Meet the printmaker - LonghurstLino

This week on Meet the Printmaker, we meet Wayne from LonghurstLino, a fellow home studio printmaker with a love of photorealistic prints.

Please introduce yourself and what kind of prints you create...

Hiya! I'm Wayne, but you might know me as LonghurstLino over there on the socials and t'internet. I tend to create highly detailed prints, where I want to make them as photorealistic as possible (some might say; why don't you just take a picture then? But where's the fun in that...?!?)

How long have you been a printmaker? Is it a full-time career for you or a lovely hobby? If you are a full-time printmaker, what does a typical day for you look like?

I only discovered linocutting about 10 years ago (I've just turned 40, but don't tell anyone), so it completely bypassed me at school. I'll go into how I got into it in the next question (stay tuned!). Excuse the pun, but I've managed to 'carve' myself a balance between work and printing. The work element (which pays most of the adult bills) isn't related to printing whatsoever, and lasts three days of the week. The rest of the week I'm focused on my printing exploits. During those days I'll be doing one of three things; thinking/printing/admin...usually in that order. Who enjoys admin? You're weird if you do...! Probably explains why I've taken so long to get around to submitting this interview, sorry about that!

What was the spark that first got you hooked on printmaking? What is it about your medium that draws you in each day?

I was wandering around an artist's open house whilst on holiday in South Wales, and looking at Lee Wright's work, which I loved (bought a couple actually!) and got chatting to Lee, when I found out about linocuts, and he explained about reductions/multi-plates and everything in between. I wasn't actively looking for an artform to get into, but I've always been into art (probably my favourite subject at school, but that might have been to do with the lack of discipline from the teacher...who knows!) and this medium struck a cord. So, I got an Essdee starter kit from Amazon. Cost about 20 quid (and I had a voucher, so it costs me nothing really). Since then, I've taught myself through a lot of trial and error. I think it's that which draws me back; I'm always learning and still making the occasional mistake. If you're perfect at something, then it's just boring. Why do something if you're not learning and pushing yourself out of your boundaries...? Learn from your mistakes and move on.

What inspires you? What or who would you say your biggest influences are?

I've often called myself an eclectic print maker. I don't know if I have a 'look' or a 'thing'. Perhaps I do, I've done a hell of a lot of animals, which I love doing, but boy do they take a while. But that's just because I want them to be as realistic as possible. But I can go from a highly detailed tiger (which took the best part of 4 months, on and off), then to a parody of the 'Top of the Pops' logo...how the hell that works, I'll never know... As for influencers, well, there's just so much amazing work out there. Lee Wright will always be my go to, as he got me into it and I'm still in touch with him (can't wait to meet up for a beer or two once this stupid lock down is over). I love the work of Ieuane Edwards, his recent texture work is awesome (his Ammonite is just, WOW!). I've gotta give a shout out to Nick Morley too, as his book 'Linocut' is a bit of a bible.

If you could give some advice to new printmakers, what would be your most useful tips for beginners?

Three words; practice, practice, practice. As cheesy as that sounds, it's true. You can read books...scroll through social media all you want. Yeah, something will sink in from that, and you'll get some inspiration, but the only way you'll truly learn is through doing. If you muck it up, you muck it up. It doesn't really matter....it might feel like it does at the time, and god knows I've sworn at my prints, when they haven't worked out (and trust me, there are 1 or 2 that are never seeing the light of day), but soon, and more often than not, something will click and you'll be off and running. So, grab yourself a £20 starter kit, and get carving.

What do your prints say about you? How do you want people to feel when they look at your prints?

They probably say that I should be a photographer! I do wonder sometimes...nah, printing is where my true passion lies. I might use photos as an initial reference, but the process of creating a linocut from them is awesome. I really want people to get up close with my work, and see the detail in them. Does that sound pretentious or conceited...possibly, I don't mean to be. But, that's what I want people to do. To initially see it as a photograph, and then get in to the detail and realise it's a lino cut.

Are your prints influenced by external events (social, political) or do you prefer your work to remain neutral?

Not at all. I give social and political events a very wide berth where my prints are involved. That's a bloody minefield I have no desire to walk through!

Do you have a favourite part of the printmaking process? What brings you the most joy?

The carving and the reveal. Without getting too poetic; There's nothing better than putting that carving tool into the lino for the first time on a new print. It can be nerve wracking too...have I planned this right?!? Am I taking too much away?!? Ah well, you've committed yourself now! And then comes the next best part; the reveal...when you discover if it's worked (yay!) or you've just wasted half a day or more carving...so exciting! Us printmakers are a weird bunch......

How do you print? Do you have access to a studio or are you a home printmaker?

I'm incredibly lucky to have a home studio. It's only a small converted bedroom, but it's all mine! I love it. It might get a bit cramped at times, and I do need more space, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to take over the dining room.... Top tip if you're printing at home; get yourself a retractable washing line. It's a great space saving way to hang and dry your prints!

Every day feels like a school day when you're a printmaker and failure is not talked about too much online.. what would you say is the most challenging part of printmaking?

Oh man.....that's a biggie. For me the most challenging part is transferring idea to paper....and thinking 'has this been done before?' but then I often just go with it anyway. Quite often I just have an idea and run with with it...sometimes in the wrong direction, but hey, it's done. As I've already said, learn from your mistakes and move on. Also, once it's done, how do I get it out there into the wild??? That's another minefield that I just have to walk through....lockdown hasn't helped on that front, but we aren't alone. 'We'll get there'...'keep your chin up' and all that crap...

What is your next big printmaking challenge? Do you have a plan for the next 12 months or do you take each day as it comes?

I don't set myself new year's resolutions, however, this year I want play with colour more. I got myself into a bit of a black and white quagmire last year. Don't get me wrong, I love all the prints that I made last year, but I just want to get more colour into my palate. So, I've already gone through all my inks and made reference sheets, to see how they print in different shades. Look out for more colourful prints soon....! I also want to get over that terrible thing called 'imposter syndrome'. I've suffered from it for years. Not really sure that I will ever get over it (not necessarily a bad thing, it's humbling) but I want to put myself forward for more things and get involved with events. In a nutshell, I want to say 'yes I can' rather than 'no I can't'....at the very least it'll take me out of my comfort zone. Fingers crossed!

Where can people find out more about you and your prints?

I'm on a couple of the socials; facebook and Instagram (search for LonghurstLino and you'll find me). Haven't really mastered twitter...that's just one massive argument, isn't it...? Tik tok...just what the hell is that?!? Nope I've also got a website; longhurstlino.com.

Little question round...

What is your favourite print (of your own)?

Elephant (my first animal print)

Music/podcasts when you're creating or silence?

Audible (love escaping into a good book)

Printing press or by hand?

Can I say both? I'm going to say both

If you could meet any artist (alive or dead), who would it be?

Probably predictable and cheesy, but Van Gogh

One word to sum up your style?

Detailed

A big thank you to Wayne for this brilliant interview. You can view their website here and follow their adventures on Instagram here.