Meet the Maker: Ingrid Nilsson

I am a full-time printmaker and artist based in Edinburgh. For ten years, I co-ran a gallery café with my partner and sold my paintings there, after which we both went freelance in search of a more satisfying work/life balance. I now make limited edition lino prints from my home studio, and have returned to painting, using print techniques in my mixed media pieces. 

Describe your printmaking process.  

I work in relief printing, almost exclusively linoleum. A finished print is comprised of a series of processes: design, transfer to the block, carving and pressing. I love the rotation of the processes and how it gives me variety in my work. I work in a wholly ‘analogue’ way, designing by hand in a sketchbook with pencil, an old geometry set and a few other gadgets. Transferring to the block is done with tracing paper, and then I go over the design with a permanent pen. Carving is done with Pfeil tools, and I press the resulting block in a lever press. 

How and where did you learn to print? 

I learnt lino printing at home when I was young, as my mother was a teacher and an artist. I was very lucky to have the encouragement and equipment to try out all kinds of artistic methods from early on. I went on to do a foundation course, where I intermittently returned to printmaking. During the Covid pandemic, I refined my knowledge by reading various books and experimenting. 

Why printmaking?  

I love both the processes and the nature of the resulting images. I have always been drawn to traditional craft skills and folk art. There is a constant learning curve with printmaking that means that boredom never creeps in, and the continued development is very satisfying. 

Where do you work? 

I work in the utility room attached to my kitchen, which I commandeered during the Covid pandemic. I have thought of making a custom built area, but have always found it a very comfortable and rewarding place to work. For me, the instinctive ‘nesting’ is more important than overthinking the work area and ending up with something I feel less at home in. 

Describe a typical day in your studio.  

I am an avid list-maker, and will always start the day making a rundown of tasks that I hope to complete. Often this is totally unrealistic, and I usually roll tasks over onto the next day. I will then try to work on a selection of processes over the course of the day, to avoid carving solidly for six hours or doing nothing but printing. Variety is important to keep my mind on task and minimise procrastination. I will often carve one print, or a layer of a reduction print, ink and press a small run, and then either move to designing a new one or working on a painting.  

How long have you been printmaking?  

I have been engaged in some form of artistic activity my entire life, so it would be partially true to say that I have always printed. I have worked almost exclusively with lino print since the pandemic, when making and selling paintings became a problem overnight. Working at home on lino prints, I was able to sell online from home and maintain an income. Falling in love with the medium was an unexpected bonus. 

What inspires you?  

I always liken myself to a kind of vessel in which images and ideas are constantly stored, only to return in a hybrid form months later. When I have finished a print I can usually pinpoint four or five influences, which can be conversations, book quotes, songs, art history or images and buildings seen on my travels. It is the merging of all the influences which I believe makes my style very much my own, especially as it is all filtered through my very active imagination. 

What is your favourite printmaking product? 

My favourite product is almost certainly Cranfield Caligo Safe wash ink. I used a number of brands before discovering these and, while I do deviate to other inks for specific purposes like printing on wood, these are a constant in my practice. They mix well and have a great range of colours from which to create my own custom palette. 

What have you made that you are most proud of? 

The return to painting with the addition of lino print has made me very excited this year, as I am combining two skills to give me a great range of effects and marks. The series I have finished recently using paint and print on cradled birch framed in distressed timber, are definitely my current favourite pieces. 

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

I sell my paper prints online via my Ing Printmaker Etsy shop and Instagram. My website links to the shop and also to galleries that stock my prints and paintings. I currently sell prints and paintings at The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle, Number Four Gallery in St Abbs and SaltBox in Helmsley. I also sell at markets and art fairs over Scotland, North England and Wales; these too are listed on my website. 

What will we be seeing from you next?   

As this blog comes out I am travelling in SE Asia, which we have been returning to and exploring since 2000. Whenever I travel, there is an immediate ‘knee-jerk’ reaction to all the new imagery I have seen, so I’m sure a new influx of work will appear with a leaning towards Asian art and folklore.  

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?  

I find it necessary to question my decisions frequently regarding subject matter. It is very easy to be swayed by what other creatives are producing, but worthwhile to connect with your inner voice and instinct to guide you. As a rule of thumb, if I feel a strong personal connection to a subject and can’t wait to design something, it will produce the best result. Trying to be someone else rarely satisfies. 

To see more of Ingrid, follow her on Instagram!