Dee Beale

Dee Beale

Name: Dee Beale
Location: UK
Website: www.deebeale.blogspot.com

How about a brief introduction?
I’m a printmaker and designer based in the UK where I live with my partner and two small children. I studied Graphic Design & Illustration and after graduating, went on to work in Graphic design. I started printmaking a few years ago after having worked in design agencies for over 10 years.

All my work is hand printed by me from my small printmaking studio at home. At the moment all prints are produced on my Japanese Print Gocco. For those that don’t already know, Print Gocco is small self-contained tabletop screen-printing machine first produced in Japan in the 1970s the process is very similar to screen-printing.

Many things including nature, animals and plant forms inspire my work, I’m also a big fan of mid century art and design so a lot of the artists I admire are from that period including Lucienne Day, Jessie Tait, John Clappison, and Stig Lindberg.

What made Gocco so special for you?
The main attraction of Gocco for me was size and ease of use, I needed to print from home and had little experience in printmaking, Gocco is just perfect for that.
I was also amazed that a machine so compact and originally designed for home use in Japan could produce such beautifully finished screen prints.

Any tips on using a Gocco that you’d like to share?
Be sure to use the Gocco Ink blocking sponge, which is cut into strips, placed around the image area on your screen and used to contain the ink and stop it bleeding off the screen when printing, If you don’t, be prepared to spend a long time cleaning up.

What’s your biggest accomplishment to date?
That’s a tricky one as I’ve been printmaking for such a short time but I think it has to be my work being exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea London last year represented by the lovely Boxbird Gallery Brighton.

Share something random with us!
Eeerrrrrr I keep chickens in my garden.