Kethi Copeland

Printmaker

©Kethi Copeland

©Rick Smee

©NickFarrow

©Kethi Copeland

Lines and prints of London

Kethi is an artist printmaker from London
Her prints explore the place of cities in our lives
She hand draws the imagery and operates the printing of her artworks

Cities fascinate Kethi Copeland. Through her artwork, the London-based artisan strives to capture their essence and their role in people’s lives, memories and senses. She fell in love with screen printing in her final year of university and this passion became a full-time calling in life thereafter. Kethi opened her workshop in 2009. Her method combines a contemporary approach with using traditional centuries-old print techniques. Silk screen printing, or building up the image through multiple layers of print, is central to Kethi’s work. Each layer has a different stencil and is printed separately. There can be up to 22 layers in a finished piece. She is currently focused on art print and commissions.

Interview

©Gareth Hacker

©NickFarrow

What is your training background?: I have always participated in craft and chose to study design. My university was formerly the London College of Printing so I had access to print facilities and I made use of these as much as possible. I have always been drawn to handmaking.
What are your sources of inspiration?: Cities. Specifically London where I create my work. At the heart of it is a connection with the place, the work invites viewers to connect with their memories and senses of the city, often inspiring them to share stories with me about the meaning of a place for them.
What do you love most about printmaking?: I love the whole experience of making. I am very process-driven, I love getting into the details when I am drawing, and I love getting to know the place by spending time there drawing it and working out how to capture what is special about it.
Is printmaking an endangered craft?: I do not believe that screen printing is endangered. It is still used in some industrial processes. However, I think it is often undervalued as an art form and as a means for creating artistic images. There is some risk from digital print.

Kethi Copeland is a master artisan: she began her career in 2010 and she started teaching in 2010