PRINTING WILDLIFE: Approaches to Wildlife Printmaking

A Langford Press first edition August 2016 with useful glossary which explains etching techniques for creating tonal areas such as aquatint, tools for burnishing like the baren, Intaglio printing made from depressions in the plate, kozo fibre used to make Japanese papers for woodblock printing and Shellac lacquer to varnish collagraphs among them. Lisa Hooper settled in southwest Scotland and became a full time artist making woodcuts, linocuts, monotypes and collagraphs. She continues to be fascinated by printmaking and Japanese woodblock printing and was taught the art of white line woodblock printing, a North American technique. Originally a conservationist for the Countryside Commission, her work is characterised by bold outline designs, sometimes a little similar to Native American artists in its acute observation of nature, use of black and white and splashes of colour. Here are moths and eider ducks, cotton grass, a flock of black and a flock of white birds in cut-out style over Wigtown Harbour, a stand of plovers with some hand colouring and a splashing wave behind reminiscent of Hokusai, a two plate linocut of a jackdaw, jet black against a pale blue snowy background, an eagle capturing a fish on banana fibre paper and a beautiful linocut of a badger in the monochrome woodcuts and linocuts collection. The wildlife subjects have strikingly marked birds such as geese and ducks, pared down into an image in simple tones and strong designs. There are a series of colour photographs of the artist at work such as hand burnishing with a wooden egg or inking the block. Rustic, simple with many leftover ingredients tastefully turned into delicious dishes. 136 large pages, hundreds of colour illus.