Andy English (born 1956) is an English

wood-engraver Wood engraving is a printmaking technique, in which an artist works an image or ''matrix'' of images into a block of wood. Functionally a variety of woodcut, it uses relief printing, where the artist applies ink to the face of the block and p ...

and educator who pioneered the use of the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

to teach a wider audience about

wood-engraving Wood engraving is a printmaking technique, in which an artist works an image or ''matrix'' of images into a block of wood. Functionally a variety of woodcut, it uses relief printing, where the artist applies ink to the face of the block and ...

and how to do it.

Biography

Andy English was born in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, a small village in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1956. He studied

Geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

and taught in

Cambridge, England Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge became ...

from 1979 - 2006 where he was widely respected. Self-taught as an artist, he drew and painted since childhood but, in 1991, he started to engrave on

endgrain Wood grain is the longitudinal arrangement of wood fibers or the pattern resulting from such an arrangement. Definition and meanings R. Bruce Hoadley wrote that ''grain'' is a "confusingly versatile term" with numerous different uses, including ...

wood. This immediately became his main artistic output. A 2008 article by Paul Wheatley describes how, after trying various printmaking methods, English engraved for the first time and found it to be so natural and comfortable that he could only describe it as remembering a process rather than learning it. Andy was elected to the

Society of Wood Engravers The Society of Wood Engravers (SWE) is a UK-based artists’ exhibiting society, formed in 1920, one of its founder-members being Eric Gill. It was originally restricted to artist-engravers printing with oil-based inks in a press, distinct from ...

in 1997. He is also an elected member of the Cambridge Drawing Society. While studying for a master of Arts at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in the early 1980s, Andy researched the use of online information systems. He was an early user of the Internet in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and, always the educator, developed a

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wi ...

that explained how wood engravings are created, introducing many people to this method of printmaking for the first time. The presentation of the material has gradually been refined over many years and his new website has many photographs of the process to aid students of

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

. Andy is a notable engraver. His detailed images often contain visual puns and hidden elements. Typical subjects include gardens, wildlife and childhood. He has illustrated many books, including two for Barbarian Press of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. "Hoi Barbaroi", the 25th anniversary biography of the press describes Andy as "an enthusiastic, congenial & Intelligent Illustrator". Andy English is also an important designer and engraver of

bookplates An ''Ex Libris'' (from ''ex-librīs'', ), also known as a bookplate (or book-plate, as it was commonly styled until the early 20th century), is a printed or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the front endpaper, to indicate ownership. ...

. Paul Weaver describes him as working unhurried and in detail through a lens before printing the bookplates in a Victorian handpress.

References

* "Andy English" written by Brian North Lee in Contemporary International Ex-Libris Artists 3. Portugal 2004. * "Ex Libris by Andy English" written by Jean-Francoise Chassaing in L'Ex Libris Francais No. 236. France 2005. * "Hoi Barbaroi" Barbarian Press 2004 p127 * "Book Marks" written by Paul Wheatley in Centurion Magazine Autumn 2008 pp58-9

External links

Web site of Andy EnglishBlog of Andy English
{{DEFAULTSORT:English, Andy 1956 births Living people English engravers Alumni of the University of Reading Alumni of the University of London People from Denver, Norfolk