About Me & The Badger Sett Studio
Welcome to The Badger Sett Studio. My name is Olivia and I am an artist and printmaker living in a small rural village in North Lancashire bordering Cumbria and the Lake District. I am inspired by my beautiful surroundings and also by my family’s history in the Yorkshire textile industry.
In 2003, I completed an Art Foundation course before moving on to study for a degree in Glass and Architectural Glass at Edinburgh College of Art (specialising in Glassblowing). I soon became involved in education, working in schools in various roles before taking on a PGCE, initially in the Primary Setting before moving on to Secondary teaching where I taught Art for over 10 years.
I recently left the profession to take on a more full time artist role in producing my own work and set up The Badger Sett Studio in 2024.
Paintings on Vintage Ephemera
I am fascinated by the history and beauty of old 'single use' or 'limited use' objects (also called ephemera). Old papers provide a fascinating snapshot into the lives of people in the past and I enjoy giving them a new purpose as vintage style backgrounds for my paintings.
These old papers, in my opinion, are beautiful in their own right. Obsolete typefaces, distressed surfaces, handwritten notes, dirt, holes and tears provide their own history and a unique background for their new life as a piece of art.
I collect vintage ephemera such as railwayana, postcards and maps; all of which make wonderful backgrounds for mixed media paintings.
To complete each piece, I handcraft copperfoil frames to add a further unique quality to my work.
Lino and Collagraph Prints
Alongside paintings, I also create linoprints and collagraphs as both enable me to explore different qualities of markmaking. Printmaking in all its various forms covers so many techniques that provide different outcomes and effects. Exploring detailed surface texture through markmaking is a fundamental part of printmaking and my interest in nature and architecture suits this perfectly.
The Studio
This is where the magic happens. I do all my sketching, planning, cutting, testing, framing and packing here.
I spend time every week drawing from observation and sketching ideas. I generally have several drawings, paintings and prints on the go at once.
I hand press my linoprints and use a printing press for my collagraphs. I have to use the ceiling beams as my drying rack as I tend to spend a whole day batch printing and need lots of space to leave them to dry.
Studio Dog
Meet Studio Dog, also known as George. He ‘assists’ me when I am working or sometimes just sits and watches. He attends most of our outdoor events too.
His very own linoprint was released earlier this year (which is available to buy in my shop).
Do keep an eye out on The Badger Sett Studio social media accounts to see what Studio Dog has been up to…