Claire Cameron-Smith

Purple Route

I create original handmade prints using woodblocks and/or stencils to build up layer upon layer of colour by hand, using sponges, brushes and baren (Japanese hand press). My designs range from gentle, calming scenes and delicate nature studies, to joyful celebrations of things that make me smile. There’s a story behind each piece, and what they all have in common is a combination of my passion for print with my wonder at the world.

Behind the Scenes
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About My Practice

My passion is printmaking, and I utilise this medium to create multiple originals of an artwork by hand. I enjoy each part of this process, from the challenges of deciphering the layers required, to carving the woodblocks and stencils, and also the way the layers build and build during printing to eventually create the series of seemingly identical but actually unique prints in a batch. I also create museum-quality giclée reproductions of my designs to provide a variety of prices and sizes to choose from.
My starting point in printmaking was the Japanese woodblock tradition, and many of my designs are still influenced by the kacho-e genre of bird and flower prints. I find calm in the balance and harmony of the Japanese aesthetic, and seek to convey this in my own work.

Tools & Materials

In my Kirkcudbright studio I’m lucky to have enough space for displaying my work in an informal gallery setting as well as having room to make a creative mess! I use knives, chisels and gouges to carve designs into woodblocks or stencils, and print from them using water-based inks onto Japanese or German printing papers. For my giclée reproduction prints I use pigment inks on Hahnemühle FineArt Bamboo paper.