LEONIE BRADLEY has an MA in Multi-disciplinary Printmaking and is an elected member of the Society of Wood Engravers. She has made several films about wood engraving as well as fictional short films. She also writes and is the Editor of Printmaking Today. Writing, artist’s books and filmmaking are integral to her practice and she often merges the disciplines.
Leonie's work explores themes of memory and loss, including loss of digital information, loss of privacy as well as how memory and identity are changing in the post-digital age. During the pandemic, she has been collaborating with the electronic music artist, Asad Rizvi, aka Silverlining, on the artwork for his forthcoming album. While the album title and concept is still under wraps, she can reveal that their work addresses mutual concerns.
Last year, Leonie was awarded the Peter Reddick Bursary for Innovation in Relief Printmaking at Spike Print Studio and spent the time experimenting with pushing the traditional medium of wood engraving. Her year’s research was shown in a solo exhibition, Analogue Interference, which developed the theme of identity: re-presenting wood engraving in innovative ways and combining it with contemporary print media to reflect how identity is changing due to social media.
Much of her work is removed from context: at once embracing the intricacy of wood engraving and creating the potential for much larger images, using a tonal range to make systems-based visual narratives. She also digitally disrupts her mark-making and her experiments in process have led to screen-prints, photopolymer and large-scale relief prints that explore the crossover from analogue to digital and back to analogue. These prints have a minimalist aesthetic disconnected from their original identity.
Last year, Leonie was awarded the Peter Reddick Bursary for Innovation in Relief Printmaking at Spike Print Studio and spent the time experimenting with pushing the traditional medium of wood engraving. Her year’s research was shown in a solo exhibition, Analogue Interference, which developed the theme of identity: re-presenting wood engraving in innovative ways and combining it with contemporary print media to reflect how identity is changing due to social media.
Much of her work is removed from context: at once embracing the intricacy of wood engraving and creating the potential for much larger images, using a tonal range to make systems-based visual narratives. She also digitally disrupts her mark-making and her experiments in process have led to screen-prints, photopolymer and large-scale relief prints that explore the crossover from analogue to digital and back to analogue. These prints have a minimalist aesthetic disconnected from their original identity.
bio
Born 1977, Hammersmith, London
education
MA Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking at University of West of England, Bristol
current and upcoming exhibitions
Society of Wood Engravers’ 82nd Annual Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 4 - 23 February 2020 (and touring)
collections
Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester
Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing
University of Bath, Bath
awards
Peter Reddick Bursary for Innovation in Relief Printmaking, Spike Print Studio, Bristol, 2018-19
Visions of Science Bursary Award, Edge Arts Bath, 2018
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists' Print Prize: Hawthorn Printmakers' Prize, 2016
National Original Print exhibition: The John Purcell Paper Prize, 2016
SWE's 79th Annual exhibition: The Rachel Reckitt Open Prize (joint winner), 2016
SWE's 71st Annual exhibition: The Rachel Reckitt Prize for a wood engraver under 35, 2009
selected recent exhibitions
Analogue Interference solo exhibition, Spike Print Studio, Bristol
RE Masters: Relief, Bankside Gallery, London, 2019
National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 2019
Beyond 72dpi, the post-digital printmaker, SGCI Texas, USA, 2019
Wells Art Contemporary, Wells, 2019
Print: A Catalyst for Social Change? Bury Art Gallery & Museum, 2019
V&A Museum, London: Print of the Month, 2018
New Prints 2018, International Print Center, New York, USA, 2018
Collaborative Artists' Books, IMPACT 10, Santander, Spain, 2018
Visions of Science, Edge Arts, Bath University, 2018
Interruptions, Felios Foundation, Athens, Greece, 2018
National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 2018
Print Prize, RBSA, Birmingham, 2018
MAMDP Mini Print Exhibition, Arnolfini, Bristol, 2018
Wood Engraving Invitational, Davidson Gallery, Seattle, 2017
The Age of Enlightenment, project and touring exhibition funded by The Arts Council, The Baring Foundation, Devon Guild of Craftsmen and DAISI, 2017
Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing, 2017
RE Masters: One-off, Bankside Gallery, London 2017
Royal West of England Autumn Open and Drawn Biennial, Bristol, 2017
National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 2016
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists' Print Prize, Birmingham, 2016
Royal West of England Autumn Open, Bristol, 2016
Liverpool Open, Liverpool, 2016
The Tokyo Art Book Fair, Tokyo, 2016
RE Masters: Relief prints, Bankside Gallery, London, 2015
National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 2015
Royal West of England Autumn Open, Bristol, 2015
National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 2014
Royal West of England Autumn Open, Bristol, 2014
panel discussions
Collaborative artists' books to develop research practice, 2018, IMPACT 10 ENCUENTRO, Santander, Spain
British Printmakers, 2017 SGCI Conference, Atlanta and accompanying exhibition British Printmakers in the American South, Decatur, Georgia, USA
publications
Leonie has been Editor of the journal Printmaking Today since Spring 2017
Visual article , Interalia Magazine (November 2018)
Artists’ Page, The Blue Notebook (Vol 12, No 1, Autumn-Winter 2017)
Printmaker's Diary, Printmaking Today (Vol 25, No 3, Autumn 2016)
Age of Enlightenment, Printmaking Today (Vol 25, No 2, Summer 2016)
Final Cut, Printmaking Today (Vol 22, No 3, Autumn 2013)
Modern British Wood Engraving, SWE DVD, running time 145 minutes, available from: SWE publications
Born 1977, Hammersmith, London
education
MA Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking at University of West of England, Bristol
current and upcoming exhibitions
Society of Wood Engravers’ 82nd Annual Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 4 - 23 February 2020 (and touring)
collections
Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester
Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing
University of Bath, Bath
awards
Peter Reddick Bursary for Innovation in Relief Printmaking, Spike Print Studio, Bristol, 2018-19
Visions of Science Bursary Award, Edge Arts Bath, 2018
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists' Print Prize: Hawthorn Printmakers' Prize, 2016
National Original Print exhibition: The John Purcell Paper Prize, 2016
SWE's 79th Annual exhibition: The Rachel Reckitt Open Prize (joint winner), 2016
SWE's 71st Annual exhibition: The Rachel Reckitt Prize for a wood engraver under 35, 2009
selected recent exhibitions
Analogue Interference solo exhibition, Spike Print Studio, Bristol
RE Masters: Relief, Bankside Gallery, London, 2019
National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 2019
Beyond 72dpi, the post-digital printmaker, SGCI Texas, USA, 2019
Wells Art Contemporary, Wells, 2019
Print: A Catalyst for Social Change? Bury Art Gallery & Museum, 2019
V&A Museum, London: Print of the Month, 2018
New Prints 2018, International Print Center, New York, USA, 2018
Collaborative Artists' Books, IMPACT 10, Santander, Spain, 2018
Visions of Science, Edge Arts, Bath University, 2018
Interruptions, Felios Foundation, Athens, Greece, 2018
National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 2018
Print Prize, RBSA, Birmingham, 2018
MAMDP Mini Print Exhibition, Arnolfini, Bristol, 2018
Wood Engraving Invitational, Davidson Gallery, Seattle, 2017
The Age of Enlightenment, project and touring exhibition funded by The Arts Council, The Baring Foundation, Devon Guild of Craftsmen and DAISI, 2017
Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing, 2017
RE Masters: One-off, Bankside Gallery, London 2017
Royal West of England Autumn Open and Drawn Biennial, Bristol, 2017
National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 2016
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists' Print Prize, Birmingham, 2016
Royal West of England Autumn Open, Bristol, 2016
Liverpool Open, Liverpool, 2016
The Tokyo Art Book Fair, Tokyo, 2016
RE Masters: Relief prints, Bankside Gallery, London, 2015
National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 2015
Royal West of England Autumn Open, Bristol, 2015
National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, 2014
Royal West of England Autumn Open, Bristol, 2014
panel discussions
Collaborative artists' books to develop research practice, 2018, IMPACT 10 ENCUENTRO, Santander, Spain
British Printmakers, 2017 SGCI Conference, Atlanta and accompanying exhibition British Printmakers in the American South, Decatur, Georgia, USA
publications
Leonie has been Editor of the journal Printmaking Today since Spring 2017
Visual article , Interalia Magazine (November 2018)
Artists’ Page, The Blue Notebook (Vol 12, No 1, Autumn-Winter 2017)
Printmaker's Diary, Printmaking Today (Vol 25, No 3, Autumn 2016)
Age of Enlightenment, Printmaking Today (Vol 25, No 2, Summer 2016)
Final Cut, Printmaking Today (Vol 22, No 3, Autumn 2013)
Modern British Wood Engraving, SWE DVD, running time 145 minutes, available from: SWE publications
