trampoline! Many birds also visit and I always keep a supply of nuts and mealworms available for them. It's lovely to gaze up from my table and see some interesting wildlife goings on. Our dog and cat keep me company during the day, often right under my feet, and feature on my Animal Lovers coaster set. So the animals in and around my home are another source of inspiration, as is my home town environment... including Coronation Street!

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