Meet the Maker: Liz Hartley
Hello, I’m Liz, an artist and printmaker based in North Essex. I’m passionate about creating original linocut prints inspired by the landscape around my studio, the nearby Cambridge fenland and more recently the mountains and islands of West Scotland.
Describe your printmaking process
My first step is to head out into the landscape with my sketchbook and camera. Sketching is vital; it allows me to experiment with different compositions within a few hours, a luxury compared to the weeks a print can take.
Back in my studio, I transfer the sketch to a lino block using carbon paper. Then comes the carving – a process I find incredibly meditative. While I carve most of the image, for softer shapes like clouds, I prefer to etch the lino using caustic soda.
My approach to printing is evolving. While many of my prints are created using multiple blocks, with each carrying a separate layer of ink, I've recently been experimenting with reduction printing. This technique, where the same block is progressively cut away after each layer is printed, means "there’s no going back"—an exciting challenge that’s pushing my boundaries.
How and where did you learn to print?
My journey into printmaking began in 2018 with a weekend linocut course run by printmaker, Steve Edwards. By the end I was dancing round the studio with excitement at what emerged from the press.
I refined my skills through more short courses but a game-changer was when a friend kindly lent me his home-made printing press so I could practice at home. After a year-long Advanced Certificate in Printmaking at the Curwen Print Study Centre I’ve been dedicated to it full-time.
Shadows, my first print
Why printmaking?
It’s a weird mixture of creativity and technical precision and I absolutely love experimenting with colour. An initial palette often evolves as I work, and sometimes I'll even revisit a print to explore entirely new colour combinations using the same lino blocks. This endless exploration is a huge part of what makes printmaking so engaging for me.
Where do you work?
In my studio in the garden of my house. I was lucky enough to have a large garage which I converted into a studio. Downstairs is for messy stuff where I have my press, paper and space to ink up. Upstairs I have clean desk space for carving, drawing and framing. It has a great view out the window for sitting and dreaming too.
Describe a typical day in your studio
My day usually starts with journaling, and a strong cup of tea. It’s a habit from The Artist's Way, and it helps to clear my mind and explore my work and feelings. Then, it's straight to reviewing yesterday's progress and mixing the next layer of colours before printing. If I need a break I’ll tackle something off the endless list of “art-min” but often I get "lost in the flow" of new work and will carry on until dark.
What’s your favourite listening in the studio ?
I’ll usually have the radio or an audio book on in the background. What I’m listening to varies but Khruangbin’s Texas Sun is my go-to listening for cleaning up. I’m not naturally tidy but I try and make sure rollers and surfaces are clean at the end of the day and the music helps me get it done.
What inspires you?
My inspiration comes from nature and landscapes where I feel a profound connection. Growing up on a farm in the Cambridgeshire Fens, those watery landscapes are a constant pull, and I’m always exploring ways to capture their unique beauty. Trees, with their infinite variety of shapes, also hold an endless fascination for me.
More recently, my horizons have expanded dramatically to include the magnificent mountains and distant islands of West Scotland, an area that completely captivated me when I was artist-in-residence at the Crinan Hotel in Argyll.
What is your favourite printmaking product?
It’s hard to choose just one, but I love my cutting tools and especially my Pfeil 1mm. It was recommended by printmaker Richard Shimell and it has really helped me capture fine detail, especially of my beloved trees.
What have you made that you are most proud of?
One of my proudest moments to date was creating "Tidal Flow," a reduction linocut print from my time in Scotland. I truly feel it captured that stunning landscape, and to have it selected for exhibition by the Royal Society of Marine Artists at the Mall Galleries in London was a first for me, so that feels like quite a milestone in my artistic evolution.
Where can we see your work? Where do you sell?
My work is available to buy via my website www.lizhartley.com. I also take part in local exhibitions and art fairs. I’m a member of Cambridge Drawing Society so new work is always shown at their shows as well as at local galleries like Church Street Gallery in Saffron Walden. I also take part in Cambridge Open Studios, so my work is available to buy from my studio every July.
What will we be seeing from you next?
I’m busy reprinting some of my most popular prints for my website, www.lizhartley.com, as this is launched this week. It’s the culmination of a lot of work so I’m very excited about that.
I’m also planning a future sketching and hiking trip to Rannoch Moor and Glencoe in Scotland so expect to see more prints featuring moorland, lakes, and mountains.
Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?
Just keep at it, and don’t expect every day to be the same. One week I’m incredibly productive and the following week is a different story. Accept and embrace the creative flow.
I also recommend keeping a logbook. I take notes of all my "inky experiments" in a notebook; they are incredibly useful to refer back to when printing more of an edition, and to document my learning.
To see more of Liz, follow her on Instagram