Georgina Kent is an illustrator and lino artist living a stones throw from the iconic Caerphilly castle in South Wales. Aside from a smattering of watercolours and digital illustrations, most of her work comes from carving lino. Georgina had her first taste of lino back in 1996 during her Intermediate GNVQ in Art & Design at Reading college. Then, 24 years later during the second lockdown of 2020, she revisited linocut printing and immediately fell in love with the medium.
“It’s funny, the course at Reading college was unremarkable,” says the printmaker. Future courses taught her so much more, but this little bit of exposure to lino is what has now born a career for her. After her year at Reading college, Georgina moved to West Wales to study at Pembrokeshire college, Here, she discovered her love of still lives, form, and illustration. She then went on to attend the University of Wales Institute Cardiff (now called Cardiff Met) to study Graphic Communication. After leaving half way through her final year, Georgina spent the next 20 years working for insurance companies and found creative outlets wherever she could in her work. But it was at the end of 2020 that Georgina took the plunge and followed her dreams to be a full time artist.
In September of 2020, Georgina bought a linocut kit and carved her first piece of lino in many years. She comments; “I instantly knew this was what I wanted and needed to do with my life”. Two months later she opened her online store, and was soon lino printing full time.
“Typically, inspiration strikes while I am working on other projects, the reality of a chaotic mind,” describes Georgina. Thus, she makes a quick sketch so not to forget and then works between the different projects. Her prints cover a wide range of subjects, whether it’s a beautiful oak tree she can see through a window at home, or some of nature’s greatest animals. She is often inspired by her love of nature paired with her love of everyday household objects, resulting in prints including a coffee moka pot, wooden spoons, and even a kitchen grater.
Georgina states; “My career as a lino artist is still very early on and the learning curve is steep. Traditional lino is definitely a tricky medium to master getting a good print from, and while it’s delightful to carve, I am finding a preference for vinyl lino.” Pfeil carving tools are her go-to, along with ho-sho, awagami editioning, and 190gsm Kent papers. All of her prints are currently produced on a small A4 table top printing press.
Recently, she has started dabbling in merchandise too, designing her first range of washi tapes, as well as printing some of her own greetings cards. Looking to the future, Georgina hopes to “keep growing, keep creating beautiful art and prints, to feel fulfilled in work, and to continue to find inspiration and be inspired”. Dreaming further, she aims to move out of her home studio into a bigger space with a larger etching press and drying racks. Some of Georgina’s work is due to appear on TV next year, and her work is continually available in different shops across South Wales.
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