Printmaking: Farmer's Bridge Locks, Birmingham

Farmer's Bridge Locks; 2 block relief print on paper , 11cm x 11cm (Fiona)

Farmer's Bridge no longer carries farmers to market, but lends its name to a flight of 13 locks on the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal in the centre of Birmingham. At this point the canal travels through the undercrofts of deserted red-brick warehouses, flat conversions and modern office blocks. Birmingham is a city permanently in flux, constantly reinventing itself; the city-centre streets full of high-viz jackets and hard hats; the skyline punctuated by cranes and pile-drivers.

I live in a nearby city and walk regularly along the many miles of canal in the area, sketchbook to hand; urban and rural, always interesting. When we realised we were going to be living here for some time, we managed to buy a share of a narrowboat, so also spend time each year on the water, seeing the world at a very slow pace from a constantly refreshing vantage point.

block 1 (grey)

block 2 (black)

Fiona worked this image from one of her pencil sketches, then simplified and carved the image into two vinyl blocks.

This print has been accepted for an open exhibition (10th - 20th September) in Birmingham at the RBSA.