Ruth Ander
Bristol
Straddling the space between painting and printmaking, Ruth's work mixes line and gestural mark making. Her work is layered, textural evocations of place.
MessageAfter graduating with a BA (Hons) in Illustration from the University of the West of England, Ruth continued to hone her hand-printing techniques to produce atmospheric land and seascapes. Early on in her career she was shortlisted for the Royal West of England Emerging Artist award and won ‘Best Work in Colour’ at the Society of Graphic Fine Art annual open exhibition.
She has since exhibited in prestigious open and specialist print exhibitions at the Atkinson Gallery in Somerset, The Shire Hall in Stafford, Royal West of England Academy in Bristol and Black Swan Arts in Frome.
Projects have included producing a workshop and exhibition for the National Trust to promote Brean Down, and, more recently a University of the West of England Print Scholarship, participation in Lumen/Mayes Creative Lizard Point residency and selection for Stroud’s Museum in the Park ‘Material Flow’ exhibition.
Ruth regularly teaches low-tech printmaking workshops. She lives and works in Bristol, from her garden studio and Spike Print Studio.
Statement
Humans have always been drawn to the edges of the land- the places with a sense of freedom, escape and clarity. I, too, am drawn to them and try to express their sublimity through my work.
Straddling the space between painting and printmaking, Ruth’s gestural monotypes and drypoints strive to evoke the sublimity of ancient landscape and seascape.
I am a print maker who can't make an edition! My pieces start as a series of between 4 and 10 etchings or drypoints with collage ‘printed into’ them- already making each print unique. Each piece is then worked on in my home studio with mono-print added by hand as well as collage, the end result being several completely unique artworks on paper, albeit with a family resemblance.
Mixing line and gestural mark making, they are layered, textural evocations of place.
Most of my pieces are the result of walks taken in solitude (often early, as the sun rises). These are an escape, an inspiration, time with no other calls on me from others, and a time to completely connect with nature and my context in the world.
I often seek to represent the topography of the Bristol Channel or the rolling landscapes and ancient sites of Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset. The results are something between an old Italian fresco, an English Romantic painting and a Japanese woodblock print.
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