With The Habitat Series, Bristol-based artist and printmaker Chiara Mensa creates a body of linocut prints that reveal the hidden structures of natural ecosystems. Designed and carved in 2024, the works use a distinctive split-view format that shows both surface and interior worlds in a single composition. From rainforest canopies to wildflower meadows and tidal mangroves, each piece becomes a celebration of ecological complexity and a reminder that the environments we pass through hold far more than we notice at first glance.
Hand-carved from traditional battleship grey lino and printed with a wooden spoon, the series demonstrates Mensa’s commitment to the tactile clarity of linocut. Every edition consists of forty hand-pulled prints, each one slightly shaped by the pressure of the printing process. Although the subjects vary widely, the works share a structural rhythm: contrasting positive and negative forms, flowing textures, and compositions anchored by carefully researched ecological relationships.
“The more I learned about each habitat, the more I wanted to show not just what it looks like, but how it works,” Mensa says. “Every species, every root, every hidden structure contributes to a larger story.”
The series began casually. Mensa has long been drawn to animals, plants and the visual logic of natural systems. But as she developed the early pieces, the project quickly became more intentional. Research shaped each design. She studied how species interact, what anchors an ecosystem and which overlooked details hold an environment together. Linocut’s graphic precision suited this approach. It demanded that every line carry meaning.
“Linocut forces you to commit to every mark,” she explains. “There is no hiding. The clarity of the medium makes you think about structure in a completely different way.”
Some of the habitats she chose are rooted in her own experiences. Through the Looking Grass was inspired by the wildflower meadows of Ashton Court in Bristol, a place she walks with her dogs every summer. Other works came from travel, such as Mangrove, drawn from a 2018 trip through Queensland. That print has become one of her favourites and was selected for the 2025 Ironbridge Printmaking Competition.
The process itself became part of the creative exploration. Mensa experimented with acetone transferred laser drawings, new carving rhythms and custom colour mixing using Cranfield Colour’s Safe Wash inks. Creating the perfect hue for each environment became its own form of research and discovery.
“I wanted each colour to feel true to the habitat,” she says. “Mixing by hand makes the palette feel alive. You find the right tone only when it starts to feel connected to the place you are carving.”
Although the current set includes Amazonia, Beneath the Ice, Entangled Life, Mangrove and Through the Looking Grass, the series is not complete. Mensa already has future habitats she hopes to explore, including cave systems, hedgerows, desert biomes and deep sea vents. Each one offers its own layered narrative waiting to be carved.
“Every ecosystem has a structure behind the beauty,” Mensa notes. “My hope is that the prints make people feel curious enough to look closer and appreciate the worlds they walk through every day.”
Originally trained as an architect, Mensa approaches printmaking with a sensitivity to form, depth and spatial relationships. Since 2022 she has developed her practice from a home studio, embracing the meditative quality of carving and the expressive potential of handcrafted prints. Her work encourages quieter attention, inviting viewers to move slowly through each composition and discover the interconnected life within.
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