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 of Christmas folk song, was originally sung as ‘four colly birds’. Colly, being a reference to coal, hence blackbirds!
So with Christmas coming up, maybe a limited edition print of an English colly bird would make quite the festive gift. Find the listing over at my Etsy shop or come and see me at the next Bedford Flea on Sunday 13 November.
I am very pleased with these new greeting cards. They are designs based on some of my most popular prints.
A6 greeting cards of some of my linocut prints
I have been a bit cautious to begin with and I’ve just decided to buy cards of three of my designs first, to see how well they sell.
Cards and prints at Bedford Flea
I think they look gorgeous. At the local art market, customers and friends wanted to support me, but original prints can be too expensive. Purchasing something small like a token card is affordable.
Hopefully if a card is given away, the recipient will look up my shop and website. A sneaky bit of promotion! Greeting cards are exclusively available from me in person at the moment. Find me at on Sunday 13 November at Bedford Flea. It will be perfect for some quirky festive gifts and you’ll be supporting local artists and makers too.
My second art market at Bedford flea at St Paul’s Square is on Sunday 11 September. There are snazzy new market gazebos there too. Fingers are crossed for good weather but it’s nice to know they have us covered.
It’s a busy creative market with a Local Produce section including a grown-not-flown florist, vegan smoothies, artisan bakes, beers and cakes. There’s even an eco refill station!
New product~ blank greeting cards!
You’ll find me in the Affordable Art section alongside 11 other local artists. I have my own wooden A board to display my prints. So Parisian!
My A board from my first flea
This time I have new prints on sale and greeting cards of some of my most popular prints.
There’s also the Flea section with antiques, collectibles, and vintage clothing. I always find a little treasure there.
Find us at St Paul’s square in Bedford this Sunday for an amazing day.
Just a quick note to let you know that my Etsy shop has been updated.
I have restocked some linocut prints and there are three new reduction prints that are now available to buy for the first time online.
‘Knight’, ‘Happy Hens’ and ‘Blue Vase’ are reduction linocut prints that I made this year. They are handprinted, made without a press. I burnished them at home using a wooden spoon and a bit of arm muscle!
Older prints are on sale too. I have twenty designs in the shop, so hopefully you will find the perfect gift for yourself, friends and loved ones. They’re affordable limited editions between £15-£45. Thank you for looking and remember to keep supporting artists !
My Etsy shop is getting refreshed. I’m restocking and listing some new prints. Like this knight dude. He’s a limited edition, hand printed lino reduction cut.
If you’re looking for affordable art, a truly unique gift or something with a just a hint of the folky strange, then check out my shop on Friday 19 August.
This is my latest reduction linocut print. The print idea, of some countryside chickens, was suggested by my hen loving cousin and titled by her two daughters. She requested a chicken themed print. Usually, I would never do a commission for a linocut, but I made an exception, especially for her.
She’s had a bad year. My uncle, her dad, passed away a few weeks ago. He was my dad‘s oldest brother. He was a loving nonno to his five grandchildren.
Above: Photos of the process of making the print. From sketch to final image.
My uncle was the warmest, cheekiest and most generous uncle you could wish for! I have only lovely memories of Uncle Joe, he was central to large family weekend gatherings and sunny barbecues. He threw Christmas parties and bought me cheeky pints when I only asked for a half. He took us on Christmas shopping trips to Birmingham and treated us to curry.
There was guaranteed friendly family banter and laughter. Like my dad, he had the family trait of a cheeky wink and a comical raise of an eyebrow. I loved all of the joking about. It was never dull in his company, a ring leader of a huge immigrant family circus consisting of my brother and sister, my six cousins and two second cousins and all our parents, uncles and aunts. We literally spent every weekend with each other, congregating in nonna’s tiny terrace house. Arriving at lunchtime to eat a mountain of the most delicious pasta and sometimes not leaving until around midnight especially, if my dad and my uncles got into an intense high-stakes game of ‘Scopa’.
I hope my cousin likes her happy hens. I have 10 limited edition, two layer reduction linocut prints available from my Etsy shop from Friday 19 August 2022.
I made a two colour reduction linocut to sell as a fundraiser for the Red Cross Ukraine crisis appeal. I have sold out now, but the money that was donated came to £410. A print was given to anyone who gave money to charity. My target was £300, but people were very generous. Thank you so much, you are amazing.
I made 20 prints
Ukraine’s national motto is ‘Glory to Ukraine’ (Slava Ukraini). The response (and the name of this print) is ‘Glory to the Heroes!’. It’s for the courageous people in Ukraine and the generous people in it’s bordering countries, they are welcoming so many refugees.
It’s not a ground breaking amount of money, but I hope that the donations will help in some way. You feel so helpless watching war on the news.
Recently I watched Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom(2015). It is a brutal film to watch, but it is worth seeing this documentary on Netflix uk. And I watched ‘Tango with Putin’ on bbc iplayer. A reminder that the Russian people are also victims of Putin’s megalomania.
On Sunday 10 April I will be trading at my first Bedford flea.
Talia and Laura, who organise this amazing market, have been interviewing all the makers. If you want to find out more about me, now is your chance! Here’s a transcript of the mini interview that they have been sharing on their socials.
MStraccia art at Bedford flea
From Bedford Flea, Affordable Art and Local Produce Market on Facebook “Here we are – brightening up your Monday with another new face for our April market!
Local artist MStraccia Art creates the most beautiful linoprints and reduction prints
If you haven’t heard of reduction printing before, give it a quick google, it involves carving each new layer into the previous one…very tricky to plan, and there’s no going back!
Here she is to tell us more about herself:
“I’m Marisa, a digital illustrator, designing greeting cards for large publishers on my desktop computer. These generally get mass produced overseas and I rarely get to even hold a final product. My linoprinting practice is a tiny act of folk art inspired rebellion, I get full control of a manufacturing process with no ctrl+z. Recently, I’ve been making multi-colour reduction prints. Reprints are impossible, so get them whilst you can! Reduction printing locks me into making limited editions and this forces me to keep moving forward.”
What are you most looking forward to?
“I’m excited to meet the people who visit Flea. They are the best of Bedford! People who care about enriching the town and supporting artists. I can’t wait to hang out with the other sellers too. I love meeting skilled makers and finding out about their work, it’s inspiring. I can’t imagine a more open and friendly platform to showcase my artwork.”
And what’s a fun fact about you?
“I love birds! I feature them in my art. I’m a keen birder. If I feel sad I remember the time I sat watching rufous hummingbirds whilst eating porridge in the Hoh rainforest. It always cheers me up.”
Well said Marisa! The best people do visit our market and we’re absolutely sure they’ll love to see and support your art.
And we can’t offer hummingbirds on the Square but here’s hoping some chubby pigeons might do the job
If you live in or close to Bedford, have you ever been to the monthly flea market? It’s on the second Sunday of every month.
On Sunday 10 April I will be there selling artwork along with many other very talented local makers and artists. Find us between 10AM – 3PM at St. Paul’s Square, Bedford, MK40 1SL.
Since it’s my first outing at an art fair, I have a reduction print that is a special edition of some spring flowers in a blue vase that is exclusive for the market. If you want one of these limited editions you have to find me in real life and buy it from me directly! I hope to see you there!
This month the Circus of of Illustration are hosting a Drink and Draw based on inspirational women in anticipation of international womens day.
What is Drink and Draw?
Drink and Draw nights are relaxed affairs. We host a free evening of drawing at The Park Pub in Bedford. We arrange an activity to help get the creative juices flowing, which leads to opportunities to meet and chat with like-minded people.
All level of talent is welcome! So come along for a tipple and a scribble. We’re always keen to meet new people. If you are interested there’s a Facebook page too.
What’s the activity this month?
International Womens Day 2022 is coming up and to celebrate we will be drawing inspirational women at our February #drinkanddraw. We’re building a GAL-lery of portraits, silhouettes and quotes of brilliant women. Hopefully you’re free to contribute to our Gal-lery! If you can’t make it in person, you can share a portrait on the Circus instagram account.
I am handling their social media account for this month. I have made some graphics and a quiz (do test your knowledge!). If you want to celebrate some important women through Illustration then let the Circus know and join us for Drink and Draw.
The best people do visit our market and we’re absolutely sure they’ll love to see and support your art.
Sunday 10th April
Folk Style Linocuts By MStraccia Art 