Designed to make you smile

Amelia Bowman is a Norfolk-based artist/printmaker whose biggest commission to date is a mural for a new store which has just opened in Wymondham. Here, she shares her artistic journey

When did you realise you wanted to be a printmaker, and can you describe your journey to becoming one? 

I wouldn’t say there was a moment as it was a very organic process but there was definitely a perfect storm kind of situation going on. I learnt collagraphy almost by accident while working in secondary art education in 2006. I watched as students were shown a smattering of techniques by a guest tutor and was intrigued. Given that a collagraph plate can be made with relatively unremarkable materials I thought I’d go down that route although I didn’t have access to a press which presented an obvious problem. My solution was to convert a somewhat decrepit mangle, but it was a solution that has endured to this day! In those days I was regularly to be found sketching on the Suffolk coast and began to covert my coastal sketches into collagraph plates. The coast is in my blood with a Cornish Father and so such inspiration was easy to take. My Mother is an artist as was my grandmother and great grandmother so I doubt I could have escaped a creative career if I had tried but of all my creative endeavours, it is printmaking that has stuck.

How would you describe your work? 

Bright, beautiful and accessible. Designed to make you smile!

Where are you based? What is it about Norfolk that inspires you? 

I am based in Wymondham, but I grew up in between Barnham Broom and Barford in an old farmhouse surrounded by nothing but blissful nature and regular trips to the coast where my father had a sailing boat. A happy childhood is a powerful force and one that has set who I am in stone – a country girl with a strong connection to the seaside. Norfolk is one of those places that oozes creative inspiration. It’s wonderfully quirky and reassuringly rustic in so many ways and I wouldn’t change that. I think it’s this quirky rusticity that has woven itself into my style of working. Why else would I want to print my Collagraphs with a converted mangle?!

How did you get involved with the mural at Batemans?

My mother-in-law flagged up a Facebook post by Batemans management asking for ideas for a mural in their new store. With Wymondham Abbey and Market Cross already featuring in my portfolio, I thought it was worth putting myself forward. They replied to my email almost immediately and said they needed to check the other submissions but that they were pretty sure it was what they were looking for. A couple of weeks later I had confirmation, and we went from there!

Any future commissions you can share? 

Yes! I’m on the cusp of finishing one for Cavick House Farm in Wymondham and am working on a project with Wymondham Brownies at the moment, as well. I am also due to start work on a piece for Norwich Catholic Cathedral soon.

When can people see your work, generally – or find out more?

My website, ameliabowman.co.uk, has links to my shops, social media and portfolio as well as details of upcoming events and workshops. There is a page devoted to explaining my collagraph process and an opportunity to sign up for newsletters. 

Visit ameliabowman.co.uk, Jarrolds Store Folk Shop; Etsy Shop; Instagram and Facebook.

Featured image of Amelia Bowman, in front of her mural at Batemans in Wymondham, by Luke Witcomb Photography