Angie Lewin
Encyclopedia
Angie Lewin is a British
printmaker working in linocut
, wood engraving
, lithography
and screen printing.
After working in London as an illustrator, Lewin studied horticulture
. A move to Norfolk
prompted a return to printmaking, and she is now based near Aylsham
.
Attracted to the relationships between plant communities on an intimate level, even the fine lines of insect eggs on a flower bud are observed in her work. Still lifes often incorporate seedpods, grasses, flints, lichen and seaweed collected on walking and sketching trips. A Wedgwood cup designed by Ravilious, may contain feathers and seedheads. Yep
"Tiny, natural and evocative details are what make Lewin's prints, whether wood engravings, linocuts, screenprints or lithographs, so full of vigour and beauty. Endlessly repeated, the wild flowers and grasses crowd into her fabrics; they appear in her collages made of old paper and print cut-outs; and, in botanical detail, they fill her sketchbooks".
As well as designing fabrics and stationery for St Jude's, which she runs with her husband Simon, Lewin has completed commissions for Penguin, Conran Octopus and Picador. She has also designed fabrics for Liberty's Autumn Winter 2010 collection, including the Winter Stem design that has also been used for Liberty's 2011 Comic Relief
Shopper Bag.
In 2006 Lewin was elected to The Royal Society of Painter Printmakers and in 2008 to The Society of Wood Engravers. In 2010 she was elected to The Art Workers Guild.
Vintage Seekers interview
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
printmaker working in linocut
Linocut
Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised areas representing a reversal of the parts to show printed...
, wood engraving
Wood engraving
Wood engraving is a technique in printmaking where the "matrix" worked by the artist is a block of wood. It is a variety of woodcut and so a relief printing technique, where ink is applied to the face of the block and printed by using relatively low pressure. A normal engraving, like an etching,...
, lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
and screen printing.
Early Career
She studied BA(Hons) Fine Art Printmaking at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design between 1983 and 1986, followed by a year’s part-time postgraduate printmaking at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts.After working in London as an illustrator, Lewin studied horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
. A move to Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
prompted a return to printmaking, and she is now based near Aylsham
Aylsham
Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain,...
.
Style
Inspired by both the clifftops and saltmarshes of the North Norfolk coast and the Scottish Highlands, Lewin depicts these contrasting environments and their native flora in wood engraving, linocut, silkscreen, lithograph and collage. These landscapes are often glimpsed through intricately detailed plant forms. Pencil and watercolour drawings are made on her walks and also back in the studioAttracted to the relationships between plant communities on an intimate level, even the fine lines of insect eggs on a flower bud are observed in her work. Still lifes often incorporate seedpods, grasses, flints, lichen and seaweed collected on walking and sketching trips. A Wedgwood cup designed by Ravilious, may contain feathers and seedheads. Yep
Current Works
Angie Lewin - Plants and Places, published by Merrell, is illustrated throughout by Lewin’s prints, drawings and textile designs. Author Leslie Geddes-Brown writes:"Tiny, natural and evocative details are what make Lewin's prints, whether wood engravings, linocuts, screenprints or lithographs, so full of vigour and beauty. Endlessly repeated, the wild flowers and grasses crowd into her fabrics; they appear in her collages made of old paper and print cut-outs; and, in botanical detail, they fill her sketchbooks".
As well as designing fabrics and stationery for St Jude's, which she runs with her husband Simon, Lewin has completed commissions for Penguin, Conran Octopus and Picador. She has also designed fabrics for Liberty's Autumn Winter 2010 collection, including the Winter Stem design that has also been used for Liberty's 2011 Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
Shopper Bag.
In 2006 Lewin was elected to The Royal Society of Painter Printmakers and in 2008 to The Society of Wood Engravers. In 2010 she was elected to The Art Workers Guild.
External links
Vintage Seekers interview