The Wooden Spoon Press

Malmesbury-based artist, Phillip Kingsbury, is a linocut printmaker. Having grown up in Malmesbury, and now living there with his young family, the Wiltshire town hugely inspires his work. Knowing the town very well, he is able to twist perspectives and sketch from memory and imagination as well as study.

Phillip’s love of printmaking was ignited whilst he was studying at Art College. Here, he had the opportunity to explore the print studio and experiment with a variety of printmaking techniques including etching, screen printing, lithography, and linocut. After finishing his studies, he continued to create linocuts using some very basic kit from his kitchen table. His pseudonym, The Wooden Spoon Press, comes from these early days before he owned an etching press and instead used a wooden spoon as his press.

Discussing his love of his hometown and how it inspires his work, Phillip says; “It is a very beautiful town with many interesting buildings, lovely river walks, and a rich history. It has really fascinating stories, such as, Eilmer, the flying monk, who made a pair of home made wings and jumped off the top of the Abbey in 1010 and became the first man to fly. The first king of England is buried somewhere in the town (no one knows for sure exactly where). And a local barmaid was mauled to death by a tiger from a travelling circus! Such unusual stories and I feel very lucky to live here.”

One of his latest Malmesbury-inspired prints is a 30cm x 30cm linocut of Malmesbury town centre, featuring 22 famous characters from the fascinating history of the town. “I enjoyed researching characters from the past and deciding which of the many interesting figures to include,” states Phillip. Within his linocuts, he twists perspectives and make scenes that seem somewhat dreamlike and not quite right in some way.

With two young children, Phillip has recently been broadening his subject to nursery rhymes and children’s songs. He and his musician partner, Catherine Burke, put together The Very Folky Nursery Rhyme Songbook and CD with lino cut illustrations and folky recordings of some of his son’s favourites. Another set of illustrations are being developed now for their new baby. Phillip hopes to keep experimenting with printmaking, and broaden his research into the history and stories from other places too.

www.the-wooden-spoon-press.myshopify.com
@thewoodenspoonpress

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