Preparations for this May’s Oxfordshire Artweeks are taking shape and we are delighted to announce the cover image for the 2019 Festival Guide, an etching of Llyn Ladaw or Shining Waters, a natural lake in Snowdonia, by print-maker Morna Rhys. Morna’s etchings are inspired by the wonderful British landscape: wild places, deep valleys, secret paths, seas in many moods or trees in all their glory as sunlight and moonshine add mystery and wonder.

Working mostly from drawings and paintings which help her capture the structure and perspective of the landscape, Morna specialises in coloured copper-plate etchings. These require the application of many different colours all added to the same plate, which is then carefully wiped with scrim, and polished with acid free tissue. She also uses, when required, two or three plates which are printed sequentially to give strong colour contrasts. During Artweeks, you will be able to enjoy her expressive landscapes, large botanical etchings and small magical glimpses of the natural world alongside the work of two other artists in a fascinating historic 18th century basement gallery in Iffley, Oxford (venue 131).

You can read the Artweeks February 2019 newsletter to see our suggestions on where to enjoy Oxfordshire art over the next few weeks and read the stories of several more local artists whose work you will be able to see during the May festival.