John Cloake

Hello, thank you for visiting!

 I am a visual artist based near London. My main focus is on printmaking with linocut and wood engraving. They share a powerful black and white aesthetic, but their distinctive characteristics suit different moods and subjects.

Linocut. One strand of my work is motivated by the state of the world, conflict, politics and above all the Climate Emergency.  The bold, wild look of linocut helps convey the emotional energies of desperation, anger, hope and positivity that swirl around these topics.  If this appeals, have a look at my “Climate Crisis” series, influenced in part by the powerful Mexican political linocut tradition.

Wood engraving. By contrast,  I enjoy using the finer, subtle marks of wood engraving to explore a range of subjects from the natural world, and human life, in a quieter almost meditative way.  There is something very captivating about miniature wood engravings that take up little space in a collection but repay careful attention to their detail.

Pen/Watercolour. My third area of work is in pen and watercolour.  I used, and still use, them to create cartoon and narrative drawings of my adventures and those of friends and colleagues.  The figurative work and the narrative/documentary impulses follow through into my print work and together offer three distinctive but connected ways to work.  

I hope you enjoy browsing these pages. You are welcome to get in touch through the contact page. I am always pleased to receive comments or discuss sales and commissions.