Duncan Pass

I have been a practicing artist for the last 23 years. Before that, I worked as a tyre fitter, a factory worker, a lifeguard and a street cleaner, returning to college to study Access Art and Design at the age of 25.

Now, as a printmaker based in North-East Derbyshire, my particular interest is in traditional printmaking using a hands-on, “analogue” approach. I designed and built one of my presses myself out of scrap metal, the insides of railway wagon wheels, RSJ girders and Landrover chains, with the help of a local engineering firm to make the rollers and machine the bed. The press, which stands on its own foundations in my studio, has a 6-foot wheel to turn the rollers.

I also use a series of smaller presses. Four of these are made from repurposed Victorian washing mangles. In addition I use several cast iron book presses in varying sizes, and a standard etching press.

I am most interested in traditional engraving and etching techniques, making my printing plates from perspex, engineering plastic and copper, but have also recently started to explore monoprint to produce work in colour. My images are inspired by Derbyshire’s landscapes, and attempt to capture the ever-changing lights and moods not only of the Peak District but the county’s hidden corners and post-industrial sites.

I have run workshops for the general public as well as for adults and children with disabilities and SEN, some of these in conjunction with a writer. I have been an artist in residence with Nottingham Inspire Libraries and have two collections of work on permanent display at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

I am a regular exhibitor at the Manger Gallery in Melbourne, South Derbyshire, and at art trails and festivals across the county.