In September 2019 I realised a dream and travelled to Japan. As eight years ago when my early linocut Gold Pavilion, inspired by a friend’s trip, was accepted into the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition I hoped someday to get the chance to see it for myself. The day I visited the pavilion, called Kinkaku-ji, I was so awestruck by it’s beauty and emotional at seeing it for real that I cried when I was leaving! I decided I must do another lap to take even more photos...
The pavilion visit was a moment to pause and reflect on my achievements and the skills I have attained since the 2011 Summer Exhibition, which for me marks the beginning of my printmaking career.
Once back home in the UK I started on my new linocut of the pavilion, I was so determined to do it justice that it took me over 50 hours to complete! I’m very pleased with the new print; comparing it to my first makes me so proud at how my printmaking has progressed.
I entered my new Kinkakuji print into this years Summer Exhibition along with my print Torii Sea View, both my entries were shortlisted but unfortunately not hung in the end.
A five-minute read on Alexandra's trip to Japan: www.oxmag.co.uk/articles/a-trip-to-japan
For Alexandra Buckle, inspiration comes from countryside walks and more recently, from a trip to Japan. She captures the light, shadow and colour of her favourite scenery as hand printed reduction linocuts. This relief printing technique involves cutting and printing several layers of colour from the same block of lino in order to build up an image. Mistakes cannot be rectified and the block is destroyed in the process.
Alexandra has focussed solely on her printmaking since 2012, creating a simple studio at her home in Bicester to enable her to develop skills to the highest standards.
Alexandra is a founder member of the Buckinghamshire Craft Guild, the guild has a wonderful shop space in Stoke Mandeville which showcases the very best craft from local artists. She is a best seller on the Artfinder website, selling over 600 works internationally in five years. Her linocuts have been hung in the Royal Academy, the Bankside Gallery and the Mall Galleries in London.
**During the coronavirus outbreak, Alexandra is offering virtual one-to-one workshops. See her website for more information.**
info@alexandrabuckle.co.uk
www.alexandrabuckle.co.uk
For information about group workshops visit:
www.phoenixstudio.co.uk
(postponed at the moment)