Meet the artist

Journey of a Printmaker - Three Bears Prints is run by me, Marliese Richmond. I live in Perth, Scotland with husband Mike, daughter Estelle and dog Max. I've been making prints for over 15 years, starting off by making simple Christmas cards for friends each year. My printmaking really took off when I joined the DCA Print Studio. This is an open studio where artists can go to make use of various presses, and take advantage of the knowledge of the friendly staff. In November 2010, I took the big step of buying my own press! It’s called a proofing press, which is now over a 100 years old. It was used when the fonts for printed material were all laid out by hand. The ‘compositors’ who did this job needed to check that all the letters were in the right order before lots of printed copies were made. Since buying my own press, I have been able to experiment with printmaking in my studio at home, and develop my work. Initially I was interested in producing one-colour prints, and focusing on texture, pattern and composition. I have since moved on to creating two and three colour prints, working to create different effects by overlaying different colours of ink.

 

Sources of Inspiration - I derive inspiration from a lot of areas, first and foremost, the natural world.  I'm lucky enough to live in a beautiful area with lots of wildlife to see on a daily basis.  One of the most amazing spectacles I've ever seen in Scotland are the gannets at Bass Rock, which led to this four colour linocut print.  However, I've created lots of prints based on wildlife I've seen in Perthshire, including otters (which I've seen while crossing the bridge over the River Tay, right in the centre of Perth!); woodpeckers (raiding the bird feeders at the back of my parents' house)' ; and squirrels (there are lots of red squirrels which live up Kinnoull Hill, and unfortunately our terrier has not yet learnt to discriminate between the greys and the reds...).

 

 

 

 

Of course, your everyday life always filters into your art work if you practise regularly as an artist, and the experience of motherhood has directly inspired my printmaking. This print here of a Mummy Bear and her cub captures the overwhelming love and devotion I feel for my daughter Estelle. I also have a nostalgic view of my childhood and love to go back to traditional nursery rhymes and stories for inspiration, such as the Owl and the Pussycat here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travelling is an invigorating experience, which often leads to a print.  My flamingos were inspired by a flock of these stunning birds which we saw while kayaking on honeymoon in Mexico.  The Dogs in Rome print was created after admiring the sophisticated dogs we saw in Rome, walking alongside their stylish owners.

 

 

 

The Story behind the Name 'Three Bears Prints' - The name 'Three Bears Prints' comes from one of the first sets of linocuts I created: 6 panels illustrating the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  I was really pleased with them - even now, I still love the panel of Daddy Bear looking up in consternation at his empty porridge bowl. I love these linocuts for other reasons too. Now, my linocutting skills have progressed to such an extent that I would be unable to recreate the 'naive' look of these panels. My friend's daughter was the model for these panels, and she is now a young woman. The font used is an obsolete British font gifted to me by a local letterpress expert and printer. As for the Three Bears Prints logo, I like the dual meaning implied by the paw prints.