Estella Scholes

Estella originally trained as a painter, but now works mainly with printmaking, collage and book art. Her work is exhibited widely in solo or group exhibitions, and as a member of Manchester Academy of Fine Art, Cheshire Artists Network, and Printmakers Pushing the Boundaries.

The transition from painting on canvas to original printmaking, collage and artists books has been a natural progression over a number of years. Estella approaches printmaking informally, as a painter, developing and adapting skills to allow thoughts and process to evolve towards the end abstracted results. The moment when an idea is surrendered to the alchemy of ink, damp paper and etching press pressure never fails to excite.

Source material is gathered from the evidence of ancient manmade and natural processes on the land, the vestiges of former industry, prehistoric settlement, forgotten boundaries, the effects of wind and water erosion on shapes and colours, the little things we pick up and put in a pocket while rambling, which may or may not hold the promise of archaeological treasure.

Estella works with various print techniques, including monoprint, collagraph, and etching. These techniques are often combined in a particular piece, and she will sometimes collage the printed surfaces with sections of the printing plates themselves. The use of collage allows for unexpected juxtapositions of shape and colour, which in turn feeds back into the composition of the printing plates.