SILK TOP HAT GALLERY - Exhibition of prints by Frances Carlile are showing at Ludlow's Silk Top Hat Gallery October 17-November 14.

Frances Carlile has made a new set of colour woodcuts for this exhibition. Working without a press and using a delicate Japanese paper specially made for wood block printing, she has enjoyed the freedom and expressive nature of the medium. The result is a lyrical and intuitive approach to printmaking.

As in all her work the images are more to do with memory and imagination than with reality. In these woodcuts, the natural landscape world of trees, sea and sky sometimes becomes part of the inside world of the house. In 'The Poetry Reading' two trees stand at the edge of the house as if listening to a recitation; and in 'Glass Door' a wave reflected in the open door appears to be entering the empty room. Other prints, such as 'Ocean Stars' and 'Five Winged Trees', are a more gentle interpretation of the natural world itself.

A fox, that had a previous existence in an etching, makes a guest appearance in a snowy landscape. This print, called 'Clear or Cloudy' (illustrated above) has just been selected for 'The Masters – Relief Prints' exhibition at the Bankside Gallery London. 'The Masters' is a series of annual exhibitions established by the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers focusing on a particular branch of printmaking. This is the first in a series of annual, technique-specific exhibitions. This year's exhibition is dedicated to relief printmaking in all its forms, which includes woodcut, metalcut, linocut, wood engraving, relief etching and block press. The show is curated by the British printmaker Angie Lewin RE. Selected works are exhibited at Bankside Gallery in London, next door to Tate Modern, from November 3-15.

Since her last exhibition at the Silk Top Hat Gallery in 2012, Frances Carlile has worked on a number of projects involving sculpture and print. She is taking part in a group exhibition exploring aspects of the house at Oriel Davies in Newtown in November.

Trained at Camberwell and Chelsea Colleges of Art, she has had five solo shows in Wales and her work has been selected for many group shows including RBSA Biennial Printmaking Exhibition (Birmingham) and the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Outdoor sculpture has been commissioned for five venues in Wales. Projects include two recent collaborations. In 2013 she collaborated with Amy Sterly on 'Drawing on the Domestic' a site specific installation in sculpture and print at the Sidney Nolan Trust, Presteigne. In 2015 she collaborated with Kaye Bayes on 'Earth's Human Shores', woodcut, sculpture and stained glass at the Bossanyi Studio, Pinner, London.

Concurrent shows at Silk Top Hat Gallery: 'Threshold' an exhibition of drawings and other recent work by Celia de Serra, ceramics by Sue Binns, Josephine Harvey and Mary Stephens

For further information phone 01584 875363 Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm or go to silktophatgallery.wordpress.com.

Silk Top Hat Gallery, Quality Square, Ludlow SY8 1AR.