Q & A with Ash Leaf
Location: Hassocks, West Sussex
Discipline: Printmaker
Creative Practice/Process:
I am a printmaker and designer, specialising in hand embossed paper. I create limited edition lino reduction prints, letterpress prints, screen printed tea towels, greeting cards and calendars.
Having studied illustration at Brighton University, I specialise in printmaking with a twist. I incorporate embossing into all my designs, which gives them a unique look and feel. As a designer, I am inspired by nature and the patterns within it, combining this with his bold, graphic designs.
For the last eighteen years, I have been a supplier in the greetings cards industry under the company name Linoking Cards. These bright, contemporary designs are individually hand embossed and
printed on recycled paper and papers from sustainable sources. I sell to many boutique gift and greeting card shops around the UK and have supplied to the likes of RHS, Eden Project, National Trust and V&A. Through regularly attending trade fairs, I have also secured exportation contracts to Australia, France, Switzerland and Holland.
In 2016, I renamed the company to coincide with the building of a new studio. Built under an ash tree in the heart of Sussex, I
designed and built the studio myself to suit the exacting needs of my work. My lino and wood cut prints can be found in galleries all over the UK.
What makes your work UNIQUE?
I specialise in hand embossing which gives my prints another
layer. It can be quite subtle, but it helps my work tell more of a story without taking anything away from the main subject. I do get a lot of customers say they have not seen anything quite like it.
Colour/Trends:
I have a very stylised approach. I worked briefly in the textile
industry, and ever since have been influenced by the use of repeat patterns. I now look for these patterns within nature, incorporating them into all my work.
Ash Leaf, Single Colour Letterpress Prints.
A4 / A3 Mounted and Framed,
£36 – £52 Mounted, £75 – £95 Framed.
Ash Leaf 2024 Bird Wall Calendar
Size: 14.5cm x 42 cm
£15.50 – £19.80
