Gorgonian Brown Print

Jo de Pear Jo is a multi-disciplinary printmaker whose work is characterised by using unique combinations of printmaking processes. During the past six years she has been working in Antigua producing a large body of tropically themed works, either as individual artworks or to develop into limited editions in her studio in Brixton. Working with the plethora of tropical leaves found in the rain forests, as well as beautiful sea corals washed up on the shores, she decided to use the cyanotype process to create her unique, one-off 'sun prints'. The UV light is so intense in the Caribbean, it was the perfect process to use. Coating paper with light sensitive emulsion, she casts strong, sharp shadows from her subject matter, before washing the shadows away, developing them with water. The botanical cyanotypes have an ethereal quality, whereas the sea fans are more graphic and archival. Trailing bougainvillea, birds of paradise, heliconia and Jurassic sized leaves such as elephant ear and breadfruit are also favourite subjects to work with and many of these have been developed as silkscreens, photopolymers and etchings.  More recently she has created a series of woodcuts made from the beautifully detailed Sea Fan cyanotypes. The colour palettes reflect the vibrant colours she sees all around her from the street signage, the brightly painted houses, to the lush tropical flora.  Jo studied for her BA at Edinburgh College of art and her MA in Printmaking at Chelsea College of Art and has exhibited both nationally and internationally. She has had several commissions including for The Intercontinental in Bucharest, Park Plaza in Antwerp and most recently Carlisle Bay in Antigua. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Instant Printmaker, Etching and Photopolymer Techniques and Hybrid Prints, both published by A&C Black. Jo’s work was selected for this year’s Summer Exhibition at The Royal Academy and is held in numerous collections including Government buildings, The British Museum and in the V&A prints and drawings collection.