Ruth Thomas | Blackbird, 2022

Collagraph

32 x 38 cm

Edition of 15

The natural environment has always been of huge importance to Ruth Thomas and provides a constant source of inspiration for her work. Through printmaking she explores her relationship with the natural world, and her direct experience of the birds and plant-life in North Wales where she lives and works. Ruth often incorporates into her prints direct impressions from found natural objects such as feathers, grass, seeds and leaves. Working with feathers has evolved into making prints of birds in flight, suggestive of lightness and liberty. She works across several printmaking processes, including collagraph, monoprint and printing with hand-cut paper stencils. Ruth graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1996 with a Master’s degree in Art & Design. She was elected to the Royal Cambrian Academy in 2005 and the Makers Guild in Wales in 2021. She has exhibited in galleries across the UK, from St Ives to Dundee, as well as internationally. Her work has been selected for many open calls including the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2019 and Print International, Wrexham, in 2021. Ruth has been a prize-winner in the North Wales Open on two occasions. She has work in collections in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the UK and the USA. Her work is currently represented by London Contemporary Art.