Louise Bird - About the Artist

"Louise's fascination with the bee world has dominated her work as a printmaker for many years. She is an expert on the various species, and their habitats. Her large pieces are part hand-made print, part painting - working only with printing inks directly onto paper. Giant bumblebees tumble across the paper - furry, cuddly and glowing. Honeybees work busily, unaware of the magnifying glass held up to see them. In these, and smaller works, Louise opens our eyes to the charm of the insect world."

Tracy Myers 2007

Natural history has always been the main inspiration behind my work. By examining many of the life cycles in the natural world, I have been able to create images that I hope, display many layers of meaning. During my studies for a Degree in Fine Art Printmaking at the Norwich School of Art and Design I became fascinated with the Honeybee, looking at its language, habitat and behaviour. What triggered this obsession, was seeing an observational hive, in which you can see the internal structure of the hive, as well as study the behaviour of the bees themselves. I have also been inspired by Graham Sutherland's series of etchings based on the life cycle of honeybees.

First hand involvement and study of the subject matter is very important to me, and subsequently I went on to keep my own bees. Ever since, this subject has been my main inspiration, and my concern for the protection of our natural habitats has led me to continue producing work, hoping to make people more aware of the need for conservation.

Primarily a Printmaker, I produce layered Monoprints using a large sheet of steel. Ink is applied to the metal plate using rollers and worked into before being printed through an etching press. To create the effect of coloured layers which have a semi transparency, I use translucent inks. These prints often involve stencils and can sometimes contain many layers. Between printings or after all the layers have been printed, I may also decide to draw and paint. Working in this way makes each piece completely unique and not reproducible in any way. These works are never completely planned from beginning to end, allowing for decisions to be made throughout the process. The most appealing thing about printmaking to me is the unpredictability and ability to experiment.

I also produce Etchings, Collagraphs, and Mezzotints.

Books

My original mezzotints are featured in the latest Langford Press book, 'Wildlife in Printmaking' edited by Carry Akroyd - to find out more about the book and how to purchase a copy visit the Langford Press website.

My work is also featured on the front cover of the latest book by Dave Goulson 'A Sting in the Tale'
'Dave Goulson has always been obsessed with wildlife, from his childhood menagerie of exotic pets and dabbling in experimental taxidermy to his groundbreaking research into the mysterious ways of the bumblebee and his mission to protect our rarest bees.'
Visit Amazon.co.uk to order a copy!

Previous Exhibitions

• The Mall Galleries, London
  The Society of Wildlife Artists Annual Show
• The Affordable Art Fair, London and New York
• Royal College of Art, London
  Art on Paper
• Chelsea Art Fair, London
• The Affordable Art Fair, Bristol
• The Atrium, Whiteleys, London
  '100 Artists' Exhibition
  
• Wildlife Art Gallery, Lavenham, Suffolk
• The Crooked House Gallery, Lavenham, Suffolk
  The Birds and the Bees

If you are interested in seeing future Exhibitions, please contact me to be added to my mailing list.