Study from woodcut in the Hart Collection
My name is Julia and I am a local artist specialising in painting and printmaking. Over the next few months I have the privilege of being Artist in Residence at Blackburn Museum.
I have been a fan of Blackburn Museum since I first visited it as a small child. From the taxidermy and the beetles to the Hart collection of amazing manuscripts there is so much to inspire the imagination. With quality fine art and real gold coins it’s a genuine treasure trove. Museums are a great resource for artists or anyone looking for creative inspiration. I can highly recommend an afternoon sketching the artefacts and seeing where the ideas take you. My sketches are often the starting point for prints created from blocks of lino, wood or vinyl.
I will be working with the Columbian printing press which is newly installed in the Skill and Labour Gallery. It’s a wonderful piece of cast iron machinery that really works. The eagle and serpent decorations may be mostly surplus to requirements but they do make for an unforgettable piece of kit.
There will be opportunities to see me working with the Columbian press at work over the next few months and I will be delivering a number of workshops to the general public which means that you to could try your hand at printing with this great machine. I will be following up with dates and times soon so keep an eye on the Museums website and blog for further information.