London Prints exhibition at E17 Art House – ends 30th April 2013
East London shops – now long gone, historic London architecture, and glistening modern constructions meet in this exhibition of vibrant screen-prints and intricate multi-layered linocuts of changing London, by artists Janet Brooke and Caroline Koo.
Above: ‘Benny’s’ Limited Edition screen-print by Janet Brooke.
Janet Brooke
After studying at Birmingham and Brighton polytechnics, Janet taught printmaking at Newham Community College in East London until 2000. There she focused on her surroundings, documenting the local corner shops, cafes and pubs ‘all now gone in the name of progress’. The result of the now Brighton based artist’s observations are a collection of colourful prints, which portrait quirky east London shops and new landmarks.
Her techniques are time consuming. ‘Reduction Lino cutting’ means cutting away the image in many stages, printing each colour by hand. At the end of the process the plate is redundant , producing a limited number of prints. Her screen prints are also printed in many layers, using separate screens for each colour, a technique that requires precision and skill.
Janet Brooke is a fellow of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers and a founder member of East London Printmakers, and exhibits regularly with both societies.
Caroline Koo
Caroline Koo works as an architect and illustrator in London. A sabbatical year made her return to her passion of drawing buildings and turning these into beautiful screen prints. During a stay in Australia she spent time with a printmaking studio as an intern, learning new techniques and practising familiar ones.
Caroline says: ‘Drawing is a way to connect and understand the world. It is a way to create, to express and to relate to the world and life.’
Her knowledge of Architecture serves her well in her majestic drawings of Battersea Power Station. Working next to the building for many years she created her beautiful drawings during days it was open to the public. The attention to detail contrasts with the stark simplicity of the smaller prints which do away with line and simply celebrate blocks of colour and form.
Above: ‘Battersea 2’ Limited Edition screen-print by Caroline Koo.
Battersea Power Station’s roof was removed in the late 1980s, when there were plans to convert the structure into a theme park, but this fell through, and finally after almost 30 years of failed regeneration projects, construction work on the site will begin in 2013.
E17 Art House is located just off Church Hill, on Stainforth Road, just across the road from the Church Hill P.O Sorting Office. Call us on 020 8509 8211 for more info, or check our map for directions to E17 Art House.