Ella Flavell is a printmaker from the West Midlands, working under the name Burin & Plate. Her linocuts translate photographs of places close to her heart into print, with an emphasis on pattern and graphic contrast.
Like many, Ella first encountered the relief printing process while at school, but it was not until three years later, in 2016, that Burin & Plate began in earnest. As an art history student at the University of York, it was while studying eighteenth century printmaking that an interest in the linocut process was reignited. Her first blocks, produced in cramped university hall bedrooms, took as their subject the ancient city of York and her hometown of Dudley. The therapeutic process of carving and printing offered welcome relief from Ella’s studies, and continues to be a calming, meditative exercise.
Now, four years later, Burin & Plate’s linocuts continue to draw their subjects from photographs and observational sketches of places that hold special memories. This has acquired added poignancy during recent lockdowns: being able to travel through these prints, and sharing this with her Instagram followers, has offered much-needed escapism. Lockdown and its increased free time has allowed Burin & Plate to hone old techniques and experiment with new ones, including multi-block printing. Inspired by the work of her printmaking hero, Oskar Kokoschka, a recent project has been a series of mini portraits of favourite actors, authors, and musicians.
Ella is fascinated by print’s ability to create multiple original artworks from a single block. The knowledge that her work hangs in homes around the world is, she believes, one of the most rewarding aspects of art-making. Her practice continues to be informed by the desire to form meaningful connections with her audience through the places she depicts and the memories they conjure up.
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