The Devil in My Studio

and other excuses

Apr 24, 2025

In times of yore, printers believed that mistakes such as misplaced type were the work of a printer’s devil: a mischievous imp who haunted their workshop. (The name ‘Printer’s Devil’ was also given to the apprentices who were of course alternative scapegoats to blame for mishaps). I say in times of yore, but I should think many current day printmakers would be more than willing to believe that such imps are still at work in their studios. Mine has been particularly troublesome of late, so I decided to confront him head on.

Centuries ago, the street of Stonegate in York was at the heart of the city’s printing and bookselling industry. It was also thronging with coffee houses. No wonder I am drawn to it. Towards the Minster end of the street, outside number 33 (believed to have once been the home of Laurence Sterne, author of Tristram Shandy) and at the entrance to the snickelway1 known as Coffee Yard, a carved and painted devil still looks down from the wall onto the passers by. It is assumed he once advertised a nearby print works, maybe that of Thomas Gent2 whose workshop was in a hidden courtyard a short way down the snickelway. That courtyard also, by the way, houses Barley Hall where I am a volunteer guide, so what with coffee, printing and medieval history you can see that a lot of what I love is crammed into this small area.

Currently looking a bit dusty and tired after a long winter. I can relate.

Map of York published by Thomas Gent in 1757. Image via Merchant Adventurers’ Hall.

I’ve made two different prints of the Stonegate devil to take with me to Printfest next week. Perhaps fellow printmakers might want to have a printed devil they can shout at when things go wrong, or throw darts3 at, or deliberately lock in a dark cupboard where he can’t cause trouble.

One version is this small reduction linoprint, made in 8 layers. This 32 second video shows how the layers built up.

Another version is an even smaller (A5 size) print made, unusually for me, using two blocks and as an open edition. I will be selling this one for just £10 so that my stand will be offering something for all pockets, from this print all the way up to framed pieces for £200+.

Talking of Printfest…

I am now into the final week of preparation, which involves LOTS OF LISTS. An overall To Do list, which includes things like ‘make labels’, has spawned sub-lists like ‘labels to make’. Also there’s the master packing list. If you ever wondered what goes into presenting an exhibition stand the check list below will give you an idea. Note that the prints themselves come nearly at the end, almost as an afterthought. I probably don’t need to have them on the list as I would almost certainly remember to pack them. Almost certainly. If I’ve missed anything else please let me know in the comments.

Screws
Drill
Screwdriver
Pencil
Spirit level
Stepping stool
Shelves
Perlon x 2 and hooks
Masking tape
Blu-tack
Basket
Browser x 2
Stool
Small table
Carrier bags
Paper bags
Business cards
Card reader
Phone/reader charger
Battery pack
Pen
Cash float
Info signs
Website QR sign x 2
Substack sign
Price labels
Red dots
PL insurance
Notebook
Framed work
Unframed work
Greetings cards
Phone
Lunch/water
Glasses

Shop closure

As I remain dismally unable to be in two places at once, my online shop will close for orders on Wednesday 30th April and will re-open on Tuesday 6th May, or possibly on the Monday depending on the progress of my post-exhibition collapse and recovery.

website and shop

Nearly forgot

I never did get around to showing you the end result of the print that was causing me trouble with disappearing ink (maybe it was my resident printer’s devil). ‘Elbow Falls’ is finally finished and I will have it with me at Printfest (framed and unframed). Unframed prints will be in my shop when I reopen after the exhibition.