Southampton-based printmaker and papercut artist Mina Kerr has a mixed background in art. She studied an Art Foundation followed by a degree in 3D Metal Design, but a passion for the drawing process always remained, which drew Mina to printmaking.
Mina’s introduction to printmaking was at Red Hot Press printmaking workshop in Southampton. Here, she took a number of different courses including linocut, woodcut, screen printing, letterpress, and wood engraving. “I loved all the different processes and kept going back wanting to learn more as the tutors were inspiring and fun to work with,” says the printmaker.
Thus, Mina started making her own prints at home and also took up papercutting around the same time. She comments; “I love how all these mediums overlap and combine in printmaking and I enjoy using papercut stencils for screen printing. I often say that if I can cut it, I can print it!”
Her work is inspired by nature and observations of the things people say; “I enjoy cutting and carving tiny details, plants and creatures. Just lately I’ve been enjoying carving some tiny prints for #tinyprinttuesday on Instagram.”
Mina’s relief process begans with staining lino blocks with ink prior to transferring her design. This helps her to see where she will be carving, and Mina then either hand burnishes with a baren or uses her ABIG tabletop press. For screenprinting, she uses a mix of inks from Hunt The Moon, Speedball and Flat Fox, and often reusable Yupo paper for her handcut stencils.
She tells us; “I like to have several projects on the go at the same time as that keeps things interesting for me”. Looking to the future, Mina hopes to continue to develop her skills and start combining techniques like linocut, letterpress, and papercuts exposed for screenprinting. “There’s always more to learn,” concludes the artist.
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