Artist Spotlight: Sue Wyllie, Intaglio Printmakers Award Winner

The Flourish Award celebrates excellence in contemporary printmaking, shining a light on artists whose work pushes boundaries and inspires. This year, we are delighted to catch up with Sue Wyllie, who was awarded third place and the Intaglio Printmakers Award at Flourish 2025.

Have a little read to see what she had to say:

Sue, Congratulations on being shortlisted and winning the Intaglio printmakers award runner up prize. Can you tell us what inspired your Flourish 2025 submission?

Walking in the dark, imagining the underworld, a love of curious botanical forms

What printmaking technique(s) did you use?

These are wood relief prints created using a small spike with the occasional wood chisel.

How would you describe your style in three words?

Botanical, dark, shadowy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What draws you to printmaking as a medium?

I love the gap between the handmade mark and the print; I like that there’s spaces for the unexpected to creep in

How do you develop a concept for print and what does your creative process entail?

I take many photographs of things that I grow, find in specialist plant growers’ nurseries, see at County Shows and competitions. I use these photographs to explore ideas through digital collage, plotting out and planning my prints using photoshop. I then trace the images onto the wood and draw into the tracing using a small spike. This is a long and slow process which takes many months to reach the conclusion.

 

How do you overcome creative blocks?

Because the process is long and slow, I rarely encounter creative blocks. If I feel uninspired, I can explore a different aspect for a few days such as monoprinting or taking photographs or walking in the dark.

Your work has a distinctive style, how would you describe it and what themes or stories do you explore in your work?

I describe myself as a pseudo-botanical artist who carefully describes what I dream and imagine in the shadows of night. I seek to explore the natural world seen through a liminal lens, where the imaginations wrestles with the factual to create a new form of being or sense of place.

 

Are you exploring any new techniques?

I’m always pushing at the edge of the processes that I use, currently exploring drilling lino and duotone prints on a large scale

What advice would you give to other or emerging printmakers?

Explore your ideas and materials. Always leave space for the accident to happen and when it does be prepared to explore further.

One word to describe your experience of Flourish 2025?

Empowering

West Yorkshire Print Workshop promotes excellence in printmaking through the Flourish Award. As the Intaglio Printmakers Award winner Sue will have the opportunity to benefit from £50 worth of materials from Intaglio Printmakers, a six month free membership to WYPW with a week residency with free use of facilities and print room at West Yorkshire Print Workshop. We look forward to welcoming Sue to her residency.

Flourish will be showcasing at the Huddersfield WYPW gallery until September 21st. It will then go on tour across various northern galleries.

You can find out more about Sue’s submissions for Flourish 2025 here.

For more information on all the shortlisted artists and work take a look at our dedicated Flourish 2025 page here.