A print of a dog wearing a sweater, photographed on a cutting mat with a pencil.

“Knit Picker.” All images © Strangford, shared with permission

Animal hijinks and playful puns fill the colorful prints of County Down-based artist Jo, also known as Strangford. Whippets in knits, bagel-scarfing badgers, and roly-poly felines are just a few of the characters that emerge from lino-cuts and Risographs. “The main surface I’m carving into is flooring lino—it comes in bigger pieces than artist lino—and plywood, though I’m a beginner at wood carving,” she tells Colossal. “I work from home. I’ve basically taken over the whole house now.”

With a background in ecology, Strangford discovered printmaking when she joined local Extinction Rebellion groups, decentralized initiatives designed to persuade governments to act on the climate emergency. “I had previously done a bit of digital work but fell in love with the process of carving and printing,” she says. During the pandemic, her work took on a more humorous and light-hearted quality. “When the world got more serious, my work became more playful.”

A solo exhibition of Strangford’s work opens tomorrow at The Workshop Ballynahinch and continues for two months. A selection of prints are available in the shop on her website, and you can follow updates on Instagram.

 

A print of a turquoise badger eating a bagel.

“Hole Food Diet”

A print of two billy goats with their long tongues touching.

“Silly Billies”

A print of a sea gull swallowing a person whole.

“Some Gulls Are Bigger Than Others”

A print of a red cat with blue paws.

“I’m Just a Paw Boy From a Paw Family”

A print of a blue snake wearing an orange sweater.

“Semi-Snaked”

A print of a large blue pelican with an orange ship in its bill.

“Le Beak, C’est Chic”

A print of a long, blue otter.

“Long Otter”

A print of a frog laying on its side and smoking a pipe.

“Ribbit For Her Pleasure”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Picky Eaters and Critters in Knits Populate Strangford’s Playful Animal Prints appeared first on Colossal.

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