The art of wood engraving goes back to Thomas Bewick, who pioneered the technique of engraving at the end of the 18th century. He worked on the cross-section of boxwood in white and black line with fine metal tools adapted from silversmithing and copper engraving. Wood engraving became the common method of producing book illustrations throughout the 19th century. I use the same tools and techniques for my wall prints, employing humour, abstraction and sometimes combining styles within one print – an idea developed from my interest in collage.
Peter Lawrence is a former Chair of the Society of Wood Engravers and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. He was a book designer and illustrator and the MD of a design company. His wood engravings are in the collections of the V&A, the Ashmolean and museums in China.