Meet The Artist
Hester Cox
I graduated from Harrow School of Art & Design with a BA(Hons) in Illustration and now live in Masham, North Yorkshire. Working as a printmaker, I design and make relief, collagraph and photopolymer (solar) plates which are then printed in layers to form one richly coloured and textured print.
My inspiration is most often derived from the natural landscape, the plants and wildlife that inhabit it and the stories, myths and symbolism associated with them. I like to use multiple plates and techniques to echo the layers of meaning and metaphor in my images. Whilst not purely illustrational, my prints have a strong sense of narrative with closer inspection revealing further layers of meaning. My passion for printmaking has led me to run workshops for children and adults both privately and for North Yorkshire County Council, Rural Arts North Yorkshire, ArtisOn and the Woodland Trust. I regularly exhibit and sell my prints across the UK.
In 2010, I was invited to become one of three artists in residence at Nidderdale Museum creating work inspired by the museum’s bird egg collection. Using this as a starting point, I studied the migrating curlews that fly in from the west coast to lay their eggs in Nidderdale. The resulting prints and supporting drawings went on display in summer 2011. In 2010, I was also chosen by Crysalis Arts to take part in their Extending Practice programme. This enabled me to work with Jane Sellars, the curator of the Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate, who mentored me throughout a project based on the Vale of York Viking Hoard, jointly owned by the Yorkshire and British Museums. My artistic response to this beautiful and important treasure was exhibited alongside the hoard at the Mercer Art Gallery from September 2011 until January 2012. In 2012, I will be taking part in the Connections North Programme when I will be undertaking a printmaking residency in Algarden, Sweden.
Current & Forthcoming Exhibitions
2012 ‘Of A Feather’ The Gallery, Masham joint show with Pam Grimmond, September
2012 Priory Arts, Wetherby. 20/21/22 January
2011/12 Hester Cox: An Artist’s Impression (A printmaker’s response to the Vale of York Viking Hoard), The Mercer Gallery, Harrogate
Solo Exhibitions
2010 ‘Home’, The Gallery, Masham
2009 Cambridge Contemporary Art, Cambridge.
2008 The Warehouse Café, Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal.
2007 ‘Past and Present’, The Old Courthouse, Rural Arts, Thirsk.
2007 Shine, York.
2006 ‘Journeys’, The Gallery, Masham. A solo exhibition of new prints influenced by my recent travels in Asia and South and Central America.
1996 – 1999 Harlow Carr Botanical Gardens, Harrogate, exhibitions of collagraph prints and paintings, annually.
Recent Group Exhibitions & Events
2011 Breaking New Ground, The Gallery, Masham
2011 Christmas Exhibition, Cambridge Contemporary Art
2011 Masham Arts Festival Exhibition, St. Mary’s Church, Masham
2011 Drawing from the Past: Exhibition of the work created as part of the artists in residence project at Nidderdale Museum, Pateley Bridge
2011 Great North Art Show, Ripon Cathedral
2011 Summer Exhibition, RHS Garden Harlow Carr
2011 Alfresco Food Festival, Swinton Park, Masham
2010 North Yorkshire Open Studios
2010 Great North Art Show, Ripon Cathedral
2010 A Celebration of Hackfall, The Gallery, Masham
2010 Spot on the Wall, The Station, Richmond
2010 Bird, Number Six, Pateley Bridge
2010 Summer Exhibition, RHS Garden Harlow Carr
2010 North Yorkshire Open Studios
2009 Mixed Christmas Exhibition, Cambridge Contemporary Art.
2009 Bedazzled, The Yorkshire Craft Centre, Bradford.
2009 Masham Arts Festival Art Exhibition, St. Mary's Church, Masham.
2009 Touchstones and Turning Points, Leeds Fine Art Club, The North Light Gallery, Huddersfield.
2009 The Great North Art Show, Ripon Cathedral, North Yorkshire.
2009 Making an Impression, Schoolroom Gallery, Alnmouth.
2009 Summer Exhibition, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate.
2009 Richmond Station, North Yorkshire.
2009 International Print Biennale, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle.
2009 Take to the Skies, The Gallery, Masham..
2009 A Sense of Place: North Yorkshire Artists in the Landscape, The Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate.
2009 North Yorkshire Open Studios.
2009 Art for Youth North, St.Mary’s School, Topcliffe.
2008 Printmakers at LS1, LS1 Club, Albion Place, Leeds.
2008 Christmas Exhibition, FeFieFoFum, Northumberland.
2008 ‘Mixed Christmas Exhibition’, Cambridge Contemporary Arts.
2008 Rachel Gretton and Hester Cox,The Old Courthouse, Rural Arts, Thirsk.
2008 ‘Nest’ Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes.
2008 Summer Exhibition, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate.
2008 Coastlines, The Gallery, Masham.
2008 The Mariners Gallery, St.Ives.
Journals: Artists and Illustrators, Country Living and Pagan Dawn (Cover).