This print by English wood engraver Andy English (b. 1956), entitled Garden Plants for Bees, is reproduced in the catalog for the Fourth Triennial Exhibition 2020-2022 of the American American wood engravers society, the Wood Engravers’ Network (WEN), juried by my Wisconsin colleagues Tracy Honn and Jim Moran.
The original print, measuring 165 x 85mm (6.5" x 3.5") in an edition of 75 copies, is printed from three separate hand-engraved woodblocks: two seasonal collections of plants crowned by a small engraving of a bee. Besides its selection for the WEN Triennial, the print also won the illustration prize in the 2018-19 Society of Wood Engravers touring exhibition. The venerable Society of Wood Engravers is the British counterpart to the American Wood Engravers' Network, and Andy English is a member of both societies.
Trained as a geologist, English is a self-taught wood engraver, beginning the practice in 1991. The Wikipedia article on English cites an observation by British journalist Paul Wheatley that English came to wood engraving "for the first time and found it to be so natural and comfortable that he could only describe it as remembering a process rather than learning it." The print shown here is available for purchase on English's website for £75.00.
Also on English's website is a lovely series of images showing the development of a wood engraving, which we reproduce below, along with a photographic portrait of the artist:
As the juror for WEN's Fifth Triennial, I look forward to reviewing many fine wood engravings, and hopefully there will be a few by Andy English in the mix as well.
View another engraving by Andy English.
View another engraving from the WEN Fourth Triennial Exhibition.
View more engravings by members of the Wood Engraver’s Network.
View more posts with wood engravings!
– MAX, Head, Special Collections
turnnoffyourmind
kaledo-art
origamiaround
baratheonpilled
yousharknotpass
ellievsbear
