CONVERSATIONS IN TEXT : ANNA LANSLEY
- sixteen online
- 5 days ago
- 14 min read
We're back with another conversation with an artist, and this time we caught up with printmaker Anna Lansley during the Print's Not Dead exhibition down at Sixteen Gallery just before Christmas.
We chatted to Anna about the beginning of her creative journey, her evolving lino printing practice, the joys and challenges of working to a brief and exploring a quiet presence through her photography-influenced prints.
We start right off with inspiration and community:
AOS: It sounds like the printmaking community is pretty close-knit, that you follow each other's work, meet up and do markets and things. So, where do you search for inspiration? Do you follow and get ideas from other print makers, or do you find things? Are you looking for a technique? What drives you when you're looking to make you work?
AL: I did a photography degree, and so I've always been quite a visual person. I spent a lot of time looking at different styles of work I liked, and then I wanted to try. Then I'd see something else, and I'd try that - to see what I liked and didn't. And as I've gone along over the last 4 years, my prints, every year, are slightly different. So, for example, I made all these floral prints last year when I started doing reduction, and they were quite bold floral designs; they looked nice, but I felt a bit... meh.
EC: So, you felt like they're good, but they're not what you want to be making?
AL: I decided they didn't do anything for me. At the end of it, I realised I was doing it just because I was trying to prove something to myself rather than doing it because I really wanted to.
AOS: Do you feel that you're in the right stage now, doing the things that you want to do, or are you still on that search?
AL: I'm starting to lean more into looking back again at photographers that I liked and trying to think about what I really like looking at, and less at what other people like looking at. I think if you like the same thing as me, then great, if you don't, too bad, I'm not going to please every audience. I think I've ridden that ride of "I like making art, oh no, I've now got too much, I need to start selling it, okay, maybe I should make it more commercial." I think I'm coming out the other side of that now; I need to start working under my own name, I need to start creating stuff that I want to make, in a style that I like, and hopefully, other people resonate with it.
EC: I also think it's nice because you have a lot of people who make lino work, so actually, the more you lean into the stuff you like, you're actually more likely to find your niche, and that's probably a good thing. But, yes, it might take a minute for you to find the people who resonate with what you're making.
AL: I think that's the hardest part. You know, how do you become that person who is plucked from obscurity, and suddenly people find you, and they like your work, and you sell work? Because sometimes you're creating all this work, you put it out there, and then, there's just crickets..
AOS: Do I want to keep making it? I think that's the question you ask yourself. I mean, I think you're right. If you make pictures of flowers that you didn't want to make and they don't sell, that bit eats you alive. If you make the work that you want to make first, then if it doesn't sell, well, at least you made the work that you wanted to make. And I think those pieces have heart, which comes across far better than the work that you did to please somebody else.
AL: When I was studying photography, I was interested in a Japanese photographer called Hiroshi Sugimoto; he did black and white or greyscale seascapes, and I absolutely loved them. And then there are architectural photographers like Horst Hamann, and even Ansel Adams, when he did slightly more abstract work, it's all monochrome. So when I started printmaking, I presumed that's where my printmaking would go. But now I look back at my early monochrome prints, and it's all such fine detail, and I do like it, but actually, I just don't think it's where my heart is at. Although I do like the abstract nature, I have definitely tipped over into colour now.
EC: Yeah. And I love that. So, this one, At Winter's Edge - it's probably one of my favourites of yours - I love the colours of this. They're so thoughtful, and you were saying before that you took it from a photo, but you then changed the colours.
AL: Yeah, the turquoise was actually the sea, but I didn't want a bright blue colour.
EC: And that change does tip it into this slightly more abstract place, but equally, those colours, the green and the turquoise, sit together really nicely.
AL: It was an experiment because I printed light onto dark, which I've not done before. Normally, you work from light to dark. Whereas here I wanted to get the dark behind, coming through, because I wanted to create depth. I printed a very pale yellowy colour onto the dark green to create texture, rather than trying to create the depth on top of the flat colour. I had no idea if it was going to work.
EC: It's quite painterly, and I like that it gives an almost more natural feel. Because if you're doing it the other way, you've got to make the marks that look like grass, which can be quite rigid, and is a very linocut style. But this is a very different look, and I think it's really interesting.
AL: I also use a lot of extender, which is clear ink. So, I mix my colour, and I mix in a load of extender, so it makes it more opaque. You can have all the colours still, but you can create layers so thin that the other colours come through. Because I don't like it when the ink looks blobby - that's a certain style, but it's not for me. I also tend to blot off each layer as I print it, so that you've got the colour, but you don't get that thick texture.
AOS: And it feels like you're embracing the mistakes that happen. Is that something that you try to own or incorporate?
AL: I always make mistakes! So I just have to go with it; that's just a part of printmaking. Like, on the one with the birds, over the sea. Originally, the birds were going to be on the one block, and they would be the last layer in colour. But after the first inking, I realised it wasn’t going to work at all, so I just carved them all away. I printed the sea, and then I re-carved them on a separate block and printed them that way. It wasn't the plan, but sometimes that happens.
AOS: I think that's a big integral part of printmaking, for me anyway. Embracing things going wrong. Like when things misalign or when you create textures you weren't expecting, and so on.
EC: And in terms of showing your work, do you do quite a lot of markets?
AL: I do some. I've tried this year to make the jump to do more print fairs, rather than markets. But I don't think I'm quite there yet; the ones I applied to have put me on the reserve.
EC: Ok, but that's still a step. I think there are a lot of people who want to be in these things, so if they're taking you as a reserve, that's great and going in the right direction.
AL: I tend to go up to Worcester, because they have a good market scene, and it's much more accessible. I do enjoy doing them, but I like galleries too. I'm looking forward to doing the exhibition here with the collective after Christmas, and small works, and then I'm doing one in the Gardens Gallery in June. And I'm desperately trying to get into Ironbridge, but I always get rejected, so I'm hoping that this year will be my year! I think they look for a certain quality; they have judges, and they're obviously people who have an eye for what they're looking for.
EC: Yeah, definitely. Any sort of competition like that, is going to be super subjective to who the judges are. But I think it's good, you want to work for those things, the ones that feel a little bit out of reach, because that's what makes you get better. What made you start making lino?
AL: It was an accident. I was working in HR. Okay, actually, if I go all the way back: I did a foundation art course in Cheltenham, and then I did a photography degree at Falmouth (then the College of Arts). But I ended up working in HR for about 17 years. Then, during lockdown, I thought ok, "F*** my life, I'm nearly 40, I hate my job, this is terrible. I want to quit.” So I did. And I thought, maybe I'll do some gardening, maybe I'll go back to art, I don't really know. And then, I went on a holiday, and this lady was sitting doing a little demo; you could have a go with a bit of lino. So my friend and I went and sat with her and just had a go. It was really difficult, and I managed to just about cut a leaf, which was, you know, really terrible. But I just really enjoyed it. So I came home, bought a rudimentary printing kit, and then printed all my friends the most god-awful Christmas cards. They were really bad. But I was so proud of them. Then for my 40th birthday my friends got me a one-day workshop over at Brewery Arts. And I just thought, yeah, I could do this. Then I just obsessively made prints. I just did not stop. At the dining table, I just carved and carved, until I thought, what do I do with this? What do I do now?
AOS: Do you still work at home? How do you find that?
AL: Yeah, it's easier for me to work at home. The kids are still of an age when they need to be ferried about, and so being at home suits me. We moved house recently, so I've gone from being in a room to being in the garage. Which is a bit cold, but more space! Ultimately, I'm hoping that one day, we'll be able to build me a little studio. So I can do workshops there, and open studios there, and just make it more of an accessible space and I can feel like I'm taking myself a bit more seriously..
AOS: Yeah, it's hard working at home. What advice would you give people who've got that home studio setup, or what would be your biggest takeaway for making that work?
AL: I feel very lucky that I have a specific space that I can use. I think it's difficult when people must use, for example, a dining room, if you have to pack it all away, and you feel like you don't have that sense of permanence in your work. So, I think if you do have a space dedicated in your house, wherever it may be, that feels really important, because then you're not constantly having to feel like you have to pack away your creativity. But I appreciate that not everyone is as lucky as that. I think just having a space to be creative and can leave your creativity out and about, that's great. I mean, my kids and my husband, when I was working in the dining room; I had strings of stuff hanging across the room, and they are sitting with piles of lino in the corner of the table. I think everyone is different but being able to have that area where you're like: this is just mine.
AOS: And from the mental side of it. Is it more about whenever the creativity takes you, you can go with it?
AL: For me, yes. Just being able to go from making work, and then "right, I need to go and collect the kids", or whatever, I can just leave all my mess and it's not upsetting anybody else. I can walk away, shut the door on it, and then come back to it later. It's all still there, I can just pick up my roller and carry on. Yeah, so even though it is cold in my garage, and the light's not great, it's my place. It's wonderful.
AOS: And do you work as and when the inspiration takes you, or do you go from project to project?
AL: I'm the worst finisher. Getting to the end of a print is such a chore sometimes, because I get excited about starting it, then I get halfway through, and I want to start on another one!
EC: How many layers, generally, are you doing on a reduction print?
AOS: Yea, where's the cut off? If it's six, are you going to give up after four?
AL: No, never, its always more than four. That one (At Winter's Edge) was maybe six.
AOS: So ok, so for you, six isn't that many?
AL: No. So I reckon a lot of the ones I've done in the past have been much more than six. But I want to try to bring it back down and simplify it a little bit. The one I did of the trees, with all the greens and the black, (Last Light Of Autumn) had quite a lot more.
EC: That's interesting, because if you were looking at it, you'd almost feel like that would have been simpler.
AL: It's just all the different greens, to give it a sense of depth, I think it may have had 10.
AOS: So, creating colours? Because I try to create colours when I screen print, so I blend blues and yellows to create a green that I want. Do you do that with lino ink?
AL: I always mix my inks, yes. And then I try to hold back a bit of the previous colour to make the next colour. So that tonally it follows on. Actually, Last Light of Autumn was from a photograph I took, but I wasn’t intending to make it a print at all. Pressing Matters magazine has a quarterly print challenge, and it was green and black. I thought it would work in green and black. So that was what made me do it. Otherwise, I probably would have left it and maybe done it at another time, if I got round to it. But I made it and submitted it to the challenge. And it was selected for the magazine, which is lovely.
EC: That's great, and although you're not "getting anything" from it as such, it feels great and gives you some exposure.
AL: Yeah, absolutely! And I take part in The Thought Press Project. Which is a print sale for two children's charities each year. You make a print under a theme. So the Sunflowers print I did was the first year, and it was the song Bring Me Sunshine. We had to give 10 or 15 prints to the charity, and they sell them, and all the money goes to their children's charities. And that really pushed that print; it became super popular. It's so nice to sometimes use these things, not to make money for yourself, but for other people. The idea of people buying art to raise money for charity is very lovely. And also, it drives you to make work that you may never otherwise do, which I think is great. I don't normally work under a theme per se.
EC: Do you find that helpful? To find these things that kind of give you a reason to make something?
AL: No, I find it really difficult! Because there's pressure to conform to that particular brief, when actually I just like to make things that I like. With a theme, I always think it could be a million things, because that's how my brain works, so how do I pick the one thing? Then I panic. So actually, I find it really hard, but I want to do it.
I actually have a quiet brief for myself, in my head. It's the idea of "quiet presence". It’s where I'm trying to head towards with my newer work - it's the sort of thing that would make you stop and take in that scene if you saw it in real life.
AOS: So it's like capturing a moment. I really like the idea of a quiet presence; it's a lovely way of putting it.
AL: Yes, so with the trees (Last Light of Autumn), that moment was a November afternoon, the sun was setting at like 3 pm or something ridiculous, and it was blasting through these trees, and it was just so lovely, and it was gone in a minute; so you just stand and you appreciate it.
EC: That's interesting, that's such a photographer's way of seeing. I think that's what is making your work different now, you're approaching lino with the eye of a photographer, capturing a moment rather than just a view.
AOS: I think it's a lovely way that your work has developed from where you started. To begin with, you were focused on nailing the technique and understanding the processes to the point where you're comfortable. And so now you're able to introduce this concept, which you're developing your whole practice around, where you can think about making work which means something to you. I think that's such a great turning point in your artistic journey, you've got so much more ahead of you, but you've got the confidence now in your skill. And I imagine you've got so much faster.
AL: Yes, I do sometimes feel like I'm bashing them out. But, I guess, if you have a job and you do art, you don't get to dedicate as much time to it, but this is my job. Which still feels weird. It's not a comfortable place to sit in.
EC: This is a really uncomfortable question, then. Do you consider yourself an artist?
AL: I have started to now, with that sort of slightly awkward shrinking inside your body way, when people say "What do you do?" to say: "I'm an artist". And I hate it. Because it feels really weird. And you get an "Oh". That kind of look that says I don't understand what you're saying, that's not a job, you don't have a 'proper job', you're not going to a place of work. Is this a hobby? And it's hard because it's not given any gravitas at all. The arts, in general.
AOS: But now you're entering that realm where, you know, your art, it's feeding itself, and you're not doing it just through passion alone.
AL: Yes. I think it's just a shame that we can't live on the things that make us happy, that are cup-filling. In my 'proper job' I was miserable. And, you know, what's the point? I'd much rather be doing this, having less money in my pocket, but be overflowing in terms of creativity and being a happier person for it.
EC: Absolutely. I also think if you can, please do. A lot of people, the reality is that unless you've got a supportive other person who can bring some money to the situation, it can be a bit of an impossibility. So if you can live that creatively fulfilled life, it's so important that you do it.
AL: Yes, if you can, take that chance. And yes, it doesn't necessarily give you that much money, but if you are okay with that, the satisfaction of being a creative person can bring you so much.
AOS: Oh yeah, creative people not being creative is just the worst.
AL: Giving yourself the mental space for it is really important. The whole time I worked in HR, I wasn't creative at all. And I think I was just itching for it. And I do feel sad that more people aren't in a position to take that leap. Why aren't we in a world where if you want to be an artist, you can just be?
AOS: I think, though, you need to just eke out those moments of creating regardless. Whether you monetise them is a different thing entirely. But I think we have to encourage people to just make art for the sake of making. Even if you don't get to the point of selling or having it as your full-time career, just make more.
We had such a lovely chat with Anna, we really enjoyed understanding more about her printing practice and getting an insight into where she might be going next! We hope you enjoyed that excerpt and gained a little understanding and inspiration yourselves.
You can find more of Anna's work on her portfolio, as well as links to shop her prints, and where to keep up with her on social media.
Got any burning questions? Drop them in the comments. We'd love to hear your thoughts!
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