Saturday, 15 March 2025
10:30 - 13:00
£40 per person; £35 concessions. Click here to book your place.
About the event
In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore the innovative technique of kitchen lithography to create a small edition of prints. Participants will learn the fundamentals of alternative lithography as they draw directly onto kitchen foil, etch the image with cola, and print their creations.
The process allows for the capture of direct marks from drawing, resulting in beautiful prints that harken back to the history of scientific illustration as displayed in the current Breaking Ground exhibition.
Throughout the session, participants will produce an edition of five A4 size prints in a single colour. No prior printmaking experience is required. Participants may come with a pre-planned design (no larger than 18 x 22cm) or come empty handed and allow themselves to be inspired by a selection of specimens set up at the Museum. All that’s needed is willingness to learn something new!
About the speaker
Valerie Syposz was born in Ottawa, Canada. She earned a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal, where she explored a wide range of print media, including intaglio, lithography, and screen print. In 2010, she was selected as a Japanese Government MEXT Scholar and moved to Tokyo. She completed an MFA in printmaking at Tokyo University of the Arts, specializing in ball-grained plate lithography. Following her formal arts education, Syposz began a new chapter of self-directed study in mokuhanga, wood engraving, and more recently, alternative lithographic techniques.
Syposz’s current body of work is created using lithographic and relief printmaking methods. She has researched how to adapt her process to a home setting, without the need for a specialized print studio. Syposz is drawn to the unique aesthetics of each printmaking technique, as well as the importance on both creativity and craftsmanship. She especially loves lithography for its ability to reproduce direct marks and achieve an extraordinary range of textures, tones, and effects.
Her prints, often inspired by life drawing sketches, form a series of surreal portraits that reflect on perceptions of existence and self. Valerie Syposz currently lives and works in Oxfordshire, where she is actively involved in creating and teaching others about home-based printmaking techniques.
Accessibility information
| Wheelchair accessible? |
Yes |
| Hearing loops? |
Yes |
| Seating? |
Yes |
| Refreshments? |
Yes |
| Flashing lights? |
No |
| Loud noises? |
No |
For more information, please visit our accessibility webpage.
