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Painter · Printmaker · Artist
Purchase my prints online
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Meet The Artist
Meet Vicky
Painter · Printmaker · Artist
Purchase my prints online
VIew My Gallery

Gallery

View and purchase my art
View Gallery

The Artist

Meet the artist
Meet Vicky

Exhibitions

Find out where you can view my art
View Exhibitions

I am a painter/printmaker inspired by wild flowers and weeds.

Find out about my work, visit my next exhibition or buy an original print from the gallery. 

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Wildflower Wednesday: Yarrow, the soldier’s plant. Yarrow is a familiar sight in grassland and meadows, with its delicate, feathery leaves and clusters of tiny white flowers. Its botanical name, Achillea millefolium, is linked to Achilles, the Greek hero of mythology. According to tradition, he used the plant to treat wounds suffered by his soldiers, which is why yarrow became associated with battlefield healing. The plant has a long history in traditional herbal medicine, although its historical reputation shouldn’t be taken as proof that it is a safe or effective treatment for wounds. I love these connections between plants and human history. A seemingly ordinary wildflower becomes part of a much bigger story about mythology, survival and our relationship with the land. Next time you spot yarrow in a meadow, perhaps you’ll look at it a little differently. #WildflowerWednesday #Yarrow #PlantFolklore #BritishWildflowers #VickyOldfield
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19 hours ago

Wildflower Wednesday: Yarrow, the soldier’s plant.

Yarrow is a familiar sight in grassland and meadows,...

Lovely to have sold this, only a few of the edition left, a big thank you to @wychwood_art for showing my work
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2 days ago

Lovely to have sold this, only a few of the edition left, a big thank...

Wildflower Wednesday: A little botanical mischief The sunflowers in the garden are looking a little the worse for wear at the moment, their heads nodding in the autumn weather. Perhaps they’ve been celebrating the end of summer a little too enthusiastically! I found this old print in my collection and thought it was rather appropriate. Sunflowers tucked into a vintage Plymouth Sloe Gin bottle, resting on a book titled Mother’s Ruin. The title seemed too good to resist. Plants and potions have a long and fascinating history. From herbal remedies kept in apothecary bottles to the botanicals used to flavour gin, we’ve always found ways to bring the plant world into our lives, sometimes for healing and sometimes simply for pleasure. Sloe gin itself has a long association with the British countryside, traditionally made by steeping sloes, the dark fruits of the blackthorn, in gin. I rather like the idea of these sunflowers having found themselves a new lease of life in a bottle, even if their days of standing tall in the garden are over. A little reminder that flowers can inspire us long after their season has passed. #WildflowerWednesday #BotanicalArt #SloeGin #CollagraphPrintmaking #VickyOldfield
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1 week ago

Wildflower Wednesday: A little botanical mischief

The sunflowers in the garden are looking a little...

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1 week ago

A little introduction, for those of you who are new here, and a hello to...

Every now and then, a forgotten print deserves its moment in the spotlight. Something a little different for Halloween! These bats have been hanging around in my print drawer for far too long, so I thought Halloween was the perfect excuse to let them out! They’re original bat etchings I made while working on my book, Mixed Media Collagraph Prints, published by Crowood Press. They feature in the book in a step by step demonstration of how to add colour to a print using a colour roll. Although bats aren’t my usual subject matter, I rather like these little creatures. And it’s always fun to revisit work made while experimenting with a technique. I have just three available, image size 20 x 20 cms So if you’d like a slightly unusual piece of original printmaking for Halloween, do get in touch. #pipistrelleart #OriginalPrints #Etching #Printmaking #VickyOldfield
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2 weeks ago

Every now and then, a forgotten print deserves its moment in the spotlight.

Something a...

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2 weeks ago

Sometimes you just need a little bit of colour, a few flowers and a potter...

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2 weeks ago

A little trip to Norfolk, with a delivery of artwork and a rather unexpected amount...

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3 weeks ago

The glamorous side of printmaking… part two!

You might think making a collagraph print is...

Three prints from the same edition of Dandelion and Burdock. They look like variations on a theme, but each one is actually completely unique. This is what I mean by a variable edition. Rather than producing identical prints, I make each one by hand, changing the collage papers, textures, colours and sometimes the composition as I work. These three were made as I experimented and worked out which combinations I liked best. The printing plate is the same, but everything around it can change. So although they belong to the same edition, no two prints are exactly alike. Each has its own combination of collage elements, colour and hand-finished detail. It’s one of the things I love about collagraph printmaking. You can start with the same plate and end up somewhere completely unexpected. Three prints. One edition. Three originals in their own right. #collagraph #printmaking #dandelionandburdock #originalprint #handmadeprint
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4 weeks ago

Three prints from the same edition of Dandelion and Burdock.

They look like variations on...

Wildflower Wednesday 🌻 I’ve been working on another sunflower. I know I’ve painted and printed them before, but somehow I never seem to tire of them. Perhaps it’s the combination of those enormous, slightly unruly heads, the weight of the flower against its stem and all those tiny individual florets packed together in the centre. There’s something wonderfully familiar about a sunflower, but when I start looking closely, it becomes anything but simple. That’s often what draws me to flowers as a subject. The more closely you look, the more there is to discover. This new piece started with that familiar sunflower shape, but as always with my work, it has taken on a life of its own through the process of making the collagraph plate, printing and hand colouring. No two prints are quite the same, which is one of the things I love most about working this way. Are there any flowers you find yourself returning to again and again? #collagraph #studiolife #rba #sunflowerpainting
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4 weeks ago

Wildflower Wednesday 🌻

I’ve been working on another sunflower.

I know I’ve painted and printed...

Off to Battersea! My work is being delivered for the Affordable Art Fair, which opens tomorrow. I’m delighted to be showing with The Art Agency. If you’re thinking of visiting, I have a code for free tickets, so DM me and I’ll send it over. Come and discover some wonderful art, and perhaps find something lovely to take home. 14–18 October, Battersea, London. I’ve also started sharing more behind the scenes from my studio in my new Substack newsletter. I’ll put the link in my Stories if you’d like to have a read. @theartagency.uk @royalsocbritishartists #AffordableArtFair #AffordableArtFairBattersea #TheArtAgency #ContemporaryPrintmaking #VickyOldfield
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1 month ago

Off to Battersea! My work is being delivered for the Affordable Art Fair, which opens...

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1 month ago

Flowers gathered from the garden to welcome @nelwhatmore and @pollyrosemorris to @thefountaingallery for their exhibition,...

Why good paper matters The paper is not just the thing I print on. It is part of the process. For intaglio printmaking, the paper needs to be soaked in water before it goes through the press. This changes everything. The paper becomes soft and flexible, almost like fabric. And it needs to be able to take that treatment. When the damp paper passes through the press, it is pushed into every little texture of the plate, finding the marks, indentations and drypoint lines. That enormous pressure is what allows all those tiny details to be transferred onto the paper. This is why I use 300gsm Somerset paper. It has the strength, softness and surface quality needed for the process, as well as being beautiful in its own right. Good printmaking paper isn’t just a luxury. It is an essential part of making the print work. And I think you can see the difference in the finished piece. #collagraph #printmaking #drypoint #originalprint #printmakingprocess
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1 month ago

Why good paper matters

The paper is not just the thing I print on.

It...

I've started sharing a little more of what happens behind the scenes in my printmaking studio. This drawing began with an artichoke in flower, which I drew much larger than life so I could really study its extraordinary structure and intricate details. I've written about it in my first Substack article, along with some thoughts about where my ideas come from. If you'd like to read it, search for Vicky Oldfield on Substack. Vicky
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1 month ago

I've started sharing a little more of what happens behind the scenes in my printmaking...

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1 month ago

Really art for me is any creative pursuit, printmaking, ceramics, painting, gardening and learning to...

So… this happened at the allotment. A photographer came along this week asking if she could take some photographs of people and their plots. I was expecting a student with a camera and possibly a slightly terrifying assignment. Instead, a world-class photographer turned up. Annie Bundfuss was snapping away just before the sun went down, and somehow managed to make my allotment look considerably more glamorous than it normally does. My allotment is primarily for growing flowers. The vegetables are doing reasonably well… but let’s just say we had to take a little creative detour onto some other plots when it came to photographing the flowers. Naturally my gorgeous boy Stan stole the show! Thank you Annie for making me look like I actually know what I’m doing! And thank you to everyone at Lynwood Allotments for letting us borrow your flowers. I promise I didn’t steal any. 📷 @anniebundfussphoto #allotmentlife #allotmentflowers #flowerlover #gardeninglife #lynwoodallotments
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1 month ago

So… this happened at the allotment.

A photographer came along this week asking if she...

There’s quite a lot that happens to a print before it reaches the wall. Straight off the press, while the paper is still wet, I stretch each print onto a board, rather like stretching a watercolour. This allows it to dry completely flat and gives me a beautiful, stable surface to work on when I come to hand-colour the print. Once the print is finished and completely dry, I carefully remove it from the board. Then comes the rather satisfying bit. I tear the paper from the back by hand, using a deckle edge ruler, to reveal and preserve the beautiful natural edge of the paper. I use 300gsm Somerset paper, which is a beautiful but very expensive paper, so I certainly don’t want to cut that edge away. These are the little details that can easily go unnoticed when you look at a finished print, but they are all part of the craftsmanship. The printing, the hand-colouring, the paper and even the edge are part of the making. It’s one of the reasons I love original prints. You can see the hand of the maker in them. #collagraph #printmaking #originalprint #printcollector #printmakingprocess
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1 month ago

There’s quite a lot that happens to a print before it reaches the wall.

Straight...

Flower Fact Wednesday | Clematis Clematis is one of those plants that can completely catch you out. You might think its moment has passed when summer starts to fade, but some varieties keep flowering well into autumn. And then there’s the seed heads... Those wonderfully fluffy, silvery structures that appear after flowering are almost as beautiful as the flowers themselves. Each little tuft is attached to a seed, helping it travel on the breeze. So when the flowers have finished, don’t be too quick to cut everything back. There is a whole second display waiting to happen. I love plants that give you something beautiful at every stage, and clematis is definitely one of them. #flowerfactwednesday #clematis #autumngarden #flowerinspiration #printmaking
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1 month ago

Flower Fact Wednesday | Clematis

Clematis is one of those plants that can completely catch...

A closer look at chine-collé Following on from my last post about chine-collé, I thought I’d show you a print where I’ve really gone to town with it! This is one of my hand-painted collagraphs, and there are lots of little pieces of chine-collé hidden within the image. The thin papers have been carefully chosen and placed onto the inked collagraph plate before it goes through the press. Some add colour, some texture and some help create the little details within the still life. I love the way they become almost invisible once printed. You can look at the finished piece and think the colour has been painted directly onto the paper, but there are actually layers of different papers sitting within the print. There are flowers, bottles, jars, butterflies and all sorts of little details to discover. Each section is built up separately, so although this is an edition of 30, every print is slightly different as you can see from the two variations of this print, which do you prefer? The one with the darker borders is 55 x 90 cm image size, with a paper size of 71 x 116 cm, and is available on my website. #chinecolle #collagraph #printmaking #handmadeprints #printmaker
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1 month ago

A closer look at chine-collé

Following on from my last post about chine-collé, I thought...

Ever wondered what chine-collé actually means? You might know the finished effect without knowing how it’s done. Chine-collé is one of my favourite printmaking techniques because it allows me to introduce tiny pieces of colour and texture into a collagraph, all in the same pass through the press. The really magical bit is that once it’s printed, the extra layer of paper almost disappears into the print. Have you come across chine-collé before? #chinecolle #collagraph #printmaking #printmaker #handmadeprints
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2 months ago

Ever wondered what chine-collé actually means? You might know the finished effect without knowing how...

Wildflower Wednesday, Did you know he fern is older than the dinosaurs? It’s not technically a wildflower, but I’m claiming them anyway. Ferns are one of those plants that can make even the most ordinary shady corner feel like a woodland. And they’re ancient. Ferns and their relatives have been around for hundreds of millions of years, long before flowering plants appeared. Instead of producing flowers and seeds, ferns reproduce using tiny spores, usually found on the underside of their fronds. Those little brown dots you sometimes see aren’t insects or disease — they’re clusters of spore-producing structures. I love the way a fern unfurls too. The new fronds emerge tightly coiled before slowly opening out. There’s even a name for this characteristic shape — a fiddlehead. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s the rhythm and repetition of those fronds that makes them so irresistible to draw and paint. Delicate, complicated and somehow very calm. #ferns #wildplants #britishflora #wildflowerwednesday #botanicalart
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2 months ago

Wildflower Wednesday, Did you know he fern is older than the dinosaurs?

It’s not technically...

West Dean College | Collagraph Weekend What a lovely weekend teaching collagraph printmaking at West Dean College. I always love seeing what happens when everyone starts with the same basic techniques but takes them in completely different directions. Different marks, textures, colours and ideas, and every print completely individual. It was also rather lovely to see so many of my students using my book, Mixed Media Collagraph Prints. Some already had a copy and others bought one over the weekend. As an author, there’s something very special about seeing your book actually being used on the work table, covered in fingerprints and probably a few bits of ink! If you have a copy of my book and have found it useful, I’d be incredibly grateful if you would leave me a short review on Amazon. Whether it’s helped you get started with collagraph, introduced you to a new technique or given you inspiration for your own work, I’d love to hear what you think. Thank you to everyone who came along to West Dean. It was a pleasure to teach you all and to see the wonderful prints you created. #collagraph #printmaking #westdeancollege #mixedmediacollagraphprints #printmakingworkshop @thecrowoodpress Here is where I teach: @westdeancollege @north_yorks_art_school @ochreprint
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2 months ago

West Dean College | Collagraph Weekend

What a lovely weekend teaching collagraph printmaking at West...

Wildflower Wednesday, The Story Behind The Flower, Japanese Anemones One Of My Favourite Late-Summer Flowers. Despite Their Name, Japanese Anemones Aren’t Actually From Japan. The Plants We Grow In Our Gardens Originated In China And Were Later Introduced To Japan, Where They Became Popular. They Arrived In Europe In The 19th Century And Have Been Garden Favourites Ever Since. I Love Them For That Slightly Unruly Quality — Tall Stems, Simple Flowers And Those Beautiful Papery Petals That Seem To Float Above The Garden. They’re Also Wonderfully Useful For Pollinators, Flowering When Many Earlier Summer Flowers Are Beginning To Fade And Providing Nectar For Bees And Other Insects. And Then There Are The Seed Heads. Once The Petals Disappear, The Centres Become These Lovely Fluffy Little Structures, Catching The Light And Moving In The Breeze. Another Example Of A Plant That Somehow Becomes Just As Interesting When The Flower Is Finished. #JapaneseAnemone #LateFlowers #BritishGarden #WildflowerWednesday #BotanicalArt
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2 months ago

Wildflower Wednesday, The Story Behind The Flower, Japanese Anemones

One Of My Favourite Late-Summer Flowers....

A little trip back in time… I made this painting a couple of years ago, and I found the original video of it coming together. It’s always lovely to look back at the making of a piece, especially when it has just found a new home. This one has now SOLD, which makes me particularly happy. I’ve always loved the story behind it and the memories held within the flowers. I thought I’d share the making of it again, because sometimes the journey behind a painting is almost as special as the finished piece. Thank you, as always, for following along with my work. #originalart #contemporaryartist #paintingprocess #britishartist #soldart
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2 months ago

A little trip back in time…

I made this painting a couple of years ago,...

Frequently asked question: Are your prints originals? The short answer is yes — but perhaps not in the way you might think. My collagraphs are original, hand-printed artworks. I make the printing plate myself, using a combination of materials and textures, and each print is then individually printed and hand-coloured in my studio. So although a print may be part of an edition, it isn’t a mass-produced reproduction of an original painting. In fact, with my variable editions, each print can be slightly different. The colours, textures and hand-painted details can vary, making every one an individual artwork. This is the bit I particularly love — the printmaking gives me the structure, but the hand-colouring brings each piece to life. So yes, it is a print… but it is also an original piece of artwork, made by hand from start to finish. And that’s probably one of the things I get asked about most! #collagraph #originalprint #printmaking #handcoloured #botanicalart
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2 months ago

Frequently asked question: Are your prints originals?

The short answer is yes — but perhaps...

Wildflower Wednesday, why is heleniums nickname sneezeweed? The name comes from the traditional use of their dried leaves in making snuff — not because the flowers themselves cause hay fever. The flowers are particularly valuable to pollinators, with their open centres providing easy access to nectar and pollen. I love the way the petals seem to droop away from the raised centre. There is something wonderfully expressive about them, especially as the flowers begin to age and change colour. They’re also fantastic late-season flowers for the garden, bringing a final burst of warm colour when so many other plants are beginning to fade. Another one I’d happily spend far too long drawing. #helenium #sneezeweed #lateflowers #wildflowerwednesday #botanicalart
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2 months ago

Wildflower Wednesday, why is heleniums nickname sneezeweed?

The name comes from the traditional use of...

A little studio confession… i’m floundering a bit at the moment. I have spent much of the last month doing something i don’t usually give myself enough time to do — experimenting with painting, and, more specifically, trying to get to grips with oil paint. it is a different medium for me and, so far, I wouldn’t exactly say we’re getting along beautifully. I am used to working with printmaking processes where i know what will happen (well… most of the time!) oils are a whole different language, the paint moves differently, dries differently, mixes differently and generally seems to have a mind of its own. There have been lots of “ooh, that’s interesting” moments… followed fairly quickly by “oh no, what have I done?” (See final pic, I got mad with it) moments. But i’m enjoying the uncertainty. I am trying to paint more loosely, use the paint thinly, stop overworking everything and, most importantly, learn by actually doing rather than worrying about getting it right. So this is very much a work in progress stage, there are some paintings i like, quite a few i don’t, and a lot that are currently sitting somewhere in between. But perhaps that’s exactly where I need to be #oilpainting #oilpaintingprocess #artiststudio #workinprogress creativeprocess
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2 months ago

A little studio confession… i’m floundering a bit at the moment.

I have spent much...

Endless Summer A rather appropriate title for a print that has just sold, after the long, hot summer we’ve had this year. This is one of my nasturtium collagraph prints, and I love the exuberance of nasturtiums — those wonderfully unruly leaves and bright flowers tumbling over everything in their path. I’m always particularly pleased when one of my prints sells, but this one has created a wonderful reason to have break from the struggle of learning a new medium and get back to the press and make some more of the edition. Always nice to make a new batch, maybe I will play with the colours and collage bit more with this one #nasturtium #endlesssummer #collagraph #printmaking #botanicalart
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2 months ago

Endless Summer

A rather appropriate title for a print that has just sold, after the...

Wildflower Wednesday Did you know? Dahlia Edition Dahlias are full of surprises. 🌸 They’re edible! The petals can be sprinkled over salads and cakes, and the tubers were originally grown as a food crop in Mexico. 🐝 Single dahlias are best for bees. Their open centres provide easy access to pollen and nectar, while many of the highly double varieties are beautiful but much harder for pollinators to use. 🌿 They belong to the daisy family. Like daisies and sunflowers, what looks like one flower is actually made up of hundreds of tiny individual flowers. 🌈 There are over 50,000 registered varieties. From tiny pompons to dinner-plate blooms, they come in almost every colour except true blue. 🌞 The more you pick, the more they flower. Regular cutting encourages the plant to keep producing new blooms right through to the first frost. 🇲🇽 They’re native to Mexico. Dahlias are the national flower of Mexico and have been cultivated there for centuries. 🦋 Butterflies love them too. Single-flowered varieties are a magnet for bees, butterflies and hoverflies throughout late summer. Do you have a favourite variety? As you can see the spiky ones are my favourite to draw though the Pom Pom’s last ages in a vase and the colours! #Dahlias #BotanicalArt #Flowers #GardenInspiration #OriginalArt
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2 months ago

Wildflower Wednesday

Did you know? Dahlia Edition

Dahlias are full of surprises.

🌸 They’re edible!...

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2 months ago

Just back from a brilliant week teaching at North Yorks Art Scool, and managed to...

#Did you know? Every flower has its own story. Sunflowers just happen to tell theirs by following the light. They really do follow the sun... but only when they’re young. As the flower buds develop, they turn from east to west during the day, tracking the sun across the sky. Overnight, they slowly turn back to face east, ready for sunrise the next morning. Once the flower opens fully, it usually stops moving and remains facing east. Scientists believe this helps the flower warm up more quickly in the morning, making it more attractive to bees and other pollinators. I love that even a flower as familiar as a sunflower still has surprises to share. Their cheerful faces, towering stems and remarkable behaviour make them one of the joys of late summer. Do you know any interesting facts about sunflowers? #Collagraph #BotanicalArt #Sunflowers #wildflowerwednesday @royalsocbritishartists
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3 months ago

#Did you know?

Every flower has its own story. Sunflowers just happen to tell theirs...

If you follow me you will know all about my thistle obsession. At first glance they can seem prickly and unapproachable, but look a little closer and there is so much beauty in them. Those vivid flowers emerging from all those protective spines, growing in places where many other plants struggle. That’s what inspired me to call this print Resilience. I think there is something rather wonderful about the way thistles just get on with it. They survive, adapt and keep growing, and somehow manage to be beautiful while doing so. Like all my collagraphs, each print is individually inked, printed by hand and then carefully hand-coloured. So although it is part of an edition, every one is slightly different and completely unique. Resilience Original hand-coloured collagraph Image size: 50 x 50 cm £450 Now available on my website. I’ve always loved the wildflowers that aren’t necessarily the most delicate or obvious. Do you have a favourite wildflower? #Collagraph #OriginalPrint #ThistleArt #Printmaking
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3 months ago

If you follow me you will know all about my thistle obsession.

At first glance...

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3 months ago

The glamorous side of printmaking

Inking up a new collagraph plate looks quite satisfying, but...

Wildflower Wednesday- Did you know? Echinacea 🌿 The name Echinacea comes from the Greek word echinos, meaning hedgehog, because of its spiky central cone. 🐝 Bees can see ultraviolet patterns on the petals that guide them towards the pollen. 🦋 Echinacea is one of the best late-summer plants for pollinators when many other flowers are fading. 🐦 Goldfinches often cling to the seed heads in autumn, feeding on the ripened seeds. 🌱 Although native to North America, echinacea has become a favourite in British gardens because it flowers for such a long season and is excellent for wildlife. @royalsocbritishartists #Collagraph #BotanicalArt #BritishWildflowers #Echinacea #OriginalPrint
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3 months ago

Wildflower Wednesday- Did you know?
Echinacea
🌿 The name Echinacea comes from the Greek word...

Rise I’ve always been fascinated by thistles, spiky,architectural beauties. They aren’t delicate flowers in the traditional sense. They’re strong, protective and wonderfully resilient, yet when they bloom they reveal an extraordinary beauty. This piece is called Rise because it reminds me that growth often comes quietly. We all face setbacks, difficult seasons and unexpected challenges, but like the thistle, we keep going always looking for the light and easier times. Nature has a remarkable way of reminding us that strength and beauty can exist side by side. This original collagraph has been individually inked and printed by hand from my original collagraph plate before being carefully hand coloured. As part of a variable edition of 30, every print has its own unique character. #vickyoldfieldartist #collagraph #originalprint #botanicalart #thistle
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3 months ago

Rise

I’ve always been fascinated by thistles, spiky,architectural beauties.

They aren’t delicate flowers in the...

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3 months ago

Things you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find in a printmaker’s toolbox…

A bookbinding tool?
A...

Did you know? Poppies are often the first flowers to appear after the ground has been disturbed. Their tiny seeds can lie dormant in the soil for decades, waiting for the right conditions. When the earth is turned over by ploughing, construction work or even natural events, the seeds are brought to the surface where light helps trigger germination. Within weeks, a seemingly barren patch of ground can become a vibrant display of scarlet blooms. It’s one of the reasons I find poppies so inspiring. They remind us that beauty can emerge in the most unexpected places and that nature has an extraordinary ability to renew itself. Have you ever come across poppies growing where you least expect to find them? #Collagraph #BotanicalArt #BritishWildflowers #Poppies #OriginalPrint
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3 months ago

Did you know?

Poppies are often the first flowers to appear after the ground has...

Wild and Wonderful I just love seeing poppies growing wild in unexpected places, they appear wherever the soil has been disturbed, along field margins, roadside verges, building sites and freshly turned earth, bringing an unexpected burst of colour to the landscape. I love that sense of freedom. To me, poppies are a reminder of nature’s remarkable ability to reclaim a place with beauty. Their delicate petals may only last a short while, but while they’re in flower they transform the landscape and are impossible to ignore. I have made many artworks of poppies in this one I wanted to capture the movement, colour and exuberance of one of Britain’s best-loved wildflowers. Each collagraph is individually inked, printed by hand from the original plate and carefully hand coloured, so every impression has its own unique character. I’ve just added Wild and Wonderful to my website, where you can see more photographs and read about the inspiration behind the piece. #Collagraph #OriginalPrint #BotanicalArt #BritishWildflowers #Poppies
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3 months ago

Wild and Wonderful

I just love seeing poppies growing wild in unexpected places, they appear...

I’ve always loved the contradiction of thistles. Armed with fierce, protective spines, they reveal one of our most beautiful native flowers. They ask us to look beyond first impressions and discover the unexpected beauty hidden within. For this picture, I wanted the print to feel less confined, so I cut the collagraph plate to follow the shape of the thistle itself. Rather than keeping everything within a neat square, the spiky leaves reach beyond the edge of the plate, giving the print a sense of movement and allowing the composition to breathe. It’s a small detail, but one that reflects the way nature refuses to be contained. Like all of my collagraph prints, each impression is individually inked, hand printed from the original plate and carefully hand coloured, making every print unique. ✨ I’m delighted to say that Sharp Beauty has now been added to my website, where you can see more images and details of the print. 🔗 Link in my bio. Sharp Beauty – Original hand-coloured collagraph print. #vickyoldfieldartist #sharpbeauty #collagraph #handprinted #handcoloured
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3 months ago

I’ve always loved the contradiction of thistles.

Armed with fierce, protective spines, they reveal one...

July was less about finishing and more about noticing and gathering inspiration. I have wandered beautiful gardens, visited exhibitions, spent hours starting a number of new paintings and playing with new ideas. #artistjourney #julyinpictures #surreyartist #studiolife #collagraph
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3 months ago

July was less about finishing and more about noticing and gathering inspiration.
I have wandered...

A day in the sunshine, filling my phone and mind with inspiration, flowers, seed heads, colours and unexpected details. It’s amazing how a few hours n a garden feels like a reset, excited to get back in the studio. Which flower should I paint next? Any requests? I am thinking something on a large scale, I have a metre square canvas waiting …….. . . . @loseley_park #loseleypark #fillingmycreativetank #shape #texture
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3 months ago

A day in the sunshine, filling my phone and mind with inspiration, flowers, seed heads,...

A few of the beautiful prints created over the weekend @ochreprint, such a fabulous printmaking studio with wonderful facilities in Guildford. It’s always such a joy seeing everyone’s work together at the end of a course. Although everyone learns the same process, no two prints are ever alike—that’s one of the things I love most about teaching collagraph printmaking. A huge thank you to everyone who came along and made it such an enjoyable weekend.
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3 months ago

A few of the beautiful prints created over the weekend @ochreprint, such a fabulous printmaking...

Things people don’t realise about printmaking... People often assume that every print in an edition is identical. Mine rarely are. I print in very small batches, usually just a few at a time, because I’m constantly experimenting. I might add a different layer, introduce a new texture, or hand colour one in a completely different way. Number 3 in an edition can end up looking quite different from number 4. It does make life rather complicated! Every variation has to be photographed, documented and catalogued separately. Keeping track of them all for my website and the galleries can be quite a challenge. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. For me, that’s the joy of printmaking. It stays alive. It keeps evolving. And it means that, even within an edition, the piece you choose is genuinely your own. No one else will have exactly the same print hanging on their wall. Would you rather own an identical edition print, or one that’s evolved into something completely unique? I’d love to know. #PrintmakingProcess #Collagraph #OriginalPrints #HandColouredPrint #BritishPrintmaker
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3 months ago

Things people don’t realise about printmaking...

People often assume that every print in an edition...

I’m back at @ochreprint in Guildford teaching a weekend of mixed media collagraph printmaking. As I was getting everything ready today, I found myself flicking through my book Mixed Media Collagraph Prints. It brought back so many memories of writing it and of my time as Artist in Residence at Ochre in 2019. It’s a studio that has played such an important part in my journey as an artist, so it’s always a pleasure to return. If you’ve been thinking about coming, there’s still one space left on this weekend’s course. I’d love to welcome one more person into the studio. And if you can’t make it this time, I hope my book might inspire you to have a go at home. #printmaking #collagraph #ochreprintstudio #guildford #mixedmediaprintmaking
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3 months ago

I’m back at @ochreprint in Guildford teaching a weekend of mixed media collagraph printmaking.

As...

If you’re in Guildford over the next few weeks, do pop into @artandgrindfor a coffee and a browse. I’ve got a lovely selection of work on the walls along with browser pieces if you’re looking for something a little smaller. There are also plenty of cards, perfect for keeping on hand or sending to someone special. I always enjoy seeing my work in this relaxed setting—art and coffee are such a good combination! If you do visit, I’d love to know which piece catches your eye. Let me know in the comments, or tag me if you take a photo while you’re there. #GuildfordArt #SupportIndependentArtists #OriginalPrints #ArtAndGrind #BritishPrintmaker
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4 months ago

If you’re in Guildford over the next few weeks, do pop into @artandgrindfor a coffee...

Every artist has their treasures... High above the chaos of my studio is a shelf filled with things that have travelled through life with me. To anyone else it might just look like a collection of old pots, pebbles, fossils and dried seedheads, but every one has a story. There’s a beautiful ceramic pebble, a gift from the lovely @carolyngendersceramics after we exhibited together. My rather unsuccessful attempts at making tower sculptures have found a second life as little vases, now filled with dried seedheads gathered on walks. There are fossils picked up over the years, and old pots that have somehow survived the years. The old swan ink pot was given to me by my very first boyfriend. I often wonder what became of him. His name was Andy Hallett, and he was studying sculpture at Cardiff Art College when I was there for my foundation year. If, by some extraordinary chance, you’re on Instagram and happen to see this... hello! 👋 I think that’s why I love working surrounded by these objects. They’re far more than things. They’re reminders of people, places, moments and memories. They quietly sit above the creative mess, watching over whatever I’m making next. I’d love to know... do you have a shelf, drawer or corner of your home that’s filled with objects that tell the story of your life? #StudioTreasures #ArtistsStudio #CreativeLife #CollectedMemories #BritishArtist
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4 months ago

Every artist has their treasures...

High above the chaos of my studio is a shelf...

There are paintings everywhere... on easels, balanced on shelves, leaning against walls, and even a few on the floor. My studio is definitely not at its tidiest at the moment, but I always think a little creative chaos is a sign that something interesting might be happening! I’m in that wonderful (and slightly frustrating) stage of trying lots of different ideas all at once. Some are working, some definitely aren’t, and a few are surprising me in ways I wasn’t expecting. It’s all part of the process of finding my way towards a new body of paintings. These are very much works in progress, so you’re getting a little peek behind the scenes before anything is finished. There’s something quite exciting about not knowing exactly where a painting is going to end up. With a bit of luck, some of these experiments will grow into the collection I’ll be showing in my exhibition this November. Fingers crossed! Do you enjoy seeing artists’ studios looking beautifully organised... or do you secretly prefer seeing the creative mess? I’d love to know which camp you’re in! #ArtistStudio #WorkInProgress #BehindTheScenes #ContemporaryPainting #StudioLife
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4 months ago

There are paintings everywhere... on easels, balanced on shelves, leaning against walls, and even a...

The odd little rules I have for myself as an artist... When I’m avoiding starting something difficult, I have a habit of suddenly noticing that the studio really needs fresh flowers. So off I go into the garden with my secateurs. A few stems and a bit of weeding later, I’m back in the studio arranging them, moving them around, finding the perfect pot or bottle and generally doing anything except the thing I was supposed to be doing. The funny thing is that this particular form of procrastination is usually forgiven, because somewhere amongst the flower arranging, ideas begin to emerge. A colour combination catches my eye, a seedhead casts an interesting shadow or a flower suddenly demands to be drawn. I’ve learnt that sometimes procrastination is simply part of the creative process... although I do still have to make myself sit down and start eventually! Am I the only one who finds all sorts of wonderfully creative ways to avoid getting on with the job in hand? #artistlife #creativeprocess #procrastination #studiolife #behindthescenes
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4 months ago

The odd little rules I have for myself as an artist...

When I’m avoiding starting...

Things I do as an artist that might surprise you... I collect seedheads. Rather a lot of seedheads. At this time of year you’ll often find me pottering around the garden with a pair of secateurs, rescuing anything with an interesting shape before it collapses into a soggy heap. My studio shelves are full of dried stems, seedheads and flowers waiting for their chance to appear in a print or drawing. One of my all-time favourites is giant hogweed. I know it’s a controversial choice, but from an artist’s point of view it is utterly magnificent – huge, dramatic and wonderfully architectural. I’ve drawn it many times over the years, this beauty came as a gift from @anthonypaulgardendesign The irony is that somehow a seed must have hitched a lift home because I now have a giant hogweed plant growing in my own garden. As thrilled as I was to spot it (artist brain immediately thinking ooh, what a fabulous thing to draw!), common sense has had to prevail. I need to cut it down before the seeds spread and my small garden is full of these magnificent plants. Please tell me I’m not the only person who gets ridiculously attached to plants they really shouldn’t keep! #vickyoldfield #seedheads #gianthogweed #botanicalart #printmaker
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4 months ago

Things I do as an artist that might surprise you...

I collect seedheads. Rather a...

One of the loveliest parts of being an artist is hearing that a piece has safely arrived in its new home. This message arrived from Germany this week after I sent a print which is going to be given as a surprise present: “The picture arrived today. It is so beautiful! I’m certain she will love it, Thank you so much for carefully wrapping the parcel and, of course, for your words and the cards” It is always rather wonderful to think that something created here in my studio will soon become part of someone else’s story, and I’m so grateful when collectors take the time to let me know that a piece has arrived safely. Sending artwork overseas can sometimes feel a little daunting, but messages like this make it all worthwhile. I do hope she loves her surprise. #vickyoldfield #originalart #artcollector #printmaker #collagraph
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4 months ago

One of the loveliest parts of being an artist is hearing that a piece has...

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