Woodblock printmaker, Merlyn Chesterman is based at Harton Manor in the centre of Hartland. Merlyn trained as a painter at Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, and 20 years ago began woodblock printmaking, after a visit to China.
She first became excited by wood cuts in China on the Mongolian border, where they were used in place of glass in the windows and duly replaced each year. She has studied woodblock printmaking in China. She is a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, whose base is Bankside Gallery, next to Tate Modern in London.
She works from her studio in Hartland, printing her large blocks in St John’s Music and Arts Centre in the Square. She runs courses for beginners and more advanced printmakers.
Her work is concerned with the natural world, and her work is often influenced by rocks and water, inspired by year-round swims at Hartland Quay. Merlyn lived overseas for twenty five years in Hong Kong, Thailand, and the USA, travelling to Bhutan, China, and Kashmir to paint. Her work can be found in the Hong Kong Museum of Art and galleries in London and the South West. Her work has often been selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. She was the founder member of Pine Feroda, a collaborative printmaking venture, and she has written two books on woodcuts with a colleague – see Making Woodblock Prints published by Crowood Press. See www.merlynchesterman.com & @merlynchestermanwoodcuts
In Hartland, Merlyn offers art courses for those interested in wood cuts. Visitors to the area are welcome enquire about courses.
The landscape and seascape around the Peninsula are ideal for this kind of art, as weather, tides and light transform the coastline making it ever-changing and never dull. Merlyn takes full advantage of the beauty and drama that the locality has to offer.