Paul Habben

A journey which started over fifty years ago. I am currently a Print Member at The Forge Digswell near Welwyn Garden City.

For sometime I have been looking for new inspiration to restart my journey in the field of art and graphics. A chance visit to the Stanze del Genio a collection of Majolica tiles in Palermo Sicily gave me the inspiration to re-ignite my interest in Linocut art and printing. It is a quest to learn and relearn those principles taught to me a long time ago and using my many years of experience in the graphic arts industry.

I have been inspired by the pattern and geometry used in ancient tiles and how they were created by those early craftsmen from different continents and how they are connected and how they can potentially be converted into Linocut.

Since then I’ve had more time to research. A visit to the Higgins Museum in Bedford has enabled me to explore the work of the Great Bardfield Group of Artists, especially Edward Bawden  As a child I had books featuring their work and it is only now that I can make the connection, and recognise the thread that has followed me through my career.