Featured Maker: Helen Murgatroyd
Featured Maker: Helen Murgatroyd
2nd September - 22nd October, Retail Gallery
Helen is a printmaker based in Bude, North Cornwall. She makes linocuts that document the rural community she lives and works in. Her practise is rooted in observational drawing. She attends traditional local events, and documents in her sketchbook the places and people she meets. In her studio, working directly from these drawings she creates images that aim to capture humility in the work and leisure activities she depicts. She is captivated by the challenge of translating spontaneous, hand-drawn marks into the graphic medium of Linocut.
An artist residency in Nepal in 2017 and a drawing trip to Morocco in 2019 provided dedicated and focused time to develop her sketchbook-to-print process. Some of the prints that emerged from these projects are included in the work she is sharing at MAKE Southwest.
An ongoing series she is currently working on is based on the farm where she lives. Observing daily and annual rituals, she aims to shine a light on the often-unseen processes of a working dairy farm.
Helen completed an MA in Printmaking at the Royal College of Art and continues to exhibit her work widely. Most recently ‘Linocut 2’ in Whitstable, and ‘Printfest’ in Cumbria, where in 2019 she was voted ‘Printmaker’s Printmaker’.
