BECOMING A LANDSCAPE SCREEN PRINTER
A little back story to my journey to becoming a screen printer. People at shows often ask where I studied, probably thinking it’s a simple question, but it’s a little more complicated.
Going back to the beginning, I grew up in Shipley, West Yorkshire, a stones throw from Saltaire and after A-levels I went on to study Art Foundation at Bradford College. This is where I had my first experience with print, mainly textile screen print but I confess I never thought about it much afterwards and spent the majority of my time in the darkroom when I was supposed to be in the textile department.
I’d always had dreams of becoming a Fashion Designer, I used to draw people and designs all the time, which seems so strange to look at the landscape prints I create now. When applying for courses I was told my portfolio leaned more towards surface design but I did go onto graduate with a BA (Hons) in Fashion Design from De Montfort in Leciester in 2005. My final collection was awarded a prize and gained industry press, it was very surface design and print (digital) heavy…so maybe those interviewers were right.
After uni I began working within retail head offices in a variety of roles including design, marketing and buying for some big names such as Morrisons, Mothercare, Ponden Mill (for those that remember them) and for supplier of big high street retailers with my first fashion job…in Barnsley?!
There was a long period of time of doing nothing creative (including my fashion roles) and I only rediscovered my love of drawing in 2011 through an evening course at Leeds College of Art (now Leeds Art University), which also reintroduced me to printmaking and since then my work has been very much landscape based, however I never intended this to be more than a hobby.
I became unemployed in 2012 and after trying out some other career paths through voluteering, then began to work as an artist later that year with a little push from my brother and through the support my mum, Maggie. I also gained funding and business training through the NEA (New Enterprise Allowance).
The following year I was awarded The Curzon Exhibition Award at the New Light art prize, which gave me the opportunity to have my first solo show, Discovering Yorkshire in 2014. In 2014 and 2015 my prints were shortlisted for the Flourish Award at WYPW (West Yorkshire Print Workshop), for excellence in printmaking, winning the People's Choice award in 2014. In 2015 my Brimham Rocks print was shortlisted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. I’ve since had solo exhibitions at the Hepworth Wakefield Cafe, Cartwright Hall, Bradford and South Square, Thornton. In 2020 I began working with Leeds based Northern Monk Brewery on a Patron’s Project series of seven beer can designs.
Exhibitions, Awards and Achievements
Northern Monk Patrons Project : Culinary Adventures Series; 2020 to Present - Edinburgh Castle, Scarborough, Wastwater, Ribble Valley* (*Ribblehead), Harewood Estate
Coast exhibition 2022 Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Leeds
The Mercer Open 2022 Mercer Gallery, Harrogate - Passing Emley Moor Mast, Over Top Withens and Skinningrove
Northern Soul 2021 Sunny Bank Mills, Leeds
Platform Gallery Craft Open 2021 Platform Gallery, Clitheroe
Harrogate Open 2019 Mercer Gallery - Gordale Scar and The Cow and Calf Rocks
Shortlisted for The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2018 - West Pier, Brighton
Coast to Dale Solo exhibition 2018 Bradford Cathedral
Master Printmakers 2017 Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Leeds
Bradford Open 2017 Cartwright Hall - Down the Allotment and Cat Bells through the Gorse
Re-Discovering Yorkshire Solo exhibition 2017 Cartwright Hall, Bradford
Platform Open 2016 Platform Gallery, Clitheroe - Staithes Harbour
Re-Discovering Yorkshire Solo exhibition 2016 South Square, Bradford
Flourish Award 2015 WYPW, Mirfield - For excellence in printmaking in the UK with Malham Cove, Bempton Cliffs and Top Withens through the Heather
Shortlisted for The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2015 - Brimham Rocks
Bradford Open 2015 Cartwright Hall - Malham Cove and Brimham Rocks
Solo Exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield Cafe 2015
Winner of the Flourish People's Choice Award 2014 WYPW, Mirfield - For excellence in printmaking in Yorkshire, Wastwater South and On Buttertubs Pass
Discovering Yorkshire Solo Exhibition 2014 Curzon, Ripon
Bradford Open 2013 Cartwright Hall - Salts Mill and The Cow & Calf with Foxgloves II
Winner of the New Lights Curzon Exhibition Award 2013 Mercer Gallery, Harrogate - for Northern artists under 35 years old with Salts Mill and Cow & Calf with Foxgloves
Press
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Sarah Harris’s work has featured in the following publications (including online) :
Printmaking Today
Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire Living
Northern Life
Artists & Illustrators
New Artist