Mar 14, 2023
Jane and Sam Sheppard recommended The Curwen Print Study Centre to my parents, as a place where I could do a course in Printmaking.
I am 19 years old and I had left my Dyslexic School with GCSEs in Art and Pottery, but felt I had so much more to learn and new skills to master. We went to visit the Curwen Centre and met Emma and the staff. I was really impressed by the facilities and the professionalism of the teachers. I had no idea what to expect, but quickly learnt the vast possibilities of printmaking. I had imagined potato printing in someone’s kitchen!
I enrolled on the Foundation Course, which involved 1 full day a week for 6 weeks and each lesson one of the basic print methods was taught. I learnt so much so quickly and everyone on the course was friendly. We learnt about Lino, dry-point etching and two types of monoprint. I looked forward to my day at the Curwen Centre enormously every week and was keen to enrol for the Certificate Course.
Because of my dyslexia and processing difficulties, I needed some extra help to prepare for the lessons and Curwen were very helpful and Lorraine and Emma went out of their way to provide an extra 1:1 day a week. My 1:1 teachers Dubi, Patsy and Karina were really nice and knowledgeable – nothing was too much trouble for them. They helped me prep for each lesson, explained exactly how to approach the tasks and break down each printing method and technique. They encouraged me to be ambitious in my choice of images, but not to attempt the impossible.
I have produced two full books of work – for each print method I have learnt, I complete a few pages of examples and techniques to remind me of my hard work and achievements. I am very proud of these books, as they show me and my friends and family how much I have learnt and what I am capable of. In the future I can look back on these books and remind myself of the printing methods and the fun I had learning them.
I am really enjoying my time at Curwen and would recommend the Centre to anyone interested in Printmaking. I have gained in confidence and am proud of my new skills and ability to make choices about image selection and application. I am amazed at how much variety of work I have produced.
Thank you everyone at Curwen for enabling my Printmaking journey.
Zara Wordsworth
March 2023