Sophie Steel is an actor and artist based in Plumstead, South East London. After graduating with a degree in Art and Drama from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, she moved back to London and pursued a career as an actor. However, when the pandemic struck in 2020, all of her work as an actor and chocolatier (yes, really!) disappeared overnight. Needing an alternative creative outlet, Sophie revisited her artistic roots and took up lino printing. It quickly became her new obsession, and in August 2020 she officially launched Lino Print My Gram.
Ever since, Sophie has been hard at work in her garden shed, transforming people’s favourite Instagram photos into lino prints as well as creating a range of her own unique designs.
Often working from reference photos as her starting point, Sophie uses traditional lino printing techniques to produce bold and colourful single and multi block prints. All prints are pulled using a Woodzilla press or hand burnished with her trusty wooden spoon.
“I have always been a bit of a perfectionist which is not necessarily a good thing when it comes to the creative process, both as a performer and an artist. In the past I have definitely had a tendency to get in my own way. Lino printing has helped me to embrace the imperfections which are inevitable in relief printing as well as life and often end up adding to the character of the final piece. In a digital world, I love the fact that my work is undeniably handmade.”
One of Sophie’s favourite prints to date has been the ancient, twisted Lesnes Abbey Mulberry Tree printed on beautiful Awagami Washi paper. It is the largest print she has created, and took her three weeks to carve. In 2022, she is planning to print a series of other notable trees in the same style, as well as adding to her collection of local landmarks.
When Sophie started printing nearly two years ago it was simply as a way of filling her time during the lockdown. Her tiny garden shed studio became her happy place. The fact that printing has now turned into a new career has taken her by surprise; “When I graduated from university many years ago I wouldn’t have know how to launch myself into the art world. Now, in the age of social media, it is so much easier both to find an audience for my work and to keep growing as an artist, learning from the many other printmakers and artists who are sharing their work and techniques online. I now have a regular pitch at my local farmers market (Royal Arsenal Farmers Market) and I have loved having face to face interactions with local buyers, sharing my work and teaching people about my processes.”
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