Chris Bourke

I’ve finally got round to setting up a new mailing list with the aim of sending out a newsletter with information on new print releases, offers, discount codes and news of shows etc. I won’t be bombarding you with emails but aim them to be semi-regular throughout the year. I’m starting from scratch so if you have signed up before, please sign up again!

If you sign up between now and the 6th May 2024, you’ll receive a 20% discount code for using in my online shop.

Please sign up HERE.

This is a new lino print is a tribute to two of my favourite music artists Elizabeth Cotten and Firehose, the band that recorded the song ‘In Memory Of Elizabeth Cotten’.

If you’re not familiar with Elizabeth ‘Libba’ Cotten (1893-1987) I strongly recommend you look her up (and Firehose for that matter!) as she is/was an amazing America folk singer/songwriter, a true folk artist in every sense and someone I find incredibly inspiring.

Her most famous song ‘Freight Train’ (which most recently was used in the latest Wes Anderson Asteroid City film trailer,) was written when she was just 13 years old, yet she didn’t find fame, record her music or perform publicly until she was in her sixties.

She taught herself to play guitar but was left-handed, so she learnt to play the guitar ‘upside down’ so the bass strings were at the bottom, developing a unique picking style which became known as ‘cotten picking’.  She went on to influence so many generations of artists from the 1950s to today. In 1984 aged 91 she won a grammy.

One of my favourite bands Firehose wrote a tribute song ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Cotten’ (misspelling her name as ‘Elizabeth Cotton’) in 1987 after she had passed away.  My lino print is a tribute to both these artists.

‘In Memory Of Elizabeth Cotten’  – a handmade lino print/linocut, shown here printed on lovely light weight handmade Himalayan natural fibre paper (30gsm). It’s approx 19 x 24.5cm and is a signed and dated ‘Artists Proof’. For more information on this print, please visit my Etsy store.

I’m so stoked to announce a brand new solo show ‘Out of Space And Time ‘ in The Cabin Studio & Gallery – their lovely new studio/gallery space in Worcester. The show opens with a private view on Thursday 23rd February 6.30-9pm and will feature new work, past favourites and rare artist proofs, many never exhibited before. The show will continue until 6th March, open daily.

This is to be my biggest show yet with around a hundred prints being shown.

If you’d like to attend the private view drop me an email at info@chrisbourkeart.com, comment or dm via Facebook or Instagram so we can get an idea of numbers – opening weekend times are on the poster and I’ll be in attendance all weekend but don’t let that put you off! I really hope to see you there – more news as we go, follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more details.

Meanwhile, there’s been a few new items added to my shop page for the new year. Thanks as ever for all your support, it means the world.