Four colour reduction lino print for the 2026 20:20 Print Exchange

I’ve been involved with the 20:20 Print Exchange since 2018. The Exchange is a world wide event that sees print studios across the globe get together groups of five artists who then produce and print artworks in a 20cm x 20cm format. Each participating artist has to make 25 editions of a print which are then submitted to the organisers, Hot Bed Press in Manchester, and in return each artist gets a set of 20 different prints to keep. It keeps alive a centuries old tradition of printmakers bring techniques and ideas, often in the production of text works that were used to campaign for social change.

My image is of a fishing structure known as a ‘Carrelet’. These are found on the Atlantic coast in France, I took photographs of these around La Rochelle and Fouras. The name, carrelet actually refers to the large flat net that is lowered by winch into the sea at high tide to catch small fishes like shrimp.

I’m reasonably happy with my print. A four layer reduction cut is always risky, but the registration has worked well, the only layer I’m not happy with is layer two. That is the pale grey that looks almost silver. This uses mostly white ink, an ink that is supposed to be very opaque, but the consistency of the ink never looked right, I was in fact worried it wouldn’t dry, but it serves its purpose, and the odd bleed from some of the lines creates an interesting highlight. Such are the joys/woes of the physical print process.

In total I think I made about 40 copies of this print, extras are always needed to ensure I can deliver the minimum requirement of 25.

I also played around with a few prints on off cuts of scrap print work. This often produces interesting and unplanned results, such as the two lino prints printed on top of abstract screenprints.