Linda Farquharson

Linda creates distinctive bold linocut prints, relief prints, and wood engravings that celebrate her love of nature, capturing the quirks of people and the charm of local mythical folklore, through a visual storytelling told with gentle humour. Her graphic style blends pattern with a mostly monochrome palette, punctuated by touches of colour.

Working from her studio in Highland Perthshire near Dunkeld, Linda’s creative career spans nearly four decades. Her work has been widely exhibited and sold across the UK as well as being regularly commissioned for publishing, illustration, and advertising projects, including a 2020 Royal Mail commemorative stamp series honouring the Romantic Poets. She also runs small workshops for both beginners and experienced printmakers.

Aesthetic

Linda draws inspiration from her immediate surroundings; local folklore, the natural landscape, and the abundant plant and wildlife in her own garden. The female form is a recurring motif, especially in her recent work exploring Goddess mythology and the legendary Scottish Cailleach, reflecting themes of transformation and the point where humanity and nature meet, adding a powerful new depth to her work.

Practice

Linda’s process begins in her sketchbook, capturing ideas sparked from a folk tale, a poem, or what catches her eye in the natural world. She then carefully carves the image into a lino block using hand tools such as U- and V-shaped gouges. The carved lines and shapes create the ‘white line’, while the uncut surface becomes the ‘relief’, which prints as black in the final linocut.

As the design develops, Linda creates a series of proof prints tracking its progress and making refinements. She rolls out a thin, even layer of oil-based ink onto a glass plate and transfers it onto the block. The inked block is set on the bed of her Columbian printing press, topped with a sheet of paper, and pressed under firm pressure to transfer the image. Only once she is fully satisfied with the design does she print a complete edition, each impression an original artwork, individually numbered, titled, and signed.

After more than 30 years, the moment of revealing a fresh print still brings Linda joy, underscoring her enduring connection to this time-honoured traditional craft in an ever-changing world.