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Poets and artists

Linda Nevill

I love printmaking – it’s unpredictable and exciting and collaborating with poets has led to my working with new ideas in different ways.

Artwork - Reflection Exhibition – Green Wood Centre, Coalbrookdale, Telford. 22nd May – 5th June 2011

The Ringlet (lino print, hand coloured)
This image was created as a book illustration (see ‘Shropshire Butterflies’ edited by Nadia Kingsley and published by Fair Acres Press). As part of my research, I participated in a ‘butterfly day’ and saw many of these butterflies for the first time. The Ringlet is an amazing butterfly and, if you are standing on a woodland path or river bank in England, you are more likely to see it than many others, especially on a dull day. Unlike most butterflies, it does not need a warm sunny day to enable it to spread its wings and fly. It can flit and flap even on damp days so is perfect for an imperfect English summer!

This work links to Emma Purshouse's poem entitled 'On being reincarnated as a ringlet'

Grizzled Skipper – (lino print)
This was created as a book illustration and I was aiming to show a recognisable Grizzled Skipper in its habitat as well as an interesting image.

Grizzled Skipper, Fish and Kippers (mixed media)
I created this image after reading Emma Purshouse’s children’s poem ‘When the attention span is smaller than the wing span…’ which has numerous examples of witty word play and nonsense word combinations. I developed this idea further to create a surreal combination of man and butterfly.

These images links to Emma Purshouse's poem entitled 'When the attention span is smaller than the wing span...'

The Comma (drypoint, hand coloured)
This was created as a book illustration, for ‘Shropshire Butterflies’. I wanted to show this bright orange, frilly edged butterfly in its habitat.

The comma - pausing on buddleia (monotype)
After speaking to Emma Purshouse and reading her poem, I wanted to create a monotype which showed the comma butterfly in a broader landscape which included buddleia, currant bushes, thistles and nettles. I have tried to depict the bright, vibrant colours of a summer day.

These images links to Emma Purshouse's poem entitled 'comma'

Quaker Burial Ground (lino print)
This small burial ground is situated within walking distance of the Greenwood Trust and is the burial place of Abraham Derby 2nd (who ran the nearby factory in Coalbrookdale), and also of Abraham Derby 3rd who built the world’s first iron bridge nearby. Nick Pearson and I discussed this simple, unassuming walled area which is dominated by the two huge sequoia trees and the small burial stones that line the walls. I wanted to echo that with a simple, uncluttered style of print. Although no graves can actually be seen, I have indicated some in my image as I was very conscious of them under the ground.

This work links to Nick Pearson's poem entitled 'Quaker Burial Ground'

Images – Rock and Fossil Festival Exhibition September 2009

'A Lasting Impression'. This print links to impressions of life found in the ground and is based on the upturned strata at Wren’s Nest and studies of rock and fossils. I also discussed with Nick Pearson the changing and decomposition of lost and buried words.

My 3-panel plate was constructed from a variety of materials including carborundum grit, pumice, netting, card, and tile grouting into which I drew and scraped textures. The whole construction was inked up and placed onto an 8 foot piece of paper and then run over by a roller to create my print.

Collagraph – relief printed with drive-on roller.

I also re-inked parts of the plate and hand printed it on long strips of thin Chinese paper to create a coloured 3-part variation which I have entitled 'What lies Beneath'.

The Kingdom of Gabbro, 40cm x 30cm etching.

In April I spent a fascinating day at Dudley Museum looking at sections of rock through a microscope and I found that I loved the beautiful abstract patterns of Gabbro.

My etching plate reminded me of an aerial view of a continent so I inked and printed it in a reddish pink similar to that used on old empire maps.

The piece links to Emma Purshouse’s poem 'Greta Gabbro'.

'Fossil Man', 29cm x 29cm collagraph print.

My collagraph print relates to the idea of the fossils in the man’s hand coming to life and turning into creatures in the Silurian Sea. A magical idea!

This piece links to Jane Seabourne’s poem of the same name.

Images - Light House Exhibition April 2006

'In Retrospect'. This links to poet Emma Purshouse’s witty poem entitled 'Love Poem for a Mod'. The image picks out key symbols such as Emma wearing a parker, a target, a lambretta and the pier at Brighton where we carried out some of the research.

'Spot the ball'. I was intrigued by poet Dave Finchett’s fascinating account of finding all the tracings his father had made of the Spot the Ball competition. As he showed me layer after layer of images with tiny crosses my own ideas of creating a layered print started to form. I incorporated some scanned tracings as a collage element in my etching/carborundum print.

'Lost'. This work links to Emma’s poem entitled 'Here is the News' about feelings of disorientation and the apparent displacement of buildings around her.