I've been trying my hand at linocut printing, perhaps the easiest sort to do at home. I've been wanting to try printing for a long time. There's no need for a course of training or in-person instruction: just have a go. It's quite easy to get something on paper quickly (even if just basic shapes) and it is cheap to get going as well. YouTube is full of instructional videos.

Right: My fourth lino print, and my first done in more than one colour.

I've now done about five prints, including a couple in multiple colours, one of which you can see to the right.

The colour prints are created using the reduction method: the first (usually lightest) colour is rolled and printed, then you cut out a little more lino where you want to keep this colour. Then roll the next colour and print again. Things can go wrong ... but so far not in a ruinous way!

In the picture below you can see the three stages of the three colour print "owl2": firstly turquoise (right-most), then, going right to left, the second colour blue added and then black to complete. The lino block is shown above the prints alongside the cutting tool I used.

Like any creative endeavour, practice is what gets you better. Right now I'm back to an oil painting but linocut printing is great fun. The focus of carving the block feels a little like a form of meditation. Time passes quickly.

Above:Edinburgh North Bridge and Salisbury Crags, oil

I visited the City Art Centre at the weekend to see their exhibition Adam Bruce Thomson: The Quiet Path. Thomson is a little known Edinburgh artist of the 20th Century.

The "quiet path" is a reference to his unassuming nature and low profile. Thomson (1885-1976) was an Edinburgh born artist and spent almost his entire life in the city, including a long spell teaching at Edinburgh College of Art. The college was formed in its present state (and site) in 1907, and Thomson was a student himself in the early days.

The exhibition is over two floors and shows his flexibility in oil paint, drawing and print making. I was also particularly drawn to some great pastel pictures, colourful and bright.

Adam Bruce Thomson is much less known today than some of his more famous contemporaries and that is a shame. Hopefully this small exhibition raises his profile because he deserves a wider audience.

The exhibition runs at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh until Sunday October 6th 2024 and is free.

Above:The Road to Ben Cruachan, 1932, oil

Above:Trees and Cattle, Colvend, 1920's, pastel

Above:The Old Dean Bridge, 1932, oil