Print-maker Scarlette Homeshaw’s first solo exhibition tells the story of her life.

From striking architectural works inspired by the house her parents built in their back garden – a project that filled Scarlette’s childhood years – to prints exploring her journey from university in Leicester to working and living in West Yorkshire, the show can be seen at Huddersfield Art Gallery until September 6.

Scarlette, who is 23 and lives in Newsome, is last year’s winner of the Flourish Award for Excellence in Printmaking, awarded annually by the West Yorkshire Print Workshop in Mirfield.

The prize included 50 free hours at the workshop and the solo exhibition at Huddersfield Art Gallery.

Scarlette had to see off a gallery-full of other competitors to claim the prize and says that entering was like ‘taking a leap of faith’ in herself.

The chance to showcase her work, however, is an exciting opportunity for a young, aspiring artist.

A fine art graduate of De Montfort University in Leicester, Scarlette grew up in Kent and came to Huddersfield because her partner was studying here. She was fortunate to find work related to her degree and is now the senior project worker at the Packhorse Gallery in the town centre, where she organises exhibitions, staff training and takes care of the day to day running.

Although a southerner by birth she says she enjoys living in Yorkshire and is inspired by the scenery. “It’s so lovely up here,” she said. “It’s a completely different environment from Leicester and Kent but I love it.”

Artist Scarlette Homeshaw
Artist Scarlette Homeshaw

The 18 prints in her exhibition span the last couple of years and include a number of works from her degree show.

“These were about my family home,” she explained. “My parents started to build a new house in their back garden and spent ten years planning it. It’s all about having a house that was not a liveable space and what it says about my family.”

Scarlette uses the reduction lino cut technique, in which small sections of the lino surface are removed after printing. Some of the works have as many as 17 different layers. It is a time-consuming technique and because of cost restraints results in small edition runs.

“I tend to look at spaces and places that have significance to me or people who are important to me,” she explained. “But I think I will branch into landscapes and I’m particularly interested in some of the industrial sites and derelict industrial buildings around here.”

Scarlette’s prints sell for around £60 to £120 unframed and from £100 to around £300 framed.

Click here to take you back to more What's On news.

To follow us on Twitter click here