Yorkshire Coast Walk Inspires Acclaimed Print Maker Jason Hicklin

From the towering, seabird-shrouded cliffs at Bempton to the expansive sandy beach at Filey, artist Jason Hicklin’s walk has inspired a collection of etchings that provide a dramatic new vision of Yorkshire’s heritage coast.

Seven prints created from the etchings, some 1 x1.5 metres in size, will get their premiere at an exhibition at Watermark Gallery in Harrogate between 12 and 27 April.

The works are the final pieces from a three-walk trilogy that also saw Jason, elected as a member of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers, producing prints based on his walks along the Thames and the Pembrokeshire coast.

Etching is a technique that uses acid to create a chemical action to produce incised lines in a metal printing plate which then hold applied ink to form the image from which prints are made. Jason studied under the renowned Yorkshire printmaker, Norman Ackroyd, RA, at St Martins College of Art in London before a taking a post graduate course in etching at the Central School of Art in Holborn. He then spent a period working as Ackroyd’s studio assistant.

Jason, who has his studio in Shropshire, is acclaimed for his ability to produce dramatic images that capture the feel of the weather and light and its effect on the landscape. All of his work begins outdoors, walking, climbing, sometimes at night and in all weathers, stopping to sketch the views from which he creates the etchings from which his prints are produced.

Jason believes that printmaking from etchings ‘democratises art’ by making works accessible to greater numbers of people as even limited-edition prints are much more affordable than original paintings.

That stretch of the Yorkshire coast is dramatic and has been shaped by the impact of the sea and storms over the centuries. It was a real pleasure to be able to spend three days walking the coast and taking in those views. It ended perfectly with a beer and a bag of chips on the beach at Filey. Jason Hicklin

Liz Hawkes, owner of the Watermark Gallery, said:
“Jason is an outstanding artist producing works that are full of drama and impact. I am delighted that we are able to stage the premier of the works from his Yorkshire Walk, the final part of his Three Walks trilogy. They provide a new and stunning interpretation of coastal views that will be familiar to many people. The exhibition will also feature works for the other two walks in the series.
“It is particularly pleasing that the walks took place in Yorkshire, the birthplace of Jason’s mentor Norman Ackroyd and that they are getting their first public viewing in a Yorkshire gallery.”

Selwicks Bay Photos: Watermark Gallery

The exhibition at the Watermark Gallery runs from April 12 – 27