James Green Printworks

OK OK, I know I was a bit slack in December not running this feature and there's no excuse really, other than it being Christmas and my freelance work was really busy, but no excuses.

This month's featured Folksy Seller is no other than James Green of James Green Printworks fame. James produces a rather wonderful range of lino cut and etching prints. James has been producing prints for the last six years and has had some great successes over that period. Notably, in 2006 when his etching entitled `Paris Buggy` was shortlisted for the 6th International Small Print competition. James was also commissioned by Paul Smith Menswear to produce images for their T-shirts for their Japanese stores.

James also confesses to have a second passion in his life, which is his music. I actually did take the time to visit his band's website (www.big-eyes.co.uk) and had a listen. I know it's not going to be for everyone but then what is, but I really liked the music, best described as acoustic instrumental (the tracks I listened to) and very chilled. The band's fanbase even included no other than the legendary John Peel and he played several of their tracks on Radio 1.

Anyway, enough of the music, I'm here to showcase Jame's printwork. Here's a selection of my personal favourites from James's Folksy shop:

Imaginary London

The Donkey Symposium

Pigeons

Psalter Lane View

Sharrowvale View

The Stag

I managed to pin down James for a quick Q&A session (electronically of course). This wasn't a full in depth interview, just a few questions to better understand his work:

1.  I notice you take inspiration from both rural and urban landscapes, any preference and do you go to the places you depict in your work?

I have no preference for rural or urban. I just enjoy the shapes of the landscapes that I encounter, whether they be seaside or terrace or hi-rise; the patterns and the randomness. So far, I've always been to the location that I end up turning into a print. I feel it gives me a better sense of the atmosphere there. I went to Whitby recently and was blown away by the place. I hadn't intended to do a print of it, but felt compelled to once I had wandered round.

2. If you had to choose, Lino cuts or etchings?

Linocuts, as they were my first love! I do love etchings too, but the process is a lot more complex and expensive. I dream about lino. Is that odd?

3. I note that some of your work for sale on Folksy is a digital print of your original work, is this the way you see your work going or do you prefer selling the original hand prints?

I'm happy creating both hand-printed and digital (poster) prints. I have no intention of choosing one or the other. A lot of the poster-prints I produce are linocuts that I would not be able to hand-print in a large run. They're usually designs that are too fiddly to do by hand (in multiples), and if I did hand-print many of these I'd have to charge a lot more money for them that I currently do. I try and keep my art as affordable as possible.

4. What's your filtering process, do you only punt out things which you think might be commercially successful or is it simply a case of if you like then others should?

I just print what I like, basically. On one occasion I created a linocut as someone suggested a certain subject that would sell well. Suffice to say that I didn't enjoy making it, and it didn't sell well at all. A lesson learned, there! I do create some winter-themed cards and am working on a valentine linocut, but aside from these I pretty much follow my nose. I do feel very flattered that people like my work.

5. So how is it at the moment, busy or otherwise?
Well, considering it is January, I'm having a busy time. I'm a bit surprised. Perhaps some people are spending their Christmas money!

6. What's in the pipeline?
I have two new landscapes on the to-do table, as well as new donkey prints and other creature ones. I'm also in the process of creating some 3D donkeys. I have made some clay models, and I'm casting them in porcelain over the next few weeks (with the help of ceramic artist Hanne Westergaard). I'm very excited about this, as I've never worked in ceramics before, or in 3D! I hope to have these available to sell by the end of February. I'm also teaching linocut workshops in Feb and March (at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield), and my first Craft Fair of the year is on 4th Feb (Mary's Marvellous Craft & Vintage Fair).

So there you have it (in a nutshell), the wonderful work of James Green. My only hope is that someday I will become an accomplished lino cut artist in the same way James has become. Many thanks to James for his time.