'Letterpress Fan / Fan the flames' by Lucy Guenot

We were invited to a preview of a new exhibition produced by members of the Gloucestershire Printmaking Co-operative (GPC) which is situated just up the road from us in an old warehouse at the Griffin Mill complex. 

Lucy Guenot was a colleague of Helena's when they both worked at 'Gaia Books', a publishing company based in Stroud many years ago. Lucy was a graphic designer there and has subsequently designed for several  other publishing businesses in the local area.  Her husband is a very fine portrait photographer who I was pleased to see again. Lucy's father was a printmaker and senior lecturer at Cheltenham art college for many years. 

Lucy uses the facilities of GPC and also runs courses there teaching 'Letterpress'. I particularly liked this fan which she said was inspired by a talk she heard at the Cheltenham Festival titled 'Fantastically Great Women Who Made History!' It was given by Kate Pankhurst, a descendant of Emmeline Pankhurst, one of the original suffragettes. 

In her blog Lucy said:
My letterpress fan was made last autumn with much cursing: it's really tricky to master the precise folding required so that the fan opens and closes smoothly. Printed on Japanese gampi paper. I am a fan of letterpress.

GPC was founded in 2005 with the key aim of promoting Fine Art Printmaking and to encourage artists engaged in this medium. It is the only printmaking facility of its kind in Gloucestershire and has extensive printmaking facilities at the studios at Griffin Mill, Stroud.