Andrew Carter: November Willow, 2023

About:

“‘November Willow’ is in a small edition. Printed at Artichoke Print Studio in Brixton it is a two block linocut print, the willow tree is based on a tree on the bank of the River Wey. I was pike fishing, it was a cold, bright November day and the tree, almost leaf less was illuminated with the sun behind as it was late afternoon. It looked golden - It felt like a symbol for that late November day and I photographed it ….. a few years later, remembering it, I cut the tree block, back to front and removing all of the negative spaces to reveal the fragile, delicate structure of the tree with its last leaves. I have printed it with an overlayed offset transparent yellow. It is now the same way round as I first saw it! I somehow have returned to the first moment.”

Andrew Carter (b. 1964) studied Fine Art Painting at Central St Martins and an MA in Printmaking at Camberwell College of Art. He has been awarded the Jealous Graduate Prize and Bainbridge Award. He teaches painting, drawing and printmaking alongside developing his own work as an artist.

His recent body of work explores the link between subjects found in the landscape and the geometric arrangement of pattern, shape, and colour. Whilst there is diversity in the places his subjects are found there is a commitment to a specific process of arrangement and cutting relief blocks for printing.

Carter comments; “All of my ideas start with something seen outside, between forms, or through windows and then, through a process of elimination and selection, I try to arrive at an image that transcends the commonplace. Drawings are made and images are cut in reverse, before being printed by hand.”