insideKENT Magazine Issue 63 - June 2017 | Page 32

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE:
SUE SCULLARD
SUE SCULLARD IS A WOOD ENGRAVER AND GICLEE EXPERT WHO MANAGES TO COMBINE
HER TWO PASSIONS INTO ONE AMAZING ARTISTIC PORTFOLIO. THIS MONTH, WE
INTERVIEWED SUE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HER AMAZING WORK. INTERVIEW BY LISAMARIE LAMB
If you had to define your art, how would
you describe what you do?
I am a printmaker and former illustrator, and
I make small black and white prints of intricate
images by engraving onto endgrain boxwood
blocks, using a selection of fine tools to make
a variety of marks as they incise the surface.
Wood engraving is a form of relief
printmaking, much like a fingerprint or stamp,
where a thin layer of ink is applied to the raised
surface once the engraving has been
completed, and transferred to paper under
pressure.
What is it about wood as a medium that
appeals to you?
A new block has a beautiful smooth surface
which is a pleasure to cut, it feels like slicing
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into firm butter, and it is possible to work with
fine tools in great detail on such a dense and
close-grained surface to cut clean lines close
together without the wood crumbling or
splitting. Working on the endgrain enables
the artist to cut in any direction with equal
effort. It is easy for a wood engraver to work
in a confined space. The engravings may be
very slow to complete, but the wood is resilient
enough to allow for hundreds of impressions
to be possible.
high-resolution digital reproduction of an
artwork which has been scanned into a
computer, and these are usually marketed as
limited edition prints as they are often
produced in small quantities. I worked for 30
years as an illustrator on giftware and children’s
picture books, very decorative colourful work,
mainly in ink and watercolour, and the giclee
prints give me an outlet to offer some of those
illustrations as prints to go on the wall. I do
enjoy working in colour, even though my
main output is in black and white.
As well as wood engraving, you produce
giclee – how do the two relate to one
another? Who or what are your inspirations when it
comes to your art?
A wood engraving is a form of original print,
inked and printed directly from a surface
worked by the artist’s hand, which in my case
is the engraved woodblock. A giclee print is a My main inspiration comes from the
landscape, both in Kent and further afield. I
look for subjects with potential for a dramatic
composition, and enjoy rendering the diverse