Paul Rickard

I am a self-taught printmaker creating original relief, intaglio & planographic prints in my studio in Llanwrtyd Wells, set amidst the beauty of mid-Wales. I am a member of Aberystwyth Printmakers and the Swansea Print Workshop.

A long-held interest in archaeology means that I am particularly drawn to the remains of human activity in the landscape. There is often a degree of tension between these structures, their original function, their current setting and society’s changing cultural attitudes towards them. A similar tension is present between between the artistic and the technical processes involved in the creation of an image by the repeated transfer of layers of ink onto paper via the medium of a carved, etched or engraved block. I am also fascinated by the concept of liminality; by boundaries, thresholds and transitions – in both time and place.

My prints are an attempt to reflect these interests and tensions.

I was initially attracted to printmaking by its graphic feel and the technical nature of the processes involved. Whilst this technicality might seem at odds with creativity, I have found that the medium offers almost infinite scope for artistic expression. The starting point for a print is usually one of my own photographs. Using a variety of manual and automatic processes, together with compositional sketches, I abstract and manipulate them to achieve a working image which is then transferred to the lino by drawing or tracing. Whilst this may sound like a planned and rigid process it is actually remarkably fluid in nature and frequently benefits from unintended effects.

Winner of the Air Arts Award (2020)