Showcase > Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking (MA) > Beatriz Leonardo

Beatriz Leonardo

Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking (MA) 2020

I am a multi-media Portuguese artist currently residing in Bristol. My practice ranges from illustration and printmaking, to motion, web and graphic design work.

My work is inspired by or directly represents mythology, folklore, religion, literature and allegories. My latest project, “Curious Creatures”, explores the theme of female mythological creatures from around the world. I chose 26 different creatures, one for each letter of the alphabet, and created an A to Z Beastiary.

Due to the supernatural essence of these subjects, my illustrations take on a somewhat surrealist approach, while maintaining figurative and symbolic elements, with constant references to

the natural world. “Curious Creatures” has led me to research folklore and mythology from every continent and experiment with different mediums, such as ink, etching, and relief techniques. The aim of this work is to show our collective humanity and relationship to the natural world through stories, humanity's escape and mirror.

beatrizscleonardo@gmail.com https://www.beatrizleonardo.com/

Curious Creatures - An engraved Beastiary

Curious Creatures is an A-Z collection of 26 engravings depicting female mythological creatures from around the globe. The wood engravings are carved onto 4x4cm square blocks, meaning that the detail is extremely small and precise, and the process meticulous.

Sketchbook Pages

An integral part of my process is using my sketchbook. For each creature I dedicated a double spread where I explored my visual references and decided on a design to transfer into a woodblock. You can read more about this here: https://brooklynartlibrary.org/newsletter/2020/6/11/beyond-the-page-beatriz-leonardo

C is for Cheng'E (wood engraving)

Each letter of the alphabet is represented through a 4x4cm wood engraving which is printed onto a 30x30cm Zerkall paper. This one represents the letter C, for Cheng'E, the Chinese goddess of the moon.

Curious Creatures - Animated Wood Engravings

The final phase of my project was transferring the static engravings I created into the digital realm, bringing these to life with different animation techniques. I am interested in exploring narrative through different mediums and mixing analog and digital techniques, marrying the past and the future.

Chrysanthemum Linocut Process

This video depicts the different phases of cutting a chrysanthemum flower, part of my "The Garden Of Zezinha" A3 linocut. Relief printing is a slow process that demands full concentration. For me it acts as a meditative practice and a way to slow down in a fast paced world.

Siren Song

Siren Song - 40x40cm black linocut, 2020 In my ever growing exploration of mythological creatures, I have experimented with many printmaking techniques. My preference lies, however, with relief process such as linocut and woodengraving.