Kirsten Wilson

Painting, printmaking, set design, & jewellery

Please click any image to visit her portfolio.

I have had a studio at Parndon Mill since 2014.

I find it very hard to describe my self primarily as an illustrator, printmaker, painter or jeweller as I often find that my work crosses from one area to another; changing medium and scale is part of my adventure. I love watercolour, lino, drypoint and making artists books. Exploring new techniques is something I cannot resist, I love a challenge and an experiment.

The constant part of my work are the themes that I am drawn to: humour, play on words, repetition and colour - the brighter the better, I love a clash. I particularly enjoy researching a theme and finding something maybe previously overlooked, then translating it into a print or a three dimensional object. Birds, animals, the countryside , buildings, childhood and storytelling seem to inspire me more that anything. I hope to entertain with my work; if I can raise a smile or a question from someone who is looking at an image or object then I am delighted.

Recent work has included a number of prints relating to The Dicken Medal issued by the PDSA to recognise animal heroes and their sacrifice during the 2nd World War and up to the present day.

A large drypoint titled “MI14, Pigeon Heros” shows 28 of the 32 pigeons awarded the medal in their loft, with all 32 of the names and military numbers labelling their pigeon holes. The birds were used to carry important messages back to England and in between allied forces in Europe when other forms of communication failed, saving hundreds of lives and suffering injury and death.

Drypoint “The Amethyst Cat” is a tribute to Simon the ship's cat on board HMS Amethyst, who kept the ships rations from being devoured by rats during the 3 months that the vessel was trapped on the river Yangtze during the Chinese Civil war in 1949. Simon was injured when the boat was hit by enemy fire killing 22 of the crew including the captain. 

In February 2019, I held an exhibition with fellow Mill Printmaker Liz Boast called “Goodness, or GOODNESS!” in which MI14 and the Amethyst cat were on display alongside other images and items that describe the theme.

I am a published children's illustrator, have sold work internationally and am a graduate of Central St Martins School of Art and Design in fine jewellery design and manufacture.

With Fellow Parndon Mill Printmaker colleges Liz Boast and Tania Scott Durrant we hold workshops in the Mill's Project Space, and occasionally my studio, for small print classes, enjoying sharing the excitement of lifting a print from a plate on a press with an artist.
This year for the first time we exhibited as a group at the Cambridge Original Print Biennale which was a success and a great experience.

E-mail - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website - www.kirstenw.co.uk
Instagram - kirstenwilsonartist
Shop - kirstenwilson.bigcartel.com