Small Pleasures

This collection of prints was made by some of our regular studio users. The theme was the everyday, simple pleasures that had been so important to us all throughout the challenges of 2020.

We asked studio users to reflect on the small pleasure they had valued during the lockdown and to make a small print to illustrate this.

The resulting artworks were made using a range of printmaking processes – from etchings to screen printing, linocuts to cyanotypes. The small pleasures they depicted were also equally varied with themes relating to the natural world; hot baths, cups of tea as well as the joy of making things.

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The project took the NHS ‘Five Steps to Mental Wellbeing’ as a starting point. The five suggested actions to improve wellbeing are:

Connect with other People
Be physically active
Learn new skills
Give to others
Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)

As part of the project we encouraged studio users to develop new printmaking skills and connect with each other through exchanging prints with each other.

By displaying the prints outdoors we hoped to encourage people to be physically active by enjoying a stroll through Ouseburn.