Meet the Maker: Beth Parsons

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Beth and I am a printmaker, picture framer and florist based in Winchester. I have a degree in TV & Film Set Design and started my career as a set designer in London. Following a hypermobility diagnosis and recovering from an injury, my work life had to shift and slow down, this is where I re-found my love for printmaking. My work varies between lino printing and etching. I am predominately printing with Tetra Pak at the minute, I love the added textures this provides to a finished print and also I champion reusing in all parts of my life so I love this aspect of giving a second life to everyday packaging.

Describe your printmaking process

When I rediscovered printing years after college, I first got stuck into lino printing. The ease of carving and printing at home, on any surface is highly addictive and this definitely allowed me to find my creative inspiration. I have since experimented with etching and most recently found a love of tetra pak printing. I was previously a picture framer and so hand making my frames is just as much a part of my work and process as the printing side.

How and where did you learn to print?

I first tried printmaking at college during my art foundation year before university. We were able to try out different processes and eventually chose one to stick with and I was very much drawn to the print room. The giant press, the smell of inks, and the physicality of pulling a print, with so many ways of doing so. Years later, I then took an evening printmaking course whilst living in London and this reignited my passion for print, specifically etching!

Why printmaking?

I am drawn to the monochrome palette of traditional Japanese prints and I love the slowness, timelessness of the craft. Using the methods within printmaking, allow my work to be an expansion of a drawing. A depth and texture is given to the work through a multi step process, where it is not just about the end result but many elements along the way before anything is even put on paper. The nature of pulling a print ultimately allows for a balance of intentional marks whilst providing unexpected elevation to each piece past my initial carve or etch. I love the slight individuality this gives to each print.

Where do you work?

I’ve been slowly upgrading a space in our garden, used by the previous owners as a games room/bar area, it has needed a lot of work to be a functional studio. I feel very lucky to have a great space to work at home. I previously worked from our tiny second bedroom, a space we both shared as an office before we moved. Most recently my partner and I have built some new workbenches and I’m starting to see what functions where the best.

A typical day in your studio?

A snapshot of a day in my studio, would start currently by turning the heaters on and praying for it to warm up quickly!! It can then vary between, working on a drawing or plate for a current project or having a day of printing an edition if a design is ready to go. I love the switch up between these as they require different levels of creativity.

How long have you been printmaking?

I circled back to printmaking 6 years ago, after working in set design and then picture framing. I have been selling my work for the past 4 years alongside other creative ventures, most recently floristry.

What inspires you?

Most of my inspiration comes from my walks by the coast or in the countryside. I walk to calm my mind and I try to cement this feeling in my work. This starts with intention, a line or mark, purposely depicting a scene, memory or feeling. I draw on the natural world, the beauty of stillness whilst trying to convey how I saw a particular view, and hoping to evoke an emotional connection when it's viewed by others.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

I would have to say, Cranfield Caligo safe wash etching inks. I love the fact that you don’t need solvents for the clean up, not only making it easier but also more eco-friendly, which I definitely try to be in all aspects of my work. The inks are an amazing quality and work perfectly whether I’m inking a copper plate, dry point or even tetra pak plates. I’ve found the consistency works fine in all temperatures and the dry time can be reduced sufficiently with their wax drier.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I feel that my current tetra pak prints feel most like me and I’m enjoying exploring this method. If I had to choose then my ‘Rockpools’ print is one I’m definitely proud of, also the most time consuming to print! This one has also received the most attention at art fairs!

Where can we see your work? Where do you sell?

I am regularly exhibiting locally and further afield! I sell in various places in Hampshire and you can find my prints on my Etsy page. Feel free to join my mailing list here - to keep up to date with where I will be this year!

What will we be seeing from you next?

I have an ongoing project following my walk along the South West Coastal Path, making a tetra pak print for every section walked and so I am excited to add to this collection this year! I’m also looking forward to having a functional studio for lots more experimenting and framing.

Do you have advice for other printmakers and creatives?

I would say try not to be too hard on yourself when you don’t feel, or can’t be, productive. I think as creatives we are so quick to criticise ourselves and expect to be at 100% creativity levels all the time but rest is just as important, a theme I incorporate throughout my work - slowing down and just being is where we can appreciate life the most and in turn be ready for the next creative spark.