Artists

26 Artists & Illustrators``````HEAVY DUTYUsed wood block engravingssit in Anne Desmet’s studio,stacked high in a variety ofdifferent sizes``````What made you think about printmaking?In Oxford, at the Ruskin School of Art, a tutor pointedme in that direction. Most of my better works were verydetailed drawings. I soon discovered that, with woodengraving, the wide range of tools offer much greaterpotential for diverse marks and tones than pensor pencils.``````You became a Royal Academician in 2011, but youwere not a full-time artist at that point...I’ve only been a full-time artist in the last three years.I worked part-time in a gallery for nine years before Ibecame editor of Printmaking Today for 15 years. Eachof those jobs supported my art career.What did you do after finishing at theRuskin School of Art?I worked as an art history tutor for a yearand built up my portfolio. After that I did apostgraduate diploma in printmaking atLondon’s Central School of Art and then,in 1989, I got a Rome Scholarship andwent and lived there for a year. Thatmade the most enormous differenceand change in my work. It really was aseminal experience.``````You mentioned that you never throw anyprints away...I keep everything I make, often for someexperimental purpose later. Even if a print has gonewrong, there is usually some piece of it that I canrecycle in a collage. When I make a new print, I oftenhave a second agenda: how can I re-use this in a totallydifferent way in a collage?``````Looking around your studio, there is a vast amount ofwork squeezed into one room. Why do you not use alarger studio space elsewhere?I prefer to work from home for practical reasons. Largestudios can be cold spaces and my hip hurts when I’mcold. I had a dislocated hip as a baby and numerousoperations didn’t entirely fix it. I spent years of mychildhood in hospital where I occupied my time readingand drawing. That is what got me into drawing. I’m sureI wouldn’t be an artist if it hadn’t been for that.ANNEIN THE STUDIO``````A FULL-TIME ARTIST FOR JUSTTHREE YEARS, THIS LONDON-BASED PRINTMAKER IS MAKING AMARK FROM HER SNUG LONDONWORKSPACE. WORDS AND PHOTOS:ANNE KATRIN-PURKISSDESMET RAARTS & ANTIQUESA genuine Albion printingpress from 1859,Anne and her husbandhave used it for theirprintmaking for the past25 years.26 In the Studio.indd 26 10/06/2016 14:24