Same, but Different

We are pleased to announce that our next exhibition- titled ‘Same, but Different’- focuses on the recent work of WYPW studio-holder Jenny Thomas.

Jenny Thomas is a printmaker whose work is inspired by both urban and rural landscapes. She works from memory using a variety of relief printmaking techniques in combination, specializing in linocut, woodcut and monoprint. Vital to Jenny’s creative output is the belief that there are ‘no such things as accidents’, with elements of chance, spontaneity and improvisation fully embraced to generate unique and subtly varied prints, which leave her free from what she calls the ‘tyranny of editioning’.

The works presented in this exhibition are the fruit of over a year’s exploration of a technique whereby lino is etched with a caustic soda solution prior to relief printing. This is a very painterly technique which can produce a wide range of tones- from delicate washes to bold, commanding textural marks. Jenny uses multiple blocks, cut paper stencils and offset rolling to conjure remembered and imaginary landscapes in multiple layers of ink. The compositions often evoke forests or coastal scenes - prominent settings of Jenny’s past- and frequently feature ghostly anthropomorphic forms or groups of standing stones on distant horizons.

Scale and orientation are often ambiguous- an outcome of Jenny’s impromptu working methods which she enjoys accentuating. Recent experiments have focused on the impact of rich and contrasting colour, pushing pieces further towards abstraction and challenging normative ways of seeing landscape.

For more information visit http://www.wypw.org/blog/same-but-different-june-27-july-25/