All items by Stuart Brocklehurst - Printmaker

I am an Artist Printmaker making original limited edition prints, all the prints here are original works created and printed by myself in my studio in the Calder Valley in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

My work is representational and naturalistic. There are no hidden meanings or subliminal messages. The prints I make are personal interpretations of those subjects that interest and inspire me. There are recurring themes: wildlife subjects, the landscapes of the north of England, Wales and the Scottish Borders. However, despite these common motifs I don't consider myself to be either a wildlife or landscape artist. Being first and foremost a printmaker, happy to tackle any subject I feel will make an interesting or challenging print.

By its nature the making of an original print is a slow, methodical, deliberate process but one which does still retain a certain amount of spontaneity and surprise at the finished outcome. No matter how much planning and consideration has gone into preparing the work, nothing is certain until the moment when the paper is peeled away from the inked block and the image is finally revealed.

I make both relief (Linocut) and intaglio (Mezzotint) prints. Each equally as important but allowing different interpretations of a subject. Using flat and blended rolls of colour my linocuts are an exploration of colour and pattern. With mezzotint, I can work in a more personal, expressive way to capture the mood and atmosphere of a subject.

For me printmaking is a marvellous alchemy of craftsmanship skills and art. I take pleasure in working in a traditional way with tools and methods that are essentially little changed over the centuries. Even the laborious process of preparing a mezzotint ground on a copper plate, has I find a meditative, contemplative quality. It slows down the creative process, allowing time for thoughts about the forthcoming print to come together and crystalize in my minds' eye.

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