Printworks Show – Lucky Dip Walk & Talk

Thursday 14th August 2025

Emma Mason Gallery

21 Lushington Lane, Eastbourne BN21 4LJ

For our August event we met at the Emma Mason Gallery in Eastbourne to surround ourselves in work by our members at this year's Blue Monkey Network exhibition, Printworks.

Printworks explores the diverse languages of printmaking, revealing how Blue Monkey artists leave their mark—both physically and conceptually—through a variety of printing techniques, materials, and experiments. The exhibition included a wide range of print making techniques and included work in ceramics, sculpture and paper-based works.

Network director Nikki Davidson-Bowman lead us around the exhibition with a Lucky Dip Walk & Talk. On the night, exhibiting artists’ names were selected from a hat and given a limited time to talk about their work in the exhibition. This gave members and guests an opportunity to find out more about the works in the exhibition and the processes used, as well as giving artists the opportunity to speak succinctly about their work.  We managed to squeeze in about 17, 3 minute talks from nearly half of our exhibiting artists at our Printworks exhibition. The artists shared the processes they’d used - some first timers to the process, and others with years of experience. We talked about the unpredictability of printmaking, the mess, the unknowns. How variables like the type of paper and ink combinations can change the outcomes. Artists have used digital processes, drawing, collage, leaving plates in natural solutions or under doors, exposed in sunshine, worked in print studios and on kitchen tables. Thank you to all the artists that shared their print story and to those that came along to learn more and asked great questions. Thank you especially to Stephanie Grainger for the gorgeous orange felt hat from which we dipped, and also for loan of the school bell so we could call time!

Blue Monkey would like to thank the Emma Mason Gallery for providing the opportunity to exhibit in the gallery and for their ongoing support of the network.

Some of the Artists talking on the night, from top left to right: Cliff Crawford, Angela Smith, Jenny Shorter and Roger Adams

The exhibition was open from 7th – Sunday 10th August and 14th – Sunday 17th August and an online exhibition will run from this website throughout September 2025.

Blue Monkey Network at the Emma Mason Gallery