Early Black Country Woodcuts
These woodcut prints are all autobiographical explorations of my experience of growing up in The Black Country. All of these prints all so start from pages in my sketchbooks over many years. Printmaking and especially carving into a block of wood forces sometimes unclear ideas into sharp focus. The language of woodcut printmaking is essentially working dark back to light in that every cut of the block registers as white against black, so essentially cutting a woodblock is like drawing with pure light. This contrast between light and dark find expression in the personal narratives I explore in this body of work born from the pubs, factories canals of the Black Country.
The Black Country was the most heavily industrialised part of the world the place where the industrial revolution began and where my family has lived for over 600 years. As such my ties to the area run very deep, and the stories from my ancestral line are woven into these personal narratives. Many of these prints all on a large scale or not just physically demanding to make but also give room to explore multiple layers of meaning, weather it is drinkers, fighter’s, lover’s, dancers or workers, each print is very personal.