Artists

PRINTMAKINGTurner famously had himself tied to a ship’smast in order to paint a storm at sea.Landscape artist Oliver West doesn’t go toquite such extreme lengths, but he is almostevangelical about working en plein air and thetransformative effect it can have. “I put myself indiffi cult situations in the landscape and somethinghappens,” he says.Oliver, who is based in Marazion, West Cornwall, isbest known for his etchings and engravings producedin situ from his mobile studio. After graduating fromFalmouth College of Arts in 1994 he set up a watersideprintmaking studio and gallery, but he was soon itchingto fi nd a way to work out in the landscape. “I couldn’tbear being indoors with an etching press when Iwanted it outdoors,” he says. “I was just desperate toget a press on wheels.”His fi rst mobile studio was a “tiny little 1960scaravan”, which he bought for £100 and renovated. Foralmost a decade Oliver used the caravan as a studioboth for himself and the plein air courses he runs. Butattendee numbers grew, he needed something bigger,``````MIRRORMIRROROliver does his printsback to front, workingfrom the refl ection in amirror so when he printsthe image it ends up theright way round.The technique meansthe fi nal image makesmore sense to theviewer, and also helpsto frame the view.``````LEFT On Shore Breeze -Penhale Sands, etching,48x33cmBELOW Oliver West workingen plein air using his mirrormethod in Cornwall``````>36 Oliver West.indd 37 10/06/2016 14:26