Art
#animals
#humor
#printmaking
#Strangford
Picky Eaters and Critters in Knits Populate Strangford’s Playful Animal Prints
August 31, 2023
Kate Mothes
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/frc-061d592d73631b172734249b74f20c03.jpeg)
“Knit Picker.” All images © Strangford, shared with permission
Animal hijinks and playful puns fill the colorful prints of County Down-based artist Jo, also known as Strangford. Whippets in knits, bagel-scarfing badgers, and roly-poly felines are just a few of the characters that emerge from lino-cuts and Risographs. “The main surface I’m carving into is flooring lino—it comes in bigger pieces than artist lino—and plywood, though I’m a beginner at wood carving,” she tells Colossal. “I work from home. I’ve basically taken over the whole house now.”
With a background in ecology, Strangford discovered printmaking when she joined local Extinction Rebellion groups, decentralized initiatives designed to persuade governments to act on the climate emergency. “I had previously done a bit of digital work but fell in love with the process of carving and printing,” she says. During the pandemic, her work took on a more humorous and light-hearted quality. “When the world got more serious, my work became more playful.”
A solo exhibition of Strangford’s work opens tomorrow at The Workshop Ballynahinch and continues for two months. A selection of prints are available in the shop on her website, and you can follow updates on Instagram.
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/frc-01f396348069ac6c0acf1ffea3e6e323.jpeg)
“Hole Food Diet”
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/frc-dbf5a7cbb20e224947a290c9fda4a4df.jpeg)
“Silly Billies”
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/frc-3e254781e40435e2aabe7780279f2a82.jpeg)
“Some Gulls Are Bigger Than Others”
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/frc-ff50d76dca7300cc758f604905abe841.jpeg)
“I’m Just a Paw Boy From a Paw Family”
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/frc-ed8e190ca3889743ce79bf39c7b8b416.jpeg)
“Semi-Snaked”
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/frc-7f706aa2de035a9956c6cc364598fc86.jpeg)
“Le Beak, C’est Chic”
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/frc-8da6304e81453b6c3e4b7d932b58be76.jpeg)
“Long Otter”
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/frc-f104c0a20a3112f04e7ff1db4093bc8a.jpeg)
“Ribbit For Her Pleasure”
#animals
#humor
#printmaking
#Strangford
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This article comes from the Internet:Picky Eaters and Critters in Knits Populate Strangford’s Playful Animal Prints