thisiscolossal: In a 100-Day Printmaking Project, Lisa Stubbs Reflects on the Holme Valley from a Bird’s-Eye View

All images © Lisa Stubbs, shared with permission

Artist Lisa Stubbs is in the midst of a 100-day project that both explores unusual printmaking materials and recalls the topographical allure of her hometown. Working from her studio in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, Stubbs began the series as a way to experiment with utilizing cleaned and flattened Tetra Pak cartons in place of wood or metal plates. She layers ink onto the plastic-coated cardboard and uses a type of gauze known as a scrim to wipe away the excess pigment. “For me, this is the playful part of the process as the scrim creates beautiful gestural marks on the Tetra Pak surface,” she says. “It’s very organic and intuitive, making each print unique despite using the same plate.”

Set on vintage and hand-painted papers, the resulting works feature a recurring house with a small door on the bottom right, a chimney, and an oversized bird perched on the roof. While the ink colors and images change, the central structure remains constant and evokes the homes of Stubb’s native Holmfirth, a small town nestled in the Holme Valley. The land’s steep elevation means that many houses are built on angles, with their backyards at window-level rather than ground. “The beauty of this is when you’re sitting in your back garden, you enjoy breathtaking views over your rooftop,” the artist says, sharing:

‘Ova tops,’ to be said in broad Yorkshire tones, you can see a bird’s eye view of the Holme Valley and Black Hill, part of the Peak District and the rough fringe of Saddleworth Moor, a view that’s become a comforting touchstone and one I never tire of. I wanted my printmaking to illustrate the character of the homes embedded into this landscape, along with the birds which sit on their stone rooftops mulling over life below.

Stubbs has finished 36 of the 100 prints in the series, many of which she shares on Instagram along with glimpses into her process and studio. Shop available works on Etsy.