I am an artist, illustrator and printmaker based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
I have held senior positions in arts education and have exhibited my work throughout the United Kingdom and in many countries worldwide, including Australia, Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Spain and the United States.
I have illustrated books for private press publishers, and for a number of years provided a monthly series of portraits for Prospect magazine in London.
My work is held in private and public collections in the UK and abroad.
About my work
Linocut is, on the face of it a very simple medium. Fifty years of practice tells me it is far from that, and that to achieve a level of excellence - which I strive to - is as exacting an exercise in this medium as in any other. What I am seeking to express through the medium of linocut printmaking is as sure to me in my own mind as it could be, but less surely articulated as a statement. There are however a few things I can say with a measure of certainty.
As far as subject matter is concerned, that which lies closest to my heart is the small, the intimate, the ephemeral; those things that might otherwise, in a world seemingly obsessed with grand statements and towering ambition, be overlooked or maligned but are to my mind of particular value, bearing the capacity to be at once both unremarkable and profound. I strive to convey the essence of each subject; that which defines its true nature. I am also drawn to the implied narratives associated with certain thematic groupings, where these can trigger responses, be they emotional or otherwise.
With regard to this, I should add that I purposely do not seek to impose my own narratives. On the one hand I believe it is a mistake to restrict what might be taken from any given image only to those things which can be conveyed in words. And on the other, I would never wish to inhibit the viewer’s own capacity to take from an image that which has meaning for them. Any titles I assign, other than those which are purely descriptive, are ambiguous; suggestive of nothing other than a fleeting train of thought.
Alongside that, I am interested in the qualities of abstraction inherent in all graphic forms, since before anything else they exist as arrangements of lines, tones and shapes on paper and at a fundamental level will impact the viewer as such, much as rhythm does in music.
As far as process is concerned, my work is deeply rooted in the use of traditional materials; drawn, cut and printed by hand on the finest handmade papers. This craft element is extremely important to me, as is a sure command of technique, which for me at least is essential for the realisation of what I want to achieve.
To send me a message please use the contact form below or email at: johnwatsonlinocuts@gmail.com