19.02.2023
For every Open Studios of 2023, we have invited a Guest Artist to use our Round Tower for the day, as their own studio.
This fantastic opportunity allows us to give upcoming or developed artists the chance to work in a grade 1 listed building, associate themselves with the excellent cultural sector of Portsmouth and surround themselves with Hotwalls Studios finest artists!
The second artist we have invited to the Guest Artist Programme is Frankie Brown.
Inspired by nostalgic storybooks, fairy tales and folklore; illustrator and printmaker Frankie Brown produces whimsical hand printed art and stationery.
Frankie has an Illustration BA (Hons) alumna from the University of Portsmouth and explains : ‘ideas stem from lesser known fairy tales and legends, delving into their origins. The earliest versions of these tales are often darker than we remember from our childhood, and it’s not always ‘Happily Ever After’. Over thousands of years, they have taught us valuable life lessons, the importance of morality, and how to survive during our darkest times. This sparks me to share my visual understanding of them, and continue to keep these stories present amongst us.’
She works mostly with a technique of relief printmaking method called linocut. It involves using sharp tools to cut an image into a piece of linoleum. The surface is then inked up, and the image is transferred onto paper by using a printing press. This is a very simple explanation for what can sometimes be a very long process – but one that Frankie says to find very therapeutic and almost meditative.
Frankie will be working in the Round Tower, exhibiting work and inviting the public to try printing and buy affordable artwork.
The guest artist programme runs alongside our monthly Open Studios, where you will find all of our studios and the Round Tower accessible from 11am – 4pm on the third Sunday of each month.
Find Frankie at : Frankie Brown – Illustrator & Printmaker
