Kate Rattray

Working as The Dreaming Lark, I attempt to create art that captures the wild, mythical
spirit of Dartmoor. After thirty years as a professional mosaicist, I transitioned to linocut
printmaking and collage to explore themes of folklore, animism, and the ancient stories
held within the land.
My work begins with the act of walking that I believe helps to connect me to the
ancestors and the spirits of the land. Through deep listening, sensory awareness, and
imaginative thought, I communicate with the more-than-human world, allowing their
stories to shape my work.
Sublime and otherworldly experiences enrich my sketch’s and observations I make on the
moors, becoming the foundation for my prints, which are sometimes carved and printed
en plein air.

My process is deeply physical; I use my feet to transfer my carvings … a "body press"
method to continue the act of walking. Sometimes I have to finish the print edges by hand
burnishing with the back of a spoon.
As an environmentally conscious artist, I try to find responsible ways to work with the land
whilst maintaining a sustainable practice. Experiments making my own paper and inks
from foraging small amounts of moorland grasses, oak galls, charcoal, flowers and berries
serve to deepen my relationship with the landscape, however it is diﬃcult to make the
paper smooth enough to print in detail. This experimental work is ongoing alongside my
customary work and is currently being tested for lightfastness and longevity before I
market it to sell.

The lino prints presented here (customary work) are made using natural hessian backed
lino which is completely bio-degradable being made of linseed oil and sawdust. I source
paper that is acid free and vegan; recycled paper made in the UK that is made from pre-
consumer waste oﬀcuts in the mill, and Japanese washi paper handmade from
sustainable plants such as kozo (from the mulberry plant) and hemp. I use Caligo
printmaking inks made from vegetable oils which means they can be cleaned up with
soap and water. I add extender and wax print dryers to make the ink stickier which I have
found I need for foot printing.
Some of my linocuts are painted using my handmade inks and/or commercial water
based gouache paints. I don’t print entire editions in one print run, preferring instead to print in small batches, as this is an economical and eco friendly system.
My variable prints allow me to use diﬀerent papers or mix diﬀerent tones of ink or paint,
therefore each print is unique.