Anna Alcock - printmaker
The Wetlands tale
This triptych of linocut panels tells the history of the Walthamstow Wetlands and the Coppermill. It was commissioned by Real Studios for Waltham Forest Council in 2017.
The story begins in 1067, when Walthamstow and its water mill appeared in the Domesday Book. The first panel looks as this early history up to the English Civil War of the 17th century, when the ill was used to make gunpowder, then paper. The second panel shows the industrial era of the 18th and 19th centuries, when the lea Valley mills produced leather, linseed oil and copper, used for coins. The third celebrates the Wetlands today: an internationally important nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, providing home and shelter to a wide range of wildlife, from rare waterfowl to birds of prey.
The images were drawn directly on to the lino with a feather found in the nature reserve, using Japanese semi ink, traditionally used for calligraphy. They were screenprinted on to the walls of the Coppermill Tower in November 2017.
Anna Alcock was inspired by the traditional woodcut illustrations of old manuscripts. Her children and friends helped with the carving of the linocuts, which took more that 300 hours. Anna is fine art printmaker artist runs Inky Cuttlefish Studios and has a BA in Fine Art and an MA in Printmaking.
www.annaalcock.com
www.inkycuttlefish.com
The story begins in 1067, when Walthamstow and its water mill appeared in the Domesday Book. The first panel looks as this early history up to the English Civil War of the 17th century, when the ill was used to make gunpowder, then paper. The second panel shows the industrial era of the 18th and 19th centuries, when the lea Valley mills produced leather, linseed oil and copper, used for coins. The third celebrates the Wetlands today: an internationally important nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, providing home and shelter to a wide range of wildlife, from rare waterfowl to birds of prey.
The images were drawn directly on to the lino with a feather found in the nature reserve, using Japanese semi ink, traditionally used for calligraphy. They were screenprinted on to the walls of the Coppermill Tower in November 2017.
Anna Alcock was inspired by the traditional woodcut illustrations of old manuscripts. Her children and friends helped with the carving of the linocuts, which took more that 300 hours. Anna is fine art printmaker artist runs Inky Cuttlefish Studios and has a BA in Fine Art and an MA in Printmaking.
www.annaalcock.com
www.inkycuttlefish.com