Alice Thomas is a Bristol-based multidisciplinary printmaker whose creative practice focuses on the mediums of linocut, silkscreen, and Risograph printing. Alice also experiments with other creative mediums such as zine-making, film-making, and ceramics, resulting in a well rounded and diverse body of work which explores a variety of themes from more lighthearted playful subject matter, to more sincere and compelling topics.
Alice’s work is bold with a large focus on line work, and typically features animals, florals, and contrasting colours. One of the main driving forces behind her work is ensuring it is tactile, accessible, and approachable, so alongside her artworks she also creates products that can be utilised in everyday life such as tote bags and pouches. She tells us; “Currently, I’m being quite indulgent with my creative practice and focusing mainly on solo projects, however I like to collaborate with my partner who is a film photographer on both prints and zines, and would definitely be open to more collaborative projects in the future!”
Sustainability is at the centre of her business; all packaging is recyclable, all the inks she uses are vegan and non-toxic, and she sources fabric goods that are either recycled or sustainably sourced. “I like my artwork to have an impact, but not a negative one on the planet,” says the printmaker.
Alice completed her undergraduate degree in Graphic Communication from Bath Spa University in 2020. She comments; “Whilst a bizarre year for everyone, a really great experience that came out of completing my degree when I did was feeling the need to explore more physical creativity. All my final submissions had to be digital (even if I wanted to make a zine, I could only submit photos) and I was always more into screen printing and more static design so this element I found particularly hard. So in order to flex a muscle I would typically do through my coursework I bought a lino kit and haven’t looked back!”
A fantastic opportunity that came out of her degree was being able to be an artist resident at Bath Spa’s creative graduate programme, EMERGE. Being a resident for two years allowed her to find her footing as an emerging artist and small business owner. Alice states; “Having space, both mentally and physically, allowed me to hone my skills as a printmaker and explore my love of screen printing, something I perceived as a pursuit I couldn’t fulfil at home (oh how wrong I was!) I was able to be surrounded by other West Country creatives, often having completely different creative practices to my own, but learning a lot in regards to being a creative within industry.”
2023 was Alice’s first year in her own home studio, so she had “quite a few growing pains to get through”. Now that she is a bit more settled in her space she is hoping to create more cohesive collections, as opposed to a selection of one off pieces. This year, she hopes to table at more markets; “It’s great to get out there and meet people and talk about your work in person”.
@alicetprints
www.alicethomas.co.uk
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