A new linocut series: Quiet Creatures

Small linocut scenes shaped by nature, stillness, and change.

Creating work that stays close to nature has always been part of my practice. A trip to North Wales in October 2025 inspired me to start this new linocut series: twelve square designs, each 15 × 15cm, each built around an animal in a outdoor scene.

I’ll be aiming to complete one design each month over the next year. The set may eventually become a 2027 calendar, but for now the focus is on the work itself — small images made slowly.

Each print holds a different kind of inner state: rest, patience, growth, clarity, renewal. They’re not illustrations of a story, but quiet individual moments.

Above are the working sketches for the full set, below are the themes guiding each piece.

The twelve designs

1. The Solitary Bird

A single bird, framed by branches and open space. Solitude as a steady act of love.

2. The Bear on the Hill

A bear pauses at the edge of a cliff, nose to the air — open to wild possibilities.

3. The Owl at Night

An owl perched in a tree, at rest. The night holds stillness without demand.

4. The Sleeping Rabbit

A rabbit curled up, sleeping safely within a thorn-tendril frame. True rest as something protected.

5. The Squirrel and the Acorn

Care, preparation, and persistent nurturing — what we gather and carry forward.

6. Dawn and the Dormouse

A calm life beneath the surface. Quiet as a place to return to.

7. The Stream and the Toad

Movement and stillness sharing the same space. Observing harmony without control.

8. The Fox at the Pond

A pause at the water’s edge to reflect. Looking inward without forcing answers.

9. The Deer Beneath Stars

The deer lifts its gaze. A moment to dream and be inspired.

10. Two Koi

Two forms moving in slow orbit. Holding space, being patient, letting time do its work.

11. Two Wolves

Guidance and momentum. A path toward growth, alongside something steady.

12. The Bird in a Nest

Beginnings made from fragments. The work of starting again, renewed.

Following the series

I’ll share each finished design as it’s carved and printed, alongside small notes from the process. If you’d like to see new work first, you can join my mailing list for occasional studio updates.

This series is a way of staying close to the natural world — and letting small images carry more than they need to explain.