Author Archives: MStraccia Art

Hope is the thing with feathers

‘ “Hope” is the thing with feathers’ is my latest three colour reduction linocut print. I made it without a press. It is hand burnished with a trusted wooden spoon. The lino print sold out within a week. It was a fundraiser. A buyer had to send me proof of a £30 donation to theContinue reading “Hope is the thing with feathers”

Yaffle Bird

The Process of Creating This Green Woodpecker Print I like to look at vintage nature books and prints for inspiration. Going to my local library, charity shop and using Pinterest are my favourite places for inspiration. First, I do a drawing in pencil in my sketchbook, then I take a digital photograph of it andContinue reading “Yaffle Bird”

A Lesson with a Green Woodpecker

This is my first finished reduction print of 2023. I printed the first peachy coloured layer on Christmas Eve 2022. It’s taken me many weeks to complete the print. I do linocut art around my day job and everyday life, snatching little pockets of time to print when I can. Printing isn’t a full timeContinue reading “A Lesson with a Green Woodpecker”

Christmas Menu Design for Foxy Wings

We had a fantastic meal at Foxy Wings last night! Look how excited I am in this pic! I finally got to see my illustrations on their new Christmas menu. Of course, the best thing was actually tasting it! We had a posh pomegranate Bellini for starters (it is Christmas!), some sticky gochujang cauli, someContinue reading “Christmas Menu Design for Foxy Wings”

New for 2023: A Newsletter

Newsletters and email subscribers are useful ways for me to keep in contact with you, but signing up to things suck. Our inboxes are crammed with junk trying to sell us things we don’t need. My newsletter will be more informative than just an ordinary marketing email. I’m going to write articles about artists IContinue reading “New for 2023: A Newsletter”

My favourite paper

I occasionally get asked about the materials I use for my handprinted reduction prints. My favourite paper is Zerkall, made near the Rur River in Cologne, Germany. It’s heavy enough to take quite a few layers of colour and has a lovely delicate grain that gives my prints a dreamy vintage style that people tendContinue reading “My favourite paper”

BBC News

Thanks so much to Alex Pope from the BBC for writing this lovely news article about Foster Hill Road cemetery and how it has inspired artists and authors (like the incredible Ruth Hogan– A Sunday Times best seller!). The story is peppered with illustrations from a book I worked on earlier this year about theContinue reading “BBC News”

Bedford Indie Christmas

Katie Allen designed this glorious map of Bedford Indies to promote local businesses this Christmas. There’s even a little online section for those of us who aren’t bricks and mortar shops. Check it out! Thanks to Explore Bedford, Bedford Independent and The Arc for saving me a little space in the corner of this beautifulContinue reading “Bedford Indie Christmas”

Blackbird Print

I have just finished a three colour reduction linocut print of a handsome blackbird. I handprinted a dozen, which is half of four and twenty (just like the English folk song. However, I would never, ever bake a bird into a pie. I’m a vegetarian) Apparently the ‘four calling birds’ in The Twelve Days ofContinue reading “Blackbird Print”